Dennis Sellers

<p class="">Future Apple Pencils could have a glass component as evidenced by a new patent filing (number 2020089341) for a "stylus with glass component.” (And, yes, I know Apple doesn’t like the Pencil to be called a stylus, but still…</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=""><a href="https://www.spyderthegame.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Spyder</a> for the Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV is the latest game for Apple Arcade, Apple’s game streaming service.</p>

<p class="">With viewing of streaming shows WAY up with so many folks worldwide staying in due to the coronavirus outbreak, European officials have instructed streaming services to reduce the amount of bandwidth their services use, in order to reduce strain on internet networks. Apple has done this with its Apple TV+ streaming service, whose content is normally available in 4K and HD formats.</p>

<p class="">According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics, global smartphone shipments <a href="https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.strategyanalytics.com%2Faccess-services%2Fdevices%2Fmobile-phones%2Fsmartphone%2Fsmartphones%2Fmarket-data%2Freport-detail%2Fglobal-smartphone-monthly-shipments-%2528sell-in%2529-sales-%2528sell-through%2529-and-inventory-by-vendor-march-2020&esheet=52192375&newsitemid=20200320005404&lan=en-US&anchor=tumbled+38+percent+year-on-year+in+the+month+of+February%2C+2020&index=1&md5=d8d9c6b5da3fc932c2e2a4b6dda84e5e" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">tumbled 38% year-on-year in the month of February, 2020</a>. It was the biggest fall ever in the history of the worldwide smartphone market.</p>

<p class="">Results from recent IAM RoadSmart research says in-vehicle infotainment systems such as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto impair reactions times behind the wheel more than alcohol and cannabis use.</p>

<p class="">Podcasting awareness and consumption in the U.S. continue to rise, according to the most recent information from the <a href="https://www.edisonresearch.com/the-infinite-dial-2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Infinite Dial 2020</a> from Edison Research and Triton Digital.</p>

<p class="">Despite all the problems related to the coronavirus, the “iPhone 12” and yet another iPad Pro update are coming this fall, says two new reports..</p>

<p class="">Sure, it's just a PR thing, but Apple is still sending mixed messages about the iPad (specially the new <a href="https://appleworld.dreamhosters.com/blog/2020/3/18/apples-new-ipad-pro-boasts-lidar-scanner-trackpad-support-in-ipados" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">iPad Pro</a>) and its Mac laptop.</p>

<p class="">A tweet from Tim Cook tells how Apple plans to help deal with the coronavirus outbreak in Italy.</p>

<p class="">As companies enact aggressive work-from-home measures to limit the spread of COVID-19 among their employees, <a href="https://www.inseego.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Inseego Corp.</a> — which provides “purpose-built, enterprise-grade IoT solutions simplify your business” — offers the following information to help remote workers stay secure.</p>

<p class="">WaterField Designs has announced the <a href="https://www.sfbags.com/products/hitch-crossbody-laptop-brief/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Hitch Crossbody Laptop Brief</a> in two sizes: the US $249 "Compact" to fit Apple's newly-announced 13-inch MacBook Air, the anticipated 14-inch MacBook Pro, or the 13-inch Surface Pro, and the $259 "Full" to fit the 16-inch Apple MacBook Pro or the 15-inch Surface Pro.</p>

<p class="">Microphones in upcoming Macs, iPhones, iPads, and Apple Watches could differentiate between natural and artificial sounds per a new Apple patent filing (number 20200090644) for “systems and methods for classifying sounds.” The goal: to improve the performance of Siri, the company's “virtual digital assistant.”</p>

<p class="">Apple’s rumored "Apple Glasses" — a head-mounted augmented reality system -- could have impressive audio capabilities as hinted by a newly filed patent (number 2020089008) for "display devices with multimodal audio.”</p>

<p class="">AltConf, an alternative conference for developers that normally takes place at the same time as Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference, <a href="https://medium.com/altconf/altconf-2020-80668761d419" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">has been canceled</a> following Apple's announcement that WWDC will be a digital only event.</p>