Dennis Sellers

<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Apple names Frank Casanova as head of marketing for automated reality. According to <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-02-12/apple-taps-iphone-executive-to-be-first-head-of-marketing-for-ar" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Bloomberg</em></a>, he started the new position this month. </p>

<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">According to the <a href="https://www.iphonehellas.gr/airpods2-airpower-ipad-2019-29-march/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Greek-language site</a> <em>iPhonehellas</em>, quoting a "reliable source inside the Chinese supply chain,” says Apple will start taking pre-orders on the AirPods 2, the AirPower, the iPad mini 5, and a new 9.7-inch (or perhaps 10-inch) iPad on March 22 with the products shipping a week later.</p>

<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Another day, another lawsuit. Fundamental Innovation Systems International (FISI), regarded (by me, anyway) as a “patent troll,” has sued Apple, claiming the tech company infringes on multiple patents involving USB charging and communication technologies, reports <a href="https://appleinsider.com/articles/19/02/11/apple-sued-over-rim-developed-usb-charging-technology-following-preemptive-action" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>AppleInsider</em></a>. </p>

<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Samsung <a href="https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190211005516/en/Samsung-Launches-2019-QLED-TV-Line" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">says</a> its 2019 QLED TVs — in both 4K and 8K versions — are now available to purchase or pre-order, while the previously announced iTunes app and AirPlay 2 feature will be available in a future update for compatible 2019 and 2018 TVs.</p>

<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;"><em>The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs</em>, an opera based on the life of Apple’s late co-founder and CEO, won the Grammy for best opera recording last night.</p>

<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">iPhone sales in China fell 20% year-on-year in the fourth quarter of 2018, while sales for smartphones made by China-based Huawei soared by 23%, according to <a href="http://www.idc.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">IDC</a>.</p>

<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Apple has announced that, working with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the Health Records on iPhone feature will be available soon to veterans. For the first time, American veterans receiving care through the Veterans Health Administration will be able to securely view their aggregated health records directly in the Health app on their iPhones.</p>

<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">The rumor mill is busy today with rumors about AirPods 2, 2019 iPhones, and the iPad mini. Here’s a round-up of them along with the chances the Sellers Research Group (that’s me) gives them of actually happening.</p>

<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Apple's homepage in Italy has been required to display a notice (pictured) about iOS updates affecting performance if a battery is chemically depleted or not functioning properly, reports <a href="https://appleinsider.com/articles/19/02/11/italy-forces-iphone-battery-throttling-notice-posting-on-apples-italian-homepage" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>AppleInsider</em>.</a></p>

<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Apple, being one of the largest, yet secretive companies on the planet, isn’t <a href="https://www.jamf.com/resources/webinars/apple-it-trends-for-2019/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="text-decoration:underline">immune to emerging trends</span></a>. With its foundational iPhone market beginning to stagnate, the need for adding more diversity into their product line has never been more of a prevalent issue. </p>

<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Apple has filed for another patent (number 20190041981) for a motion tracking user interface for the Mac. Others include number 9,715,273 and 20180157319.</p>

<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">You can add or remove emergency contacts from the Health app on your iPhone.</p>

<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Another day, another lawsuit. As reported by<em> </em><a href="https://appleinsider.com/articles/19/02/09/apple-being-sued-because-two-factor-authentication-on-an-iphone-or-mac-takes-too-much-time" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>AppleInsider</em>,</a> a class action lawsuit, filed by Jay Brodsky in California claims that Apple's two-factor authentication is too disruptive to users, takes too much time out of a user's day when it’s needed, and is abusive since it can't be rolled back to a less safe login method after 14 days.</p>

<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Future iPhones could work together for “collaborative location-based search results,” per a new patent filing (number 10,197,489) by Apple. </p>

<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">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 this week’s picks.</p>