Dennis Sellers

<p class="">Hired — which looks for ways to empower companies to get the edge they need to attract the world’s top tech talent— has <a href="https://hired.com/blog/highlights/2020-brand-health-report/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">released</a> its 2020 “Global Brand Health Report,” which looks at which companies tech talent want to work for and what drives them to take a new job. Netflix displays last year’s top company, Google, and Apple places seventh on the list.</p>

<p class=""><a href="https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=2925267-1&h=3682298388&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linksys.com%2Fus%2F&a=Linksys" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Linksys</a>, the connected home division within the Belkin International and Foxconn Interconnect Technology (FIT) (HK: 6088) entity, has announced HomeKit support for its <a href="https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=2925267-1&h=2540606218&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linksys.com%2Fus%2Fp%2FP-WHW0303%2F&a=Linksys%C2%A0Velop+Tri-Band%C2%A0mesh+routers" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Linksys Velop Tri-Band mesh routers</a>. HomeKit is a framework that allows control of compatible home automation devices.</p>

<p class="">Apple had updated Pages, Keynote, and Numbers for iOS 14 and iPadOS 14, adding Scribble support. PadOS 14 brings Scribble to iPad with Apple Pencil, allowing users to write in any text field — where it will automatically be converted to typed text.</p>

<p class="">Apple has announced a series order for “High Desert,” a new comedic half-hour series to be produced by Apple Studios that will star Academy, Golden Globe and Emmy Award winner Patricia Arquette (“Boyhood,” “Escape at Dannemora,” “The Act”), who will also executive produce.</p>

<p class="">According to <a href="https://appleinsider.com/articles/20/09/22/apple-event-rumored-for-october-13-as-eddy-cue-promotes-services-to-uk-carrier-staff" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">AppleInsider</a>, Apple will hold a virtual event to announce the “iPhone 12” on Tuesday, Oct. 13. The tech giant hasn’t announced such an event, but the timetable seems reasonable.</p>

<p class=""><a href="http://www.otterbox.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">OtterBox </a>has introduced the EXO EDGE, designed for the new Apple Watch Series 6 and Apple Watch SE. It’s a “sleek case designed to keep your device protected during daily life and extraordinary adventures,” according to CEO Jim Parke.</p>

<p class="">Apple's Macs and iPads continue to have the highest satisfaction score among personal computer users in 2020, according to new data shared today by the <a href="https://www.theacsi.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">American Customer Satisfaction Index</a>. The iPhone and Apple’s streaming services also did well.</p>

<p class="">Apple has been granted a patent (number 10,782,741) that shows it’s working on ways to make iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches, and Macs more resistant to scratches and dents.</p>

<p class="">Apple has been granted two patents for its rumored “Apple Glasses,” an augmented reality/virtual reality/mixed reality head-mounted display (HMD).</p>

<p class="">Since Steve and I can’t cover everything, we’ll frequently offer a wrap-up of news items you should check out. First up: Five days after Apple released iOS 14, adoption of the software update (and iPadOS 14) has reached approximately 26% of active iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch devices, according to <a href="https://mixpanel.com/trends/#report/ios_14" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Mixpanel</a>. This includes iPadOS 14.</p>

<p class="">Apple has released the first public betas of iOS 14.2 and iPadOS 14.2. The public betas are available on <a href="https://beta.apple.com/sp/betaprogram/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Apple's Beta Software Program website</a>. Just remember that beta software, so proceed with care.</p>

<p class="">Girls Who Code, an international nonprofit organization working to close the gender gap in technology, has launched #SisterhoodStory—a digital celebration for Day of the Girl that invites girls to shine a spotlight on one another, and the role of Sisterhood in their lives.</p>

<p class="">According to an <a href="https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT210580" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">AppleCare+ support document</a>, monthly payments for ‌AppleCare‌+ are now available for iPhones, iPads, and Apple Watches in Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan, and the UK, as well as the U.S.</p>

<p class=""><a href="https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=2922433-1&h=2754731289&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.parksassociates.com%2Fmarketfocus%2Fwearables&a=New+Parks+Associates+research" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">New Parks Associates research</a> finds 49% of iPhone-owning heads of US broadband households also own at least one connected health product, compared to 34% of owners of Android smartphones.</p>

<p class="">Billy Crudup won an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his performance in The Morning Show, one of Apple’s dramas on its Apple TV+ streaming service. It was the only award out of 18 nominations for the tech giant at the 2020 Primetime Emmy Awards.</p>