Dennis Sellers

<p>Apple is planning a new iPhone feature for Japan that will allow users to pay for mass-transit rides with their smartphones instead of physical payment cards, according to <a target="_blank" href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-08-25/apple-said-to-plan-iphone-for-japan-with-tap-to-pay-for-subways" rel="noopener noreferrer">Bloomberg</a>, quoting unnamed “people familiar with the matter.”</p>

<p><a target="_blank" href="http://macdaddy.io/" rel="noopener noreferrer">MacDaddy</a> has introduced File Extractor 1.0, a file extraction utility for Mac OS X. It allows you to find and extract files from any selected file, folder, or browser cache.</p>

<p>VirnetX, an Internet security software and technology company, can’t claim in a retrial that Apple willfully infringed patents for FaceTime and other technologies, after the patent-holding company specifically disavowed that allegation in earlier court filings, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.law360.com/technology/articles/832953?nl_pk=ade0cf2b-ea3f-464b-bc93-d8e19277ac63&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=technology" rel="noopener noreferrer">Apple told a Texas federal judge</a> on Wednesday.</p>

<p>If you need to quickly create, store, share and playback audio recordings on your Mac, Aperio Lux’s Recordam for Mac OS X (10.11 or later) combines a high-quality audio recorder and convenient storage for recorded audio files. And it’s only $3.99 at <a target="_blank" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/recordam/id1137954881?l=ru&ls=1&mt=12" rel="noopener noreferrer">the Mac App Store.</a></p>

<p>With an increasing number of folks choosing laptops over desktops for full-time uses, there's a big market for notebook stands. They're handy when you use your portable as a de facto desktop computer by connecting it to an external monitor. One of the sleekest -- perhaps the sleekest -- of the stands is the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.raindesigninc.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=78" rel="noopener noreferrer">mTower from Rain Design</a>.</p>

<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.chinalaborwatch.org/upfile/2016_08_23/Pegatron-report%20FlAug.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer">A new report</a> from China Labor Watch, a labor rights watchdog and advocacy organization, says there are are continued workers’ rights violations at factories owned by Pegatron. Pegatron is an electronics manufacturing company that develops mainly computing, communications and consumer electronics to branded vendors, including Apple.</p>

<p>Overall satisfaction with paid streaming video service is highest among cord stackers—customers who subscribe to a traditional cable/satellite service in addition to streaming video service—according to the J.D. Power <em>2016 Streaming Video Satisfaction Study</em>.</p>

<p>Apple has posted iOS 9.3.5, an “important security update” that’s recommend for all users.</p>

<p>Android developers update apps about twice as often as their iOS counterparts, but it's iPhone users who may be more receptive, according to <a target="_blank" href="http://competitionpolicy.ac.uk/documents/8158338/8368036/15-4+CCP+Working+Paper+complete.pdf/87901320-3374-4cd5-ac30-78057b7109fe" rel="noopener noreferrer">a report</a> the University di Udine (Italy), as noted by <a target="_blank" href="http://www.fiercewireless.com/developer/report-android-devs-update-apps-nearly-twice-as-often-as-ios-devs" rel="noopener noreferrer">FierceWireless</a>. “Updates Management in Mobile Applications. iTunes vs Google Play” based on research looking across the top 1,000 apps across both app stores.</p>

<p>I’m highly skeptical of this study, but, according to the <a href="http://info.blancco.com/state-of-mobile-device-performance-and-health-trend-report-q2-2016.html">Q2 2016 State of Mobile Device Performance and Health report</a> from <a href="https://www.blancco.com/">Blancco Technology Group</a>, a provider of mobile device diagnostics and secure data erasure solutions, Apple has lost its usual “leader” position to Android in the smartphone performance battle. </p>

<p>Global tablet shipments will bounce back 16.3% sequentially to reach nearly 47 million units in the third quarter, but the volume will still be down over 10% compared to the same quarter a year ago, according to <a target="_blank" href="http://www.digitimes.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">DigiTimes Research.</a></p>

<p>Accesources Pty has introduced Assets Generator Plus 1.0, an icon generation tool developed exclusively for the Mac. It allows developers to create icon asset catalogs for iOS, OS X or Android apps.</p>

<p>Rumors of an “Apple Car” continue unabated. Whether or not we see a full-fledged Apple-branded vehicle, the company is working on automotive technology. The company has been granted a patent (number 20160148897) for a “head unit” with auser-programmable button (physical or virtual) that would interact with an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.</p>

<p>Apple is developing a video sharing and editing app for iOS devices, according to <a target="_blank" href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-08-25/apple-weighs-iphone-video-editing-app-in-renewed-push-on-social-isa5rhlu" rel="noopener noreferrer">Bloomberg</a>, quoting unnamed “people familiar with the matter.” The plans are reportedly part of a new focus to integrate social networking applications.</p>

<p>Apple’s Apple Music Festival will return to London's legendary Roundhouse this September for a 10th anniversary celebration of live music, curated exclusively by Apple Music for fans around the world.</p>