Dennis Sellers

<p>Apple has renewed <em>Carpool Karaoke: The Series</em> for a second season, CBS CEO Les Moonves announced this afternoon, according to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/apple-renews-carpool-karaoke-second-season-1085314" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>The Hollywood Reporter</em></a>. It’s available to Apple Music subscribers.</p>

<p>According to the latest research from <a target="_blank" href="http://www.strategyanalytics.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">Strategy Analytics</a>, global smartphone revenues hit an all-time high of $120 billion during the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2017. Apple captured a record 51 percent global smartphone revenue share, accounting for more than the rest of the entire industry combined.</p>

<p>Rally Racers, a cartoon-based car racing game, is available on <a target="_blank" href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/514530/Rally_Racers/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Steam</a> for macOS and Windows for $11.99.</p>

<p>In a note to investors — as noted by <a target="_blank" href="http://appleinsider.com/articles/18/02/15/apple-watch-airpods-homepod-apples-other-products-predicted-to-rake-in-22b-in-revenue-by-2019" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>AppleInsider</em></a> — Guggenheim analyst Robert Cihra says Apple’s "other products” category is poised to become the company's fastest growing segment.</p>

<p>A bug that causes app and system crashing on iPhones, iPads, and Macs due to a specific letter in the Indian language Telugu has been fixed in Apple's upcoming iOS 11.3 and macOS 10.13.4 software updates, reports <a target="_blank" href="http://www.macrumors.com" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>MacRumors</em></a>. </p>

<p>Apple has been granted a patent (number 20180047320) for a “transparent electronic device” — the device being a display to be used for, among other things, augmented reality (AR) purposes on iPhones, iPads, and Macs.</p>

<p>According to new research from TechInsights, Apple spends $216 to build a $350 HomePod, so margins from the tech giant's wireless speaker are slimmer than, for instance, those for its iPhone line.</p>

<p>Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway increased its Apple holdings by 23.3% to 165.3 million shares, according to SEC filings. The multinational conglomerate company dumped about 94.%of its IBM holdings, leaving just 2.05 million shares.</p>

<p>The <a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/1DvWWRK" rel="noopener noreferrer">iOttie Easy Smart Tap 2</a> is a wonderful mount for your tablet — if you have an iPad 3/4, iPad mini, or iPad Air. I’ve been using the $44.95 mount for some time now and have really come to appreciate the use I get out of it in our van.  </p>

<p>Twelve South has released the $49.99 <a target="_blank" href="https://www.twelvesouth.com/product/surfacepad-for-iphone" rel="noopener noreferrer">SurfacePad for iPhone X</a>. It protects the front and rear of the smartphone, while providing sleep/wake functionality via magnetized front cover.</p>

<p>Apple engineers can’t afford to leave near their Cupertino, California offices, according to the real-estate startup Open Listings (as noted by <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/40531163/study-even-apple-and-google-engineers-cant-really-afford-to-live-near-their-offices"><em>Fast Company</em></a>), which <a target="_blank" href="https://www.openlistings.com/blog/can-engineers-afford-homes-near-work-in-sf-la/" rel="noopener noreferrer">looked at</a> median home sales prices near the headquarters (meaning within a 20-minute commute) of some of the Bay Area’s biggest and best-known tech companies. </p>

<p>Apple tells <a target="_blank" href="https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/apple-homepod/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=social-promo#homepods-flaws-but-not-dealbreakers-homepod-vs-echo-vs-google-home-max-vs-sonos-one" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Wirecutter</em></a> that the HomePod’s base can indeed leave residue on certain wood countertops, as reviewers and owners (such as <a target="_blank" href="https://www.pocket-lint.com/smart-home/reviews/apple/141256-apple-homepod-review-the-smart-sounding-speaker-that-s-just-not-smart-enough" rel="noopener noreferrer">Pocket-lint</a>, and <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/Guyinsf415/status/962459450123538433" rel="noopener noreferrer">folks on Twitter</a>) have noticed.</p>

<p>Boy, the analysts have been busy today. In a note to clients — as noted by <a target="_blank" href="http://appleinsider.com/articles/18/02/14/rear-facing-3d-sensing-technology-possibly-slated-for-fall-2019-iphone-allowing-apple-to-press-ar-advantage" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>AppleInsider</em></a> — Barclays in London, says Apple and its partners are "working hard on a world-facing solution" capable of scanning surroundings in 3D, similar to what the TrueDepth system does for a user's face. </p>

<p>When news publishers have a big story these days,” their editors jump on Slack and pitch it to an unlikely partner: Apple,” according to <em><a target="_blank" href="https://www.theinformation.com/articles/inside-apples-courtship-of-news-publishers?eu=wcmbcKs53B8XCywfGsylsw" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Information</a>.</em> The tech giant has built a “small but powerful news team that is making Apple a key distribution outlet for news publishers,” the article adds. </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> — Barclays analysts Andrew Gardiner, Hiral Patel, Joseph Wolf, and Blayne Curtis said Apple will launch three new iPhone models this year with a second-generation TrueDepth camera system, which will potentially be reduced in size.</p>