Dennis Sellers

<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">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 style="white-space:pre-wrap;"><em>iFixit</em>, which tears down tech items so you don’t have to, had published a <a href="https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/AirPods+2+Teardown/121471" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">teardown of the second-generation AirPods</a>, providing a closer look at the H1 chip with Bluetooth 5.0 and the same 93 milliwatt hour battery in each of the AirPods in line with the original pair.</p>

<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">It’s official; the AirPower is dead (though it never actually lived).. Dan Riccio, Apple’s senior vice president of hardware engineering, made the announcement in a statement to <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2019/03/29/apple-cancels-airpower-product-citing-inability-to-meet-its-high-standards-for-hardware/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>TechCrunch</em></a>.</p>

<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;"><a href="http://www.jamf.com/">Jamf</a>, which specializes in Apple management, is partnering with Google Cloud to provide both schools and enterprises with a simple, unified authentication process. With <a href="https://www.jamf.com/products/jamf-connect/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Jamf Connect</a>, users can unbox their Apple device, power it on and access their corporate and learning applications after signing on with Cloud Identity (or G Suite) credentials.</p>

<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">The global market for smart home devices is expected to grow 26.9% year over year in 2019 to 832.7 million shipments, according to the International Data Corporation (<span style="text-decoration:underline">IDC</span>) <a href="https://www.idc.com/tracker/showproductinfo.jsp?prod_id=1781" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="text-decoration:underline">Worldwide Quarterly Smart Home Device Tracker</span></a>. </p>

<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Apple's AirPods captured 60% of the fully wireless earbud market during the December quarter, according to a new report by <a href="http://www.counterpointresearch.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Counterpoint Research</a>.</p>

<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">A <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/exclusive-data-shows-iphone-users-want-apple-card-2019-3?r=US&IR=T" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">survey</a> by <em>Business Insider</em> of 1,022 iPhone users find that most want the upcoming Apple Card, which was announced by Apple this week. </p>

<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">My favorite game controller for use on a Mac, iPad Pro and Apple TV is the $49.95 <a href="https://steelseries.com/gaming-controllers/nimbus" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Nimbus Wireless Controller</a>. See my review <a href="https://appleworld.dreamhosters.com/blog/2019/3/18/if-you-enjoy-gaming-on-an-apple-device-youll-enjoy-the-nimbus?rq=Nimbus" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">here.</a> It also works with the iPhone, but I prefer a bigger display when gaming.</p>

<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">A patent application (number 20190094032) by Apple shows that future versions of its Maps app may integrate ride hailing services such as Uber and Lyft.</p>

<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Apple has updated Pages, Numbers, and Keynote for its macOS and iOS devices.</p>

<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Last week, Apple added a 256GB RAM configure-to-order option for the iMac Pro. However, if you already purchased an iMac Pro with 128GB of RAM or less, upgrading to 256GB isn’t an option. <a href="https://www.macrumors.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>MacRumors </em></a>reports that it’s a build-to-order option only.</p>

<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Apple has released the first public betas of iOS 12.3, tvOS 12.3, and watchOS 5..2.1.The public betas are available on <a href="https://beta.apple.com/sp/betaprogram/">Apple's Beta Software Program website</a>. Just remember that beta software, so proceed with care.</p>

<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Future Apple Watches could identify users via bioauthentication when the smartwatch is placed on a wrist. Apple has filed for a patent (number 20190095602) for a “wearable electronic device having a light field camera usable to perform bioauthentication from a dorsal side of a forearm near a wrist.”</p>

<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Let the Apple Car rumors continue to roll. Apple has filed for a patent (number 20190095721) for “nighttime sensing” that would improve night vision in an automated automobile.</p>

<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">The minute it was announced that the AirPods 2 went on sale, I went to the Apple online store and ordered a pair. The purchase was a no-brainer as I really enjoyed the first generation of the earbuds and felt the upgrade would be even better. </p>