Dennis Sellers

<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">The global market for smart home devices is expected to grow 26.9% year over year in 2019 to 832.7 million shipments, according to the International Data Corporation (<span style="text-decoration:underline">IDC</span>) <a href="https://www.idc.com/tracker/showproductinfo.jsp?prod_id=1781" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="text-decoration:underline">Worldwide Quarterly Smart Home Device Tracker</span></a>. </p>

<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Apple's AirPods captured 60% of the fully wireless earbud market during the December quarter, according to a new report by <a href="http://www.counterpointresearch.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Counterpoint Research</a>.</p>

<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">A <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/exclusive-data-shows-iphone-users-want-apple-card-2019-3?r=US&IR=T" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">survey</a> by <em>Business Insider</em> of 1,022 iPhone users find that most want the upcoming Apple Card, which was announced by Apple this week. </p>

<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">My favorite game controller for use on a Mac, iPad Pro and Apple TV is the $49.95 <a href="https://steelseries.com/gaming-controllers/nimbus" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Nimbus Wireless Controller</a>. See my review <a href="https://appleworld.dreamhosters.com/blog/2019/3/18/if-you-enjoy-gaming-on-an-apple-device-youll-enjoy-the-nimbus?rq=Nimbus" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">here.</a> It also works with the iPhone, but I prefer a bigger display when gaming.</p>

<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">A patent application (number 20190094032) by Apple shows that future versions of its Maps app may integrate ride hailing services such as Uber and Lyft.</p>

<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Apple has updated Pages, Numbers, and Keynote for its macOS and iOS devices.</p>

<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Last week, Apple added a 256GB RAM configure-to-order option for the iMac Pro. However, if you already purchased an iMac Pro with 128GB of RAM or less, upgrading to 256GB isn’t an option. <a href="https://www.macrumors.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>MacRumors </em></a>reports that it’s a build-to-order option only.</p>

<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Apple has released the first public betas of iOS 12.3, tvOS 12.3, and watchOS 5..2.1.The public betas are available on <a href="https://beta.apple.com/sp/betaprogram/">Apple's Beta Software Program website</a>. Just remember that beta software, so proceed with care.</p>

<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Future Apple Watches could identify users via bioauthentication when the smartwatch is placed on a wrist. Apple has filed for a patent (number 20190095602) for a “wearable electronic device having a light field camera usable to perform bioauthentication from a dorsal side of a forearm near a wrist.”</p>

<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Let the Apple Car rumors continue to roll. Apple has filed for a patent (number 20190095721) for “nighttime sensing” that would improve night vision in an automated automobile.</p>

<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">The minute it was announced that the AirPods 2 went on sale, I went to the Apple online store and ordered a pair. The purchase was a no-brainer as I really enjoyed the first generation of the earbuds and felt the upgrade would be even better. </p>

<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Apple has released watchOS 5.2. You can install it by using the Watch app on your iPhone. The new version adds ECG app support for Hong Kong and some regions of Europe.</p>

<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Apple has posted the entire video of the "It's Show Time" event that took place on Monday. You can view it at the company’s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/Apple" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">YouTube channel</a>. Also, the Apple Card video already has 15 million views on <a href="http://youtu.be/HAZiE9NtRfs" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">YouTube</a></p>

<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Apple has released Swift 5 for use in Xcode 10.2. The big feature is <a href="https://swift.org/blog/abi-stability-and-more/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Application Binary Interface stability</a> across Apple platforms (macOS, iOS, watchOS, and tvOS). </p>

<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">According to the <a href="https://www.wsj.com/graphics/apple-still-hasnt-fixed-its-macbook-keyboard-problem/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Wall Street Journal</em>,</a> Apple still hasn’t fixed its buggy “butterfly” keyboard on MacBooks, MacBook Airs, and MacBook Pros.</p>