Dennis Sellers

<p class=""><a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/americans-buying-historic-amount-computers-webcams-121043910.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Yahoo Finance</a> says that Americans are buying “historic”’ amount of computers during the COVID-19 lockdown. Apple’s release of the 2020 MacBook Air and iPad Pros seems to have been ironically good timing. And now might be the perfect time to release a new iMac.</p>

<p class=""><a href="https://twitter.com/jon_prosser/status/1241840738712895494" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">YouTuber and leaker Jon Prosser</a>.says Apple will announce a new 13-inch MacBook Pro in May. He adds that it could actually be a 14-inch model just as the 15-inch MacBook Pro “graduated” to 16 inches.</p>

<p class="">CEO Tim Cook has <a href="https://twitter.com/tim_cook/status/1246916489589837824?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1246916489589837824&ref_url=https://www.macrumors.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">tweeted</a> that Apple has now sourced over 20 million masks through the company's supply chain.</p>

<p class="">Apple really wants you to implement a multi-HomePod speaker set-up and has ideas for making such an audio system offer superb sound. The company has filed for a patent (number)20200107121) for a self-equalizing loudspeaker system.</p>

<p class="">Apple has been granted a patent (number 10,607,419) for an “avatar creation user interface” for its Animoji and Memoji features.</p>

<p class="">Sky News <a href="https://news.sky.com/story/state-owned-chinese-investor-to-seize-control-of-chip-designer-imagination-11968494" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">reports</a> that a state-controlled Chinese investor is trying to seize control of Imagination Technologies Group, the British chip designer that (sometimes) works with Apple.</p>

<p class="">Apple is apparently looking to buy NextVR, a live event streaming AR/VR company being sold for around $100 million, <a href="https://9to5mac.com/2020/04/04/apple-nextr-ar-headset/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">according to</a> <em>9to5Mac.</em></p>

<p class="">Some streaming services are offering extended trials through Apple TV (the app, not the set-top box or streaming service) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, you can get extended one-month trials of Showtime and other services, as well as completely free access to EPIX via the Channels feature of the app, according to <a href="https://9to5mac.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">9to5Mac</a>.</p>

<p class="">Global <a href="https://www.counterpointresearch.com/global-online-music-streaming-revenues-cross-us11-billion-h1-2019/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">online music streaming</a> subscriptions grew 32% year-on-year reaching 358 million subscriptions in calendar year 2019, according to the latest findings from Counterpoint Research.</p>

<p class="">Apple has been granted a patent for an “audio system with configurable zones” that hints at future features for paired HomePods in, among other things, a home theater set-up.</p>

<p class="">On a regular basis, <em>Apple World Today </em>posts a list of notable new apps or app updates that have been released. They may not necessarily be new, but they're popular and deserve mention. Here are this week’s picks.</p>

<p class="">Apple has acquired Voysis, an artificial intelligence start-up, to improve the natural language skills of Siri, its personal digit assistant.</p>

<p class="">Several Democratic senators asked Apple CEO Tim Cook about the privacy of the company’s new COVID-19 screening app and website, according to <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-04-03/apple-ceo-cook-questioned-by-senators-on-covid-19-screening-app">Bloomberg.</a></p>

<p class="">Here’s another reason to dislike Facebook (the world’s frenemy): according to <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/6824735-Declaration-of-Shalev-Hulio-in-Support-of.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a declaration from NSO CEO Shalev Hulio</a>, two Facebook representatives approached NSO in October 2017 and asked to purchase the right to use certain capabilities of Pegasus. In other words, the company wanted to buy an Apple spying tool, according to <a href="https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/pke9k9/facebook-wanted-nso-spyware-to-monitor-users" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Motherboard</a>.</p>

<p class=""><a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/legend-of-the-skyfish-2/id1358468246" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Legend of the Skyfish 2</a> is the latest addition to the Apple Arcade line-up on the iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV (alas, there's no Mac version).</p>