Dennis Sellers

<p>I’ve long been an Apple defender, even during the wandering-in-the-desert, post-Steve-Jobs-return era, but I have to side with those who are saying that Apple has gotten greedy. And, yes, I’m talking about the new MacBook Pros introduced at last week’s “hello, again” event. </p>

<p style="margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px">If you need to quickly turn silence your Apple Watch’s notifications, you can do it with your palm.</p>

<p>To help you celebrate Halloween, we’ve rounded a handful of events/products that you might wish to check out.</p>

<p>Firefly Studios has released a free expansion for Stronghold Kingdoms — Stronghold Kingdoms: Heretic. Now available as an update for Mac and PC versions, Heretic allows players to build kill streaks by crusading against the forces of evil or “go heretic” and join them. You can ally with fellow players and save medieval Europe or swear allegiance to series antagonist The Wolf and watch the world burn.</p>

<p>Incipio has launched the Incipio ClamCase+ Power keyboard case for the iPad Pro 9.7 and iPad Air 2 featuring a LED powered backlit keyboard and a 6000mAh power bank for charging external devices on-the-go. </p>

<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.gumdropcases.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">Gumdrop's FoamTech iPad case</a> is now available in a carrying case, providing lightweight form-fitting protection for Apple's iPad Pro 9.7, iPad Air 2 and iPad Air. </p>

<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.sonnetttech.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">Sonnet Technologies</a> has announced the Presto 10GbE SFP+ Dual-Port 10 Gigabit Ethernet PCI Express 2.0 card and the Presto 10GbE 10GBASE-T Dual-Port 10 Gigabit Ethernet PCI Express 3.0 card. </p>

<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.grantwoodtechnology.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">Grantwood Technology</a> has released the $22.99 TuneBand for iPhone 7 and 7 Plus. The silicone skin armband allows access to all ports, buttons, and cameras, while the soft, adjustable elastic strap holds the iPhone in place. </p>

<p><a href="http://www.poweredbystacked.com/">STACKED</a> has launched three new products for its wireless charging ecosystem:  that deliver power, unleashed: the 360° Speed Case Bundle for iPhone 6/6s and 6/6s Plus; the new Audio Pack; and the 360° Car Charger.</p>

<p>With 4K video catching on — and prices for 4K TVs dropping — most folks will simply view such content online. So when will Apple offer 4K content on the iTunes Store?</p>

<p>Apple’s Keychain password management system is a fine tool. However, Apple wants to make it even better as evidenced by the company’s patent (number 8,479,583) for “conflict resolution for keychain syncing.”</p>

<p>Results from a recent International Data Corporation (<a href="http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.idc.com&esheet=51449612&newsitemid=20161028005698&lan=en-US&anchor=IDC&index=1&md5=7e635833f7f413178b3a79137db0b29a">IDC</a>) survey, <a href="http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.idc.com%2Fgetdoc.jsp%3FcontainerId%3DUS41878416&esheet=51449612&newsitemid=20161028005698&lan=en-US&anchor=U.S.+Smartphone+Owners%27+Reaction+to+Samsung+Galaxy+Note+7+Recall&index=2&md5=1070c7ea191c9b024b5e8dda3f3b44f6"><em>U.S. Smartphone Owners' Reaction to Samsung Galaxy Note 7 Recall</em></a> show that Samsung faces some short-term challenges but “nothing that will darken its long-term prospects.” The good news for Apple: half of the 24 Note 7 owners polled said they have or will choose an Apple iPhone to replace their recalled phone.</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>OWC has introduced the OWC miniStack, an external hard drive with USB 3.1 Gen 1 connectivity designed to stack perfectly with Mac mini (at least someone still love the tiny Mac). It offers transfer speeds up to 208MB/s, capacities up to 6.0TB, and at MagLev cooling fan — all in a low-profile aluminum enclosure with a glossy black top designed to complement the look and feel of Macs. </p>

<p><a href="http://www.belkin.com/">Belkin</a> has unveiled the Thunderbolt 3 Express Dock HD. It plugs into devices with a Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) port such as — you know it — the new MacBook Pros. </p>