Dennis Sellers

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering <a href="https://www.macrumors.com/2018/05/22/craig-federighi-apfs-support-fusion-drives/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">said</a> in an email exchange with a <em>MacRumors</em> reader that APFS for Mac Fusion drives is coming “very soon.”</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Apple has launched a <a href="https://privacy.apple.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Data and Privacy portal</a> that allows users to download all of their personal data stored on the tech giant's servers. </p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Apple is facing a second class action lawsuit over its “flawed” butterfly keyboards on some Mac laptops. Filed in the Northern District Court of California, <a href="https://www.scribd.com/document/379938991/Second-MacBook-Keyboard-Class-Action-Complaint" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the complaint</a> echoes many of the claims made in a <a href="https://appleworld.dreamhosters.com/blog/2018/5/12/apple-sued-over-mac-laptop-butterfly-keyboard-failures?rq=butterfly" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">first class action lawsuit</a> filed earlier this month.</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">When Apple released <a href="https://appleworld.dreamhosters.com/blog/2018/3/29/apple-launches-macos-high-sierra-10134-with-business-chat-egpu-support-more?rq=eGPU" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">macOS High Sierra 10.13.4</a>, it added support for external graphics processors (eGPUs). One such unit is Sonnet Technologies’ <a href="http://www.sonnettech.com/product/egfx-breakaway-box.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">eGFX Breakaway Box</a> with a 350W power supply, a great choice for a no-frills Thunderbolt 3 to PCI Express (PCIe) expansion chassis.</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 today's picks.</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">“Once Upon a Time” creators Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis have been named executive producers for Apple’s upcoming reboot <em>Amazing Stories, </em>reports <a href="http://variety.com/2018/tv/news/apple-amazing-stories-adam-horowitz-edward-kitsis-showrunners-once-upon-a-time-1202818557/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Variety</em></a>. They come on board following the departure of original showrunner Bryan Fuller and executive producer Hart Hanson in February.</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Starbucks will remain the most popular proximity mobile payment app, staying ahead of Apple Pay and other competitors, according to <a href="http://www.emarketer.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">eMarketer’s</a> latest forecast on U.S. proximity mobile payments.</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Belkin is taking pre-orders for its <a href="http://www.belkin.com/us/p/AV10172bt06-WHT/?irgwc=1&clickid=wiaRkzW1ARc2R-VwcWWW8yVoUkjUJHQN1TjLWc0&utm_campaign=Belkin%20Store%20Home%20Page&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=impactradius&utm_content=TEXT_LINK_225196" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">3.5mm Audio Cable with Lightning Connector</a>,  which allows iPhone users to connect directly to the car stereo or home speakers with a single cable. </p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Apple has sent out press invitations to the 2018 Worldwide Developers Conference keynote, scheduled for Monday, June 4 at 10 a.m. (Pacific) at the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, California. The conference will run Jun 4-8.</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Customer satisfaction with video streaming services far eclipses that of subscription TV service, according to the <a href="http://www.theacsi.org/news-and-resources/customer-satisfaction-reports/reports-2018/acsi-telecommunications-report-2018" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) 2018 Telecommunications Report</a>. And Apple’s iTunes is doing well.</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">According to the latest research from <a href="https://www.counterpointresearch.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Counterpoint’s Market Pulse program</a>, the U.S. smartphone market saw sales of 38.7 million units during the first quarter [Q1] of 2018. That’s a 11% decrease from Q1 2017 when sales were 43.7 million smartphones. Sales hadn’t dropped below 40 million for the last three years.</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">In February Apple released <a href="https://appleworld.dreamhosters.com/blog/2018/3/29/apple-launches-macos-high-sierra-10134-with-business-chat-egpu-support-more?rq=eGPU" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">macOS High Sierra 10.13.4</a>, which added support for external graphics processors (eGPUs). Now Razer has introduce the Mac compatible Core X eGPU that’s compatible with Mac Thunderbolt 3 laptops.</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Apple has been granted a patent (number 9,974,467) for a physical activity and workout monitor. It involves current, and perhaps future, features of the Apple Watch and its watchOS.</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Apple has updated <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/clips/id1212699939?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Clips</a> for iOS to version 2.0.4, which adds soccer graphics including an animated sticker, plus a label and poster with customizable text.</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">David Morris, senior consumer financial services analyst for Packaged Facts — source for market research on the financial services industry — has weighed in on the Goldman Sachs and Apple union, suggesting that the partnership hints at something deeper and more profound than what might be casually gleaned from the breaking news. </p>