Dennis Sellers

<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>According to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-10-25/apple-develops-car-operating-system-in-blackberry-country" rel="noopener noreferrer">Bloomberg</a>, Apple has dozens of software engineers in Canada building a car operating system. Many of the engineers working in Canada were hired over the past year and about two dozen came from BlackBerry Ltd.’s QNX, a leading automotive software provider, the article adds, quoting unnamed “people familiar with the matter.”</p>

<p>As noted by <a target="_blank" href="http://www.macrumors.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">MacRumors</a>, macOS Sierra 10.12.1 includes hidden Apple Pay images that depict a  MacBook Pro with an OLED touch panel that will debut at Apple’s “hello, again” media event on Thursday, Oct. 27.</p>

<p>Apple’s 9.7-inch iPad Pro, iPhone 7, and Apple Watch Series 2 are all on Best Buy’s annual “Top Tech” list — the 20 “must-have technology products” for the holiday season.</p>

<p>Someday soon you may be able to unlock your iPhone or iPad (heck, maybe even your Mac) by looking at it (or rather having it look at you). Apple has been granted a parent (number 9,477,829) for “locking and unlocking a mobile device using facial recognition.” </p>

<p>Apple is keeping whatever augmented reality (AR) plans it has secret (no surprise), but the company has been granted a patent (number 9,478,583) for a “wearable display having an array of LEDs on a conformable silicon substrate.”</p>

<p>Darn. Now my 5.5-inch iPhone 7 Plus looks so small. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.macrumors.com/2016/10/25/xiaomi-mi-note-2-premium-phone/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Xiaomi has launched </a>the Mi Note 2, a “phablet phone” with a 5.7-inch, flexible OLED display that sits under a panel of wraparound glass and curves around the sides of the handset. </p>

<p>I’m not sure how “hot” (in the literal sense) the next MacBook Pro — certain to be unveiled this Thursday — will be. However, when running high-demand apps (such as Final Cut Pro X), a laptop’s built-in cooling system can get a bit toasty, leading to processor throttling and slower performance. </p>

<p>Although the Apple Watch Series 2 offers better battery life than the first generation smartwatch, sometimes you may still find yourself running out of juice. In that case, you’ll want to switch to Power Reserve mode.</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>Apple’s share of smartphone users in the US is expected to remain static in 2016, accounting for a 43.5% share, from 43.3% in 2015, according to new data from <a target="_blank" href="http://www.emarketer.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">eMarketer</a>. Android, by comparison, will see its share of US smartphone users rise slightly to 52.0%, up from 51.7% the previous year, adds the research firm. </p>

<p><a target="_blank" href="http://appleinsider.com/articles/16/10/24/apple-turns-on-apple-pay-in-japan-with-debut-of-ios-101-watchos-31" rel="noopener noreferrer">Apple Pay has launched in Japa</a>n, making its the 11th country to support Apple’s mobile payment service. In addition to Suica cards, Apple is also supporting credit and debit cards from the likes of American Express, JCB, MasterCard, Aeon, Orico, Credit Saison, SoftBank, d Card, View Card, and MUFG Card.</p>

<p>Apple has released watchOS 3.1. You can update your Apple Watch via the Apple Watch app on your iPhone. According to Apple, watch OS 3.1 provides:</p>

<p>Apple has released macOS Sierra 10.12.1. It can be downloaded from the Software Update function in the Mac App Store. According to Apple, macOS Sierra 10.1.2:</p>

<p>Apple has released a finished version of iOS 10.1, bringing a promised Portrait shooting mode to owners of the iPhone 7 Plus. It also provides various bug fixes.</p>