Dennis Sellers

<p class="">Apple wants to improve the audio of videos make with your iPhone and iPad. The company has filed for a patent (number 20200137489) for “spatially biased sound pickup for binaural video recording.”</p>

<p class="">Orange, a telecom company, is in “intense” discussions with Apple over developing France’s smartphone app for tracing people who are at risk of coronavirus infection, CEO Stephane Richard told <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-orange-apple/orange-in-talks-with-apple-on-french-contact-tracing-app-idUSKBN22C1LJ" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Reuters</a>.</p>

<p class="">The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic furthered the decline of the worldwide tablet market as global shipments fell to 24.6 million units, down 18.1% year-over-year during the first quarter of 2020 (1Q20), according to preliminary data from the International Data Corporation (<a href="https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.idc.com%2F&esheet=52212363&newsitemid=20200429005919&lan=en-US&anchor=IDC&index=1&md5=5868782fc3938bd2150683afc32f888e" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">IDC</a>) <a href="https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.idc.com%2Ftracker%2Fshowproductinfo.jsp%3Fprod_id%3D81&esheet=52212363&newsitemid=20200429005919&lan=en-US&anchor=Worldwide+Quarterly+Tablet+Tracker&index=2&md5=53641d57f2151ac7b436318368dbe066" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Worldwide Quarterly Tablet Tracker</a>.</p>

<p class=""><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-04-29/new-app-lobby-group-touts-independence-from-google-apple" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Bloomberg</a> reports nine mobile app companies are launching a new trade group “to weigh in on the nation's most controversial tech policy issues, banding together to assert heir independence" from Apple and Alphabet's Google.</p>

<p class="">According to the latest investigations by <a href="https://www.trendforce.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">TrendForce</a>, the global spread of COVID-19 in 2020 has brought about the greatest magnitude of declines in the smartphone market in recent years. Global smartphone production for the first quarter of 2020 fell by 10% year-over-year to around 280 million units, the lowest in five years, due to pandemic-induced disruptions across the supply chain.</p>

<p class="">The latest episode of <a href="http://www.macvoices.com/macvoices-20126-michael-cohen-takes-control-of-the-newest-version-of-pdfpen-from-smile/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">MacVoices</a> features a discussion on the second edition of <em>Take Control of PDFpen</em> between host Chuck Joiner and author Michael E. Cohen.</p>

<p class="">Smartphone sales in China fell by 22% year-over-year [YoY] and 24% quarter [QoQ] in the first quarter of 2020 due to the impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic, according to the latest data from <a href="https://www.counterpointresearch.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Counterpoint Research</a>.</p>

<p class="">HYLA Mobile, a provider of software technology and services for mobile device returns management and reuse solutions, has released data on mobile device trade-in trends for the first quarter 2020.</p>

<p class="">Apple has reached an $18 million settlement to end a class action alleging it pushed through an update that disabled FaceTime on older model iPhones as a way to save on the costs of running the program, reports <a href="https://www.law360.com/technology/articles/1268099/apple-inks-18m-deal-in-iphone-facetime-failure-suit?nl_pk=ade0cf2b-ea3f-464b-bc93-d8e19277ac63&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=technology" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Law 360</a> (a subscription is required to read the entire article).</p>

<p class="">Apple has been granted a patent (number 10,635,738) for a "device, method, and graphic user interface for managing website presentation meetings.” It hints at future features for its Keynote app, at least for iPads and iPhones as it involves touch screens.</p>

<p class=""><a href="https://www.engadget.com/apple-maps-covid-19-testing-sites-all-us-191822069.html">Endgadget</a> reports that Apple's Maps app now shows COVID-19 testing sites across the U.S. People in all 50 states and Puerto Rico can use the app to find a place to get checked, whether it’s a hospital, urgent care clinic, pharmacy or dedicated testing site.</p>

<p class="">India’s smartphone shipments grew a modest 4% year-over-year [YoY] to reach a little over 31 million units in quarter one [Q1] of 2020, according to the latest research from Counterpoint’s <a href="https://report.counterpointresearch.com/posts/report/Monitor" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Market Monitor</a> service. But the news was really good for the iPhone.</p>

<p class=""><a href="http://macpaw.7eer.net/c/143055/63812/1733" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">CleanMyMac</a> from MacPaw is an all-in-one macOS solution designed to keep your Mac clean and to secure space from your computer’s hard drive. It’s now launching on the Mac App Store 12 years after its original release.</p>

<p class="">Apple has been granted a patent (number 10,635,134) for the Sidecar feature introduced with macOS Catalina. It allows users to extend their Mac desktop by using their iPad as a second display or as a high-precision input device across creative Mac apps.</p>

<p class="">Let the Apple Car rumors roll on. Apple has been granted a patent for “cosmetic integration of displays” in a vehicle.</p>