Dennis Sellers

<p>Apple has added new providers to its Single Sign-on feature in tvOS 10.1 and iOS 10.2: CenturyLink Prism, Hawaiian Telecom, MetroCast, and GTA (available in Guam). Strangely, GVTC Communication has been removed from the list.</p>

<p>This is a bit of a ding on the “green image” Apple is proud of: the California Environmental Protection Agency says the tech giant has agreed to pay $450,000 to settle claims it improperly dealt with e-waste at facilities in Cupertino and Sunnyvale, according to <a target="_blank" href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-apple-waste-violations-idUSKBN13V2HS" rel="noopener noreferrer">Reuters</a>.</p>

<p>The AWT News Update is on hiatus while my compadre, Steve, takes a road trip. In its place, I’ll offer a text-only (no podcast) summary of breaking stories with a tip o’ my hat to my former website, <em>Apple Daily Report</em>.</p>

<p>In a bid to become the “Netflix of Mac software,” <a href="http://setapp.com/">Setapp</a> is a new subscription service that makes a growing suite of more than 45 macOS applications available to users for a flat monthly fee. </p>

<p>Kanex has announced the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.kanex.com/gopowerplus" rel="noopener noreferrer">GoPower Plus</a>, a portable power solution featuring built-in micro USB with a Lightning adapter for use with both Apple and Android devices. </p>

<p>There’s a joke that 99% of all statistics are made up. Today, you have to wonder. First, the IDC research group <a target="_blank" href="https://appleworld.dreamhosters.com/blog/2016/12/5/idc-apple-watch-sales-drop-71-year-over-year" rel="noopener noreferrer">reported</a> that Apple Watch sales dipped 71% year-over-year from 3.9 million units in the this quarter of 2015 to 1.1 million units in the third quarter of 2016.</p>

<p>Here we go again: as noted by <a target="_blank" href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-court-iphone-idUSKBN13V1XL?il=0" rel="noopener noreferrer">Reuters</a>, the Supreme Court has sided with Samsung in its never-ending patent fight with Apple, throwing out an appeals court ruling that said the South Korean company had to pay a $399 million penalty to its American rival for copying key iPhone designs.</p>

<p>It’s widely believed that the 2017 iPhone will have a curved, possibly flexible, display. A new patent filing (number 9,516,743) by Apple hints that iPads and even Mac laptops could benefit from such technology.</p>

<p>Apple CEO Tim Cook refutes the <a target="_blank" href="https://appleworld.dreamhosters.com/blog/2016/12/5/idc-apple-watch-sales-drop-71-year-over-year" rel="noopener noreferrer">data from the IDC research group</a> that says Apple Watch sales dipped 71% year-over-year from 3.9 million units in the this quarter of 2015 to 1.1 million units in the third quarter of 2016.</p>

<p>After making it possible for subscribers with iPhones or Android phones to download some of their favorite programs instead of just streaming ‘em via a broadband connection, Netflix’s app now tops the list of top-grossing apps at the Apple App Store, as noted by <a target="_blank" href="http://variety.com/2016/digital/news/netflix-top-grossing-iphone-app-1201934151/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Variety</a>. The download feature is available on all plans.</p>

<p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.elgato.com/en/avea" rel="noopener noreferrer">Elgato’s Avea Flare</a> is a novelty item, but a fun novelty item. Whether it’s US$99.95 worth of fun, only you can decide. </p>

<p>Apple has an annual subscription program that allows you to update to the latest and greatest version of the smartphone. What if you could do the same with your Mac, iPad, and Apple Watch? As an Apple journalist that would be very cool and convenient. I can’t see it happening, but <a href="http://www.ccsinsight.com/">CCS Insights</a> predicts the Cupertino, California-based company will introduce a combined subscription model for its hardware and services in 2018.</p>

<p>The AWT News Update is on hiatus while my compadre, Steve, takes a road trip. In its place, I’ll offer a text-only (no podcast) summary of breaking stories with a tip o’ my hat to my former website, <em>Apple Daily Report</em>.</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><a target="_blank" href="http://www.xero.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">Xero</a> has announced the integration of Apple Pay through Stripe. Xero is online accounting software for small businesses.</p>