Dennis Sellers

<p>Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP), has released its analysis of the results from its research on Apple for the fiscal quarter that ended Dec. 31, 2016. The research group found that the iPhone U.S. installed base reached 132 million units as of the end of 2016.</p>

<p>In writing for <a target="_blank" href="https://9to5mac.com/?s=LG" rel="noopener noreferrer">9to5Mac</a>, Zac Hall reported that his LG UltraFine Display 5K became unusable if located near a router. Though I don’t doubt Zac’s results, mine have been totally different. </p>

<p>Davis Brand Capital, a market intelligence and customer insight firm, has released the eighth annual <a target="_blank" href="http://davisbrandcapital.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">Davis Brand Capital 25 ranking</a>, a global study of overall brand performance evaluating companies' abilities to successfully manage brand value, competitive performance, innovation strength, company culture and social impact. Apple dropped from the top spot to the runner-up spot.</p>

<p>Factorial has introduced Baccus 1.0, a new backup App for macOS. It’s designed to make it easy to back up your home folder to multiple backup devices, including external drives and NAS. </p>

<p>Future watch bands from Apple (Smart Bands?) may provide more juice for the Apple Watch. Apple has filed for a patent (20170033567) for a “charging apparatus for a wearable electronic device.” BTW, images accompanying the filing show a round Apple Watch.</p>

<p>According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.strategyanalytics.com/access-services/devices/wearables/market-data/report-detail/global-smartwatch-vendor-market-share-by-region-q4-2016#.WJIqzlOLSUl" rel="noopener noreferrer">global smartwatch shipments grew 1% annually</a> to hit a record 8.2 million units in the fourth quarter of 2016. Apple Watch drove growth and dominated with 63% global smartwatch marketshare, while Samsung maintained second position.</p>

<p>Apple, Alphabet, Facebook, Uber, Stripe and other companies have teamed up to pen a letter opposing U.S. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/27/us/politics/trump-syrian-refugees.html" rel="noopener noreferrer">President Trump’s travel ban</a> that suspends travel from seven Muslim-majority countries, according to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.recode.net/2017/2/1/14480988/google-apple-facebook-joint-letter-opposing-trump-travel-ban" rel="noopener noreferrer">re/code</a>. Here’s a draft of the letter:</p>

<p>Shell cases are great for keeping the exterior of your MacBook Pro scratch-free. Beside preserving your laptop’s life, it also improves resale value down the road (who wants a dinged-up laptop?). <a target="_blank" href="https://www.moshi.com/iglaze-for-macbook-pro-15-with-touch-bar#stealth-clear" rel="noopener noreferrer">Moshi’s iGlaze Pro 15</a> is, as far as I know, the first shell for the new MacBook Pros with Touch Bar.</p>

<p>I’ve said before that it’s only a matter of time until all of Apple’s hardware devices will be powered by ARM-based processors, including the Mac. A<a target="_blank" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-02-01/apple-developing-new-mac-chip-in-test-of-intel-independence" rel="noopener noreferrer"> new Bloomberg report</a>, quoting unnamed “people familiar with the matter,” says Apple is designing a new chip for future Mac laptops that would take on more of the functionality currently handled by Intel processors.</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>Twelve South has released a new model of its <a href="https://www.twelvesouth.com/product/bookarc-for-macbook-pro-retina">BookArc</a> — which allows you to run your setup from the power of your Mac laptop while in closed clamshell mode — that supports the 2016 MacBook Pros.</p>

<p>Google has overtaken Apple as the world’s most valuable brand. Google’s brand value rose by 24% during 2016 (from $88.2 billion to US$109.4 billion) whilst Apple’s declined from $145.9 billion to $107.1 billion, according to the latest Brand Finance Global 500 report. Google last occupied the position of the world’s most valuable brand in 2011. </p>

<p>Apple has released AirPods firmware 3.5.1. <a target="_blank" href="http://appleinsider.com/articles/17/02/01/apple-pushes-airpods-firmware-351-to-synchronized-iphones-with-minor-bug-fixes" rel="noopener noreferrer">AppleInsider</a> says it’s probably already been downloaded to a synchronized device. </p>

<p>CEO Tim Cook has told the <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/apple-considers-legal-options-against-trumps-immigration-order-1485925005"><em>Wall Street Journal</em></a> that hundreds of Apple’s employees have been affected by President Donald Trump’s executive order on immigration, and says that the company is considering taking legal action.</p>

<p>Apple shipped 78.3 million iPhones in the fourth quarter of the year, moving it ahead of Samsung (by about 800,000 more smartphone units) to recapture the top global position among smartphone manufacturers, reports <a href="http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170131006472/en/Strategy-Analytics-Global-Smartphone-Shipments-Hit-Record">Strategy Analytics</a>. The research group says Apple has 18% of the worldwide market.</p>