Dennis Sellers

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">If Apple is going to really push its HomePod, now is the time. There will be more U.S. homes with smart speakers than without by the end of next year, according to the latest projections from <a href="http://www.strategyanalytics.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Strategy Analytics</a>. </p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">This is one rumor I hope is true: on the <em>Connected</em> <a href="https://twitter.com/_connectedfm/status/1118602625317056515" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">podcast</a>, <em>MacStories</em> editor Federico Viticci said that, based on “conversations with others,” mouse support could be part of the AssistiveTouch accessibility feature.</p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">You don’t have to be a pilot or pro athlete to fear drug testing from your employer. Tens of millions of Americans are potentially subject to workplace drug testing each year.  And naturally that has some workers more concerned than others.</p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Future versions of the Apple Pencil may allow you to use multiple inputs as hinted by a newly granted patent (number 10,268,273). For example, you could attach brushes to the tip of the input device for digital painting on an iPad or iPhone.</p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Apple has filed for a patent (number 10,270,983) for a “creative camera” that involves enhanced use of Animoji and Memoji.</p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Another day, another lawsuit. A New York City man filed a $1 billion suit Monday claiming tech giant Apple used in-store facial recognition security technology to wrongly tie his name to the face of an alleged thief, leading to his arrest, reports <a href="https://www.law360.com/technology/articles/1152316/apple-store-face-recognition-led-to-false-arrest-suit-says?nl_pk=ade0cf2b-ea3f-464b-bc93-d8e19277ac63&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=technology" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Law360</em></a>.</p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">As Apple Pay gains popularity, and loyalty cards and receipts can be accessed from smartphones, it may be time to downsize the typical wallet. WaterField Designs’ $39 <a href="https://www.sfbags.com/products/clyff-minimalist-wallet" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Clyff Wallet</a> is a minimalist, all-leather case ideal for carrying the remaining bare essentials: driver’s license, transit card and a few bills.</p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Apple is working with Conservation International to protect and restore a 27,000-acre mangrove forest in Cispata Bay, Colombia, in a bid to preserve a slowly disappearing part of the ecosystem, reports <a href="https://appleinsider.com/articles/19/04/22/conservation-international-apple-have-teamed-to-protect-mangrove-forests" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>AppleInsider</em></a>.</p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">In a note to clients, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo thinks that the release of a 5G iPhone in late 2020 will drive sales of Apple smartphones to 200 million.</p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">As Apple and Amazon compete for a greater share of consumer dollars and attention, they also have a particularly intimate business relationship: Apple is spending more than $30 million a month on Amazon's cloud, according to people familiar with the arrangement, according to <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/jordan-novet/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Jordan Novet</a>, technology reporter for  <em>CNBC</em>.</p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">JCPenney has dropped support for Apple Pay from its retail stores, according to <a href="https://www.macrumors.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>MacRumors</em></a>. The withdrawal of support for Apple's digital payment system was confirmed on Saturday by the company's <a href="https://twitter.com/askjcp/status/1119595205559234560" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">customer service Twitter account in response to a query</a>.</p>

<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;"><a href="http://macpaw.7eer.net/c/143055/63812/1733" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">CleanMyMac</a> from MacPaw is an all-in-one macOS solution designed to keep your Mac clean and to secure space from your computer’s hard drive. It’s even better with version 4.4.0 thanks to the edition of the Space Lens; more on that in a moment.</p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/one-more-thing-apple-fails-in-legal-bid-over-swatch-trademark-20190418-p51fdu.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Sydney Morning Herald</a> reports that Apple’s bid to stop watch company Swatch using the phrase “one more thing” in Australia has failed, despite the tech giant arguing the term was synonymous with its iconic co-founder Steve Jobs.</p>

<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Apple has been granted a patent (number 10,259,616) for an environmentally friendly paper bag. Among other things, the tech giant sees them being used at its retail stores.</p>

<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Apple has been granted a patent (number 10,264,355) for a “loudspeaker cabinet with thermal and power mitigation control effort.” I’ve not noticed my HomePod running hot, but perhaps Apple is planning an even more powerful speaker.</p>