Dennis Sellers

<p>Carl Chery, Apple Music’s head of artist curation overseeing hip-hop and R&B programming, is leaving the company for Spotify, reports <a target="_blank" href="http://variety.com/2018/digital/news/apple-music-hip-hop-head-carl-chery-spotify-1202754200/" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Variety</em></a>.</p>

<p>As noted by <a target="_blank" href="https://www.theapplepost.com/samsung-to-begin-iphone-x-plus-display-production-in-may/" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>The Apple Post</em>,</a> Taiwan’s <a target="_blank" href="https://money.udn.com/money/story/5612/3088603" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Economic Daily News</em></a><em> </em>claims Samsung will begin production of new OLED displays for the next gen iPhone X, and the rumored “iPhone X Plus” in May, with plans to double its production in July.</p>

<p>Samsung’s Galaxy S9 and S9+ smartphones (pictured) top <em>Consumer Repor</em>t’s latest <a target="_blank" href="https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/cell-phones-services.htm" rel="noopener noreferrer">smartphone ratings</a>, beating out Apple’s iPhones.</p>

<p>Is it too late to convince Apple to add mouse support in iOS 12? Let’s hope not. As <a target="_blank" href="https://appleworld.dreamhosters.com/blog/2017/12/26/the-129-inch-ipad-proios-11-combo-has-replaced-my-12-inch-macbook#disqus_thread" rel="noopener noreferrer">I’ve written</a>, the 12.9-inch iPad Pro/iOS 11 combo has replaced my 12-inch MacBook.</p>

<p>While we’re waiting (and waiting and waiting) for Apple’s AirPower charger, the competition is heating up. Case (or Case-Mate) in point: the Power Pad from Case-Mate.</p>

<p>Apple will repair some Apple Watch Series 2 models that don’t power on or have a swollen battery free of charge as part of a new service policy. </p>

<p>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 today's picks.</p>

<p>A bipartisan group of lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives has sent a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray questioning the law enforcement agency’s decision to take Apple to court to force the company to help unlock a mass shooter’s iPhone, reports <a target="_blank" href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-apple-fbi/lawmakers-question-fbi-over-san-bernardino-suit-against-apple-idUSKBN1HK2I6" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Reuters</em></a>.</p>

<p>In an internal memo, Apple told employees <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-04-13/apple-warns-employees-to-stop-leaking-information-to-media" rel="noopener noreferrer">it caught 29 leakers</a> — in other words, folks who divulged company secrets — in 2017, and 12 of that group were arrested. </p>

<p>Apple said an unauthorized repair shop owner in Norway violated its trademark by using aftermarket iPhone parts, but a court decided in favor of the shop owner, notes <a target="_blank" href="https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/a3yadk/apple-sued-an-independent-iphone-repair-shop-owner-and-lost" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Motherboard</em></a>.</p>

<p>Sales of the iPhone X are disappointing so Apple may raise the price of the follow-up to the high-end smartphone later this year, according to UBS.</p>

<p>The iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus (PRODUCT)RED Special Edition are now available at Apple retail stores. </p>

<p>In a note to clients — as noted by <a target="_blank" href="http://www.macrumors.com" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>MacRumors</em></a> — KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reiterates recent reports that Apple’s HomePod sales are disappointing. He says the tech giant is considering a lower-priced wireless speaker to deal with the situation.</p>

<p>The ongoing legal brouhaha between Apple and Smartflash turn another turn in the former’s favor this week, notes <a target="_blank" href="https://appleinsider.com/articles/18/04/13/apple-gets-another-court-win-in-smartflash-suit" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>AppleInsider</em></a>. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit this week upheld an earlier ruling by the Patent Trial and Appeal Board.</p>

<p>Apple has begun trial production of the iPhone 6s Plus — one of its highest selling models in India — at the Bengaluru facility of Wistron, Apple’s primary assembler in the country, which may lead to a “price correction,” reports <em><a target="_blank" href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/hardware/in-2-weeks-apple-could-start-making-iphone-6s-plus-here/articleshow/63741022.cms" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Economic Times</a></em>, quoting two unnamed “senior industry executives.”</p>