Dennis Sellers

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://www.synology.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Synology</a> has launched the DiskStation DS1819+, an 8-bay NAS. It’s a compact NAS with an expandable design “that is an ideal investment for small- to medium-sized businesses, capable of hosting several versatile applications," says Kevin Meng, product manager of Synology. </p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Apple has applied for a patent (number 20180343557) for “social reminders” based on social interactions between users of electronic devices such as iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches, and Macs. In the patent filing, Apple notes that conventional reminders aren’t as helpful when it’s “infeasible” for you to specify a date and/or time ahead of time. </p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2018/11/28/qualcomm-ceo-were-on-the-doorstep-of-a-resolution-with-apple.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf tells CNBC’s Jim Cramer</a> that the company is “on the doorstep” of finding a resolution with Apple over their recent legal battles.</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Synology Inc. has launched the <a href="https://www.synology.com/products/RS1619xs+" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">RackStation RS1619xs+</a>, a 1U 4-bay rackmount NAS featuring flexible storage scalability and M.2 SSD support. It’s designed to deal with IO-intensive tasks for growing businesses, according to Michael Wang, product manager at Synology.</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Apple spent 5.1% of its revenue for research and development in 2018 — or $11.6 billion. That compares to 4.7% last year.</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">In a note to clients — as noted by <a href="https://seekingalpha.com/article/4225357-apple-doubling-services-revenue-100-billion" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Seeking Alpha</em></a> — Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty projects that Apple’s Services revenue will grow to $100 billion by 2023.</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Here’s some good news for the Apple Watch and AirPods: <a href="http://www.gartner.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Gartner, Inc</a>. forecasts that worldwide shipments of wearable devices will reach 225 million in 2019, an increase of 25.8% from 2018. </p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Apple has filed for a patent (number 20180343514) for a system and method of wind and noise reduction for a headphone. It would seem to involve the company’s line of Beat products — all of which I think will eventually simply be branded as Apple products. The invention could also involve the company’s AirPods.</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Mac computer deployments within the enterprise sector are on the rise with reports showing there has been a 128% increase in the use of Macs within companies employing more than 500 employees</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">You may think that Apple’s DVD Player app disappeared in macOS Mojave. It hasn’t, but Apple apparently wants you to think it has, even though the software has been upgraded to 64-bit.</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Another day, another lawsuit. A <a href="https://www.hbsslaw.com/cases/imac-retina-display-screen-defect" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">new class action lawsuit</a> filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California accuses Apple of selling select iMac and MacBook models without needed dust filters with the result being screen defects.</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">As <a href="https://appleinsider.com/articles/18/11/28/reminder-apples-29-iphone-battery-replacement-program-ends-december-31" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>AppleInsider</em></a> points out, Apple’s iPhone battery replacement program ends Dec. 31. The tech giant is offering $29 replacement batteries for those with an iPhone 6 or later. For details, check out Apple’s support article, <a href="https://support.apple.com/HT208387" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">iPhone Battery and Performance</span></a>.</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">EyeJust has launched <a href="https://eyejust.com/collections/our-products/products/ipad-blue-light-blocking-screen-protector" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">blue light blocking screen protectors for iPads</a>, designed to help consumers avoid harmful effects of blue light. The company says blue light kills photoreceptor cells, putting you at risk for retina damage and disrupts sleep cycles.</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">New research released today by Vitality, a behavior change platform, reveals that financial incentives combined with wearables such as the Apple Watch encourage people to significantly increase their physical activity. </p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">SheetPlanner Software’s SheetPlanner 1.0 is a new planning, project and and task tracking application for macOS 10.12 or later.</p>