Dennis Sellers

<p class="">Apple has been granted a patent (number 20200234481) for “virtual avatar animation based on facial feature movement” that hints at fun new features for its Animoji’s and Memoji.</p>

<p class="">There have been <a href="https://9to5mac.com/2020/07/26/new-imac-2020-rumors/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">two recent rumors </a>about an iMac refresh. I hope at least one of these is wrong.</p>

<p class="">Apple has been granted a patent (number 10,719,969) for “optimized avatar zones” related to its Animoji and Memoji features.</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 <a href="https://apple-tv-plus-press.apple.com/en-US/news/2020/07/apple-partners-with-werner-herzog-and-clive-oppenheimer-on-new-original-documentary-fireball/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">has announced </a><em>Fireball</em>, an original feature documentary directed by filmmaker Werner Herzog and professor Clive Oppenheimer.</p>

<p class="">Apple <a href="https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2020/07/apple-donates-its-proceeds-from-john-lewis-documentary-to-museums-that-honor-his-legacy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">has announced</a> that, in tribute to the life and legacy of civil rights hero and US Congressman John Lewis, it will donate its portion of the proceeds from the documentary “John Lewis: Good Trouble” to the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee, and the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C.</p>

<p class=""><a href="https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=https%3A%2F%2Foverwatchdh.com%2F&esheet=52255509&newsitemid=20200724005334&lan=en-US&anchor=Overwatch+Technologies&index=1&md5=1d711ed749c303785d88fccdcb52227f" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Overwatch Technologies</a> has launched an Apple Watch solution offering real-time seizure monitoring, alerts and reports to help improve the quality of life for people living with epilepsy and their loved ones.</p>

<p class="">Last week Apple’s WWII drama <em>Greyhound</em>, starring and written by Tom Hanks, has become the largest opening-weekend release ever for Apple TV+, including series that have bowed on the service, sources close to Apple told <a href="https://deadline.com/2020/07/tom-hanks-greyhound-apple-tv-opening-weekend-record-breaker-1202985492/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Deadline</a>. With that success in mind, <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/90531251/apple-eyes-new-streaming-strategy-after-tom-hanks-drama-breaks-records" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Fast Company</a> says the tech giant’s ambitions in feature films are “being amped up to (almost) Netflix-like levels.”</p>

<p class="">The Lullaby of Life is this week's addition to <a href="https://www.apple.com/apple-arcade/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Apple Arcade</a>, Apple’s US$4.99/month or $49.99/year game streaming service that has over 120 games,. It's available for the the iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, and Mac.</p>

<p class="">Another day, another lawsuit. As noted by <a href="https://www.patentlyapple.com/patently-apple/2020/07/koss-an-american-pioneer-in-headphones-has-filed-a-five-count-patent-infringement-lawsuit-against-apple.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Patently Apple</a>, headphone maker Koss is suing Apple for patent infringement. Allegations in the suit revolve around Koss development of the Striva line (pictured) of headphones.</p>

<p class="">Antitrust hearing featuring CEOs from tech giants, including Apple’s Tim Cook, was supposed to start Monday, but will probably be delayed, two unnamed “people familiar with the matter” told <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/07/23/tech-ceo-hearing-looks-like-it-will-be-postponed-source-says.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">CNBC</a>.</p>

<p class="">Via its Maps apps, Apple is reminding folks who’ve recently traveled internationally during the coronavirus pandemic to quarantine for 14 days, as noted by <a href="https://twitter.com/kylesethgray/status/1286485536421507072" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Kyle Seth Gray</a> on Twitter.</p>

<p class="">Apple has started making its flagship iPhone 11 at the Foxconn plant near Chennai, the first time it’s manufactured a top-of-the-line model in the country, <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/hardware/apple-makes-flagship-iphone-11-at-foxconn-plant-in-india/videoshow/77140182.cms" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Economic Times</a>.</p>

<p class="">Apple has been granted a patent (number 10,721,792) for “user equipment and network procedures for emergency broadcasting on Wi-Fi .” The tech giant notes that emergency messaging protocols are commonly used through a cellular broadcast technology to relay important geographically-relevant messages to users of user equipment (UE) devices such as iPhones, iPads, and Apple Watches..</p>

<p class="">iOS 13 brought new features to the Maps app, including Collections for sharing favorite restaurants, travel destinations or places to shop with friends, and Favorites for navigating to frequent destinations, such as home, work, the gym or school.</p>