Dennis Sellers

<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Friends of the Columbia Gorge, a nonprofit based out of Portland, Oregon, <a href="https://gorgefriends.org/photocontest" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">have announced</a> the winners of its fourth annual photo contest. The winning photo (pictured) was taken by Colleen Wright of Lake Oswego in Oregon using an iPhone 6. </p>

<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;"><a href="https://variety.com/2019/digital/news/apple-arthur-van-hoff-1203184373/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Variety</em></a> reports that Apple has hired Arthur van Hoff, a founding executive of the Disney-backed VR startup <a href="https://variety.com/t/jaunt/"><span style="text-decoration:underline">Jaunt</span></a>. He started in a senior architect position this month, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/aavanhoff/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="text-decoration:underline">according to his Linkedin profile.</span></a></p>

<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Apple has released the second public beats of macOS 10.14.5, iOS 12.3, and tvOS 12.3. The public betas are available on <a href="https://beta.apple.com/sp/betaprogram/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Apple's Beta Software Program website</a>. Just remember that beta software, so proceed with care.</p>

<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">If you’re looking for an alternative to Apple’s Smart Folio for your iPad Pro, and don’t mind a little extra heft, the TouchType Case is a fine alternative. It’s an upcoming protective case and keyboard all in one with some special flourishes.</p>

<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;"><a href="http://scosche.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Scosche </a>is shipping its first MFI-certified USB-C to Lightning Power Delivery cables. These cables, which cost about $25, connect and sync Apple Lightning devices with USB-C enabled devices such as: laptops, tablets, hard drives, smartphones, digital cameras and more. </p>

<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Apple has filed for a patent (number 10,254,840) for a “guidance device for the sensory impaired.” If realized, it could, among other things, allow an iPhone to double as a virtual cane. </p>

<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Maybe Siri will one day be better at understanding my Southern accent, although the personal digital assistant has gotten much better at the task. Apple has been granted a patent (number 10,255,907) for “automatic accent detection using acoustic models.”</p>

<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Well, I wanted a 31.5-inch iMac, and one may be arriving later this year, if you can believe a new report from <a href="https://www.digitimes.com/news/a20190409PD202.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>DigiTimes</em></a>, following up on yesterday’s note from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.</p>

<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Apple’s upcoming Apple Arcade may be arriving at just the right time. The global market for gaming desktops, notebooks, and monitors is expected to grow 8.2% year-over-year in 2019 to 42.1 million devices, according to a new forecast from <a href="https://www.idc.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="text-decoration:underline">IDC</span></a>. </p>

<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Apple has given a straight-to-series order to an eight-episode  drama based on Stephen King’s <em>Lisey’s Story</em>, reports <a href="https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/julianne-moore-jj-abrams-stephen-king-apple-show-1203183670/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Variety</em></a><em>.</em></p>

<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">According to <a href="https://pc-tablet.com/an-apple-iphone-xe-is-in-the-making-for-q3-2019/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>PC Tablet</em></a>, an India-based tech media outlet, Apple is working on an iPhone SE successor that will be dubbed the “iPhone XE.”</p>

<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">In a note to clients — as noted by <a href="https://appleinsider.com/articles/19/04/08/apples-316-inch-professional-display-may-arrive-soon-17-inch-macbook-pro-in-early-2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>AppleInsider</em></a> — analyst says the 31.5-inch, 6K pro display from Apple that’s he’s predicted will arrive soon, but the 16.5-inch MacBook Pro he forecast won’t arrive until early next year. Previously, he prognosticated that we’d see the revamped laptop later this year.</p>

<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">The new <a href="http://www.piperjaffray.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Taking Stock With Teens survey by Piper Jaffray</a> finds that 83% of teens own an iPhone whereas 86% of teens expect an iPhone to be their next phone. </p>

<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Worldwide shipments of devices — personal computers (PCs), tablets and mobile phones — are on pace to reach 2.21 billion units in 2019, exhibiting flat growth year over year, according to <a href="http://www.gartner.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Gartner, Inc</a>. The PC market is expected to continue its downward trend, while the mobile phone market is set to return to growth in 2020.</p>

<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Now that the AirPower has been canceled, it would be kinda cool if Apple gave us an “iDesk” as envisioned by the folks at Geeky Gadgets and, some years ago, by <em>Mac/Life. </em>It would doubtless be pricey and have a niche audience, but I think there’s a market for such a product. And it’s something I’ve dreamed about over the years.</p>