Dennis Sellers

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Apple has released iOS 13.3.1 and iPadOS 13.3.1. You can download them on your iPhone or iPad by going to Settings > General > Software Update. </p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;"><a href="https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.curve.app%2Fen%2Fsignup&esheet=52164444&newsitemid=20200128005315&lan=en-US&anchor=Curve&index=1&md5=f260cd126e81fa00f2da79d87270e075" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Curve</a>, an “over-the-top" banking platform that consolidates multiple cards and accounts into one smart card and app, has added support for Apple Pay, Apple’s mobile payment service.</p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Worldwide sales of smartphones to end users are on track to reach 1.57 billion units in 2020, an increase of 3% year over year, according to <a href="http://www.gartner.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Gartner, Inc</a>. The research group says that strong demand for 5G phones in general, together with expectations of Apple’s first 5G iPhone, will bolster demand for smartphones, particularly in Asia/Pacific and Greater China.</p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">With the 2016 MacBook Pro line, Apple ditched the beloved MagSafe connector, which disengaged with the slightest amount of pressure. The connector saved many Mac laptops from a disastrous plummet when someone accidentally snagged the power cable. However, a new patent filing (number 10,547,151) for a “magnetic adapter” hints that it could return.</p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">iPhones and iPads may one day be able to dock to Mac laptops, as evidenced by a newly granted Apple patent (number 10,545,542) for an “electronic accessory device.”</p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Apple and A24 have scooped up the global rights to “Boys State,” a political documentary and coming-of-age tale following a group of politically active 17-year-old boys from Texas, according to <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/apple-a24-nab-hot-doc-boys-state-10m-sundance-1273684" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Hollywood Reporter</a>. It will stream on (at least I presume so), the Apple TV+ streaming service.</p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">MGM has reportedly been courting Apple and Netflix over a potential acquisition deal, going so far as to hold preliminary talks reports <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/01/24/mgm-leads-2020-media-acquisition-targets.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">CNBC</a>.</p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Arthur Levinson, chairman of Apple's Board of Directors, is a recipient of a 2020 Franklin Institute Award from the <a href="https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=2703235-1&h=1641358964&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.fi.edu%2F&a=The+Franklin+Institute+in+Philadelphia" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia</a>.</p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;"><a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/dana/id1437123008" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">DANA E-Wallet</a> is now available as a payment method for Apple services in Indonesia. It’s the country’s digital wallet (e-Wallet) that enables users to do all sorts of cashless and card-less transactions.</p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;"><a href="http://www.sifive.com/"><span style="text-decoration:underline">SiFive</span></a>, a provider of commercial RISC-V processor IP and silicon solutions, ha announced that Chris Lattner, a Silicon Valley software engineer and former Apple exec, has joined the company to lead SiFive Platform Engineering as senior vice president.</p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Consumers in the U.S. spent more than $4.6 billion in the top 100 non-game mobile apps offering subscriptions during 2019, new research based on Sensor Tower <a href="https://sensortower.com/solutions/store-intelligence" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Store Intelligence</a> data shows. This figure represents 21% year-over-year growth from the $3.8 billion generated by the top 100 subscription apps in the U.S. during 2018.</p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Earlier this month Intel teased its new <a href="https://www.pcworld.com/article/3512376/intel-outs-radical-new-ghost-canyon-nuc-teases-5ghz-comet-lake-h-processors.html"><span style="text-decoration:underline">”Comet Lake H” series 10th-generation processors</span></a>. I expect to see one in an updated 16-inch MacBook Pro later this year. Or perhaps even a Tiger Lake processor.</p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">I admit that, in all my years of reviewing products, there have been few from WaterField Designs that haven’t impressed me. That hasn’t changed with the new handcrafted <a href="https://www.sfbags.com/collections/laptop-backpacks/products/mezzo-laptop-backpack" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Mezzo Laptop Backpack</a>. </p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Apple has filed for a patent (number 10,542,520) for “efficient paging and idle mode wakeup for wireless devices supporting coverage enhanced mode” involving the Apple Watch.</p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Apple CEO Tim Cook <a href="https://twitter.com/tim_cook?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">has tweeted</a> that “we send our love and support to the many impacted by the cornonavirus” and that "Apple will be donating to groups on the ground helping support all of those affected.”</p>