Dennis Sellers

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Apple is apparently getting the rights to <em>A Christmas Carol</em>, a live action musical based on the Charles Dickens’ classic that will  star Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell, reports <a href="https://variety.com/2019/film/news/apple-rich-deal-ryan-reynolds-will-ferrell-a-christmas-carol-1203358586/"><em>Variety</em></a>. It will arrive later this year on Apple TV+, although it could get a limited theatrical release first.</p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Addigy, a provider of cloud-based Apple Device Management software, has announced general availability of its enhanced platform with support for macOS 10.15 Catalina. It enables full utilization of Catalina’s new features, including support for 64-bit systems and advanced privacy controls, according to Addigy CEO Jason Dettbarn.</p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Linksys has announced Linksys Aware, a subscription service within the Linksys Smart WiFi App on the <a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/linksys/id533516503" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Apple App Store</a> and <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cisco.connect.cloud" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Google Play</a> that senses motion in Mesh WiFi environments.</p><p class="" data-rte-preserve-empty="true" style="white-space:pre-wrap;"></p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Hunter Muller, president and CEO of <a href="https://www.globenewswire.com/Tracker?data=-GW-HGYzlxibFGTWRXnaUZwmNJ4ddOPVXwmLsKHO2XjJeU8vlox6iD2AQ_aPddlX9HQ5kZmeEhnzqouKn2sDDQ==" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">HMG Strategy</a>, a provider of executive networking events and “thought leadership,” predicts that Apple’s financial performance over the next few quarters will also benefit Samsung, Google and Microsoft as competition and opportunities in the smartphone market continue to heat up.</p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">WaterField Designs unveils the <a href="https://www.sfbags.com/products/air-duffel-carry-on" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Air Duffel</a> in-flight personal item. Designed in collaboration with over 1,200 frequent travelers, the carry-on is designed to maximize allowable airline personal item space yet fits under an airline seat leaving room to stretch out legs. </p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Apple has been granted a patent (number 10,437,327) — one of several — involving eye-tracking features for the rumored “Apple Glasses,” a head-mounted artificial reality/virtual reality headset. </p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">macOS Catalina arrived yesterday, but the expected iCloud Drive folder sharing feature didn’t. </p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">You can build a dancing humanoid robot with MeeBot 2.0, an Apple store exclusive now available for $129.99 at Apple retail stores.</p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.elago.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Elago</a> makes some of the most affordable iPhone cases around, including models for the new iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max.</p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.globenewswire.com/Tracker?data=dgnWSc0N1ruCmxp3iOd5YYxA111_T8ncm8LsHhPMtjFcP3ksPt_29Og52VC_4ytuPg8-Ei_hP5erBTaclXhWwQ=="><span style="text-decoration:underline">Jamf</span></a>, which specializes in Apple management, says it’s prepared with both compatibility and key feature support across its product portfolio for Apple’s macOS Catalina, which was released yesterday. </p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/10/07/devoted-medicare-advantage-plan-covering-apple-watch-as-a-benefit.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">CNBC</a> reports that <a href="https://www.devoted.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Devoted Health </a>says it’s the first Medicare Advantage plan to offer Apple Watch as a benefit to its members. Its marketing materials show that it will help members pay for the cost of the device up to $150. </p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Apple has updated <a href="https://www.apple.com/final-cut-pro/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Final Cut Pro X</a> to version 10.4.7 with a new Metal engine that purportedly delivers performance gains across a wide range of Macs and takes advantage of the upcoming Mac Pro and the Apple Pro Display XDR. </p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">macOS Catalina is now available as a free software update for Macs introduced in mid-2012 or later. It adds support for the new Apple Arcade service, new Mac versions of Apple Music, Apple Podcasts and Apple TV apps, a new feature called Sidecar, and more.</p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to hear a bid by the University of Wisconsin’s patent licensing arm to reinstate its legal victory against Apple in a fight over computer processor technology that the school claimed the company used without permission in certain iPhones and iPads, according to a <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-court-apple/u-s-supreme-court-snubs-university-of-wisconsin-appeal-in-patent-fight-with-apple-idUSKBN1WM1F8" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Reuters</a> report.</p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">According to a report from the <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/85967cd2-e86b-11e9-a240-3b065ef5fc55" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Financial Times</a> (a subscription is required to read the article), Apple is in discussion with records labels to bundle Apple Music and the upcoming Apple TV+ into a “super-bundle” of music, movies, and TV shows.</p>