Dennis Sellers

<p>New data from <a href="http://www.sensortower.com">Sensor Tower</a>, a mobile app store marketing intelligence firm, predicts that the Apple App Store will be home to more than five million active apps by the end of 2020, more than double its current size.</p>

<p>Judges can’t rely on common sense alone when analyzing the validity of a patent, an appeals court has ruled in a loss for Apple and Alphabet’s Google, reports <a target="_blank" href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-08-10/common-sense-alone-not-enough-in-patent-law-u-s-court-finds" rel="noopener noreferrer">Bloomberg</a>.</p>

<p>Arun Jaitley, India’s finance minister has approved a proposal that clarifies how Apple could open stores in the country without initially having to source components locally, reports <a target="_blank" href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-08-10/india-said-to-clarify-apple-s-path-to-opening-own-retail-stores" rel="noopener noreferrer">Bloomberg,</a> quoting unnamed “people familiar with the matter.”</p>

<p>In yesterday’s <a target="_blank" href="https://appleworld.dreamhosters.com/blog/2016/8/9/patent-report-underwater-photography-vehicle-steering-system-curved-iphone" rel="noopener noreferrer">patent report</a>, I pointed out a weird Apple patent for “a steering device for an articulated vehicle.” </p>

<p>Security research firm Check Point revealed at the Black Hat USA 2016 summit that 900 million Android devices using Qualcomm chips suffer from a set of security vulnerabilities dubbed "QuadRooter." </p>

<p>The latest smartphone operating system data from <a target="_blank" href="http://www.kantarworldpanel.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">Kantar Worldpanel ComTech </a>shows that iOS returned to growth in the US and EU5 (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom), accounting for 31.8% and 18.2% of smartphone sales, respectively, in the second quarter of 2016.</p>

<p>Apple’s MacBook shipments in the second quarter were up 30.3% versus the first quarter, placing the brand on the fifth spot of the half-year ranking, according to global research firm <a href="http://www.trendforce.com/">TrendForce</a>. This shipment surge was generated by the release of an upgraded 12-inch model of the latest MacBook. </p>

<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.deviceatlas.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">DeviceAtlas</a>, a supplier of intelligence on mobile devices, has released its <em>Mobile Web Intelligence Report</em> for the second quarter of 2016. The report, which analyzes mobile device traffic to “hundreds of thousands of websites around the world,” claims that Apple is losing “browsing market share.”</p>

<p>There’s great potential for Apple’s HomeKit technology. A new survey from Coldwell Banker Real Estate and Parks Associates found that Americans are thinking differently about "move-in ready" homes; they now want it to be "smart ready" too.</p>

<p>Apple is preparing “the first significant overhaul” of its MacBook Pro laptop line in over four years, reports <a target="_blank" href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-08-10/apple-said-to-plan-first-pro-laptop-overhaul-in-four-years" rel="noopener noreferrer">Bloomberg</a>, quoting unnamed “people familiar with the matter.”</p>

<p>Apple has launched a “blistering attack” on three of Australia's big banks, saying their request to collectively negotiate over digital wallet access to the iPhone will compromise the handset's security, reduce innovation and blunt Apple's entry into the payments market in Australia, according to the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.afr.com/technology/apple-says-australias-banks-pose-a-security-threat-to-iphones-20160809-gqogpr" rel="noopener noreferrer">Financial Review</a>.</p>

<p>Apple will pay shareholders of record a quarterly dividend of $0.57 per share, tomorrow; however, investors must have had settled ownership of the company's stock on Tuesday Aug. 8, in order to qualify, notes <a target="_blank" href="http://appleinsider.com/articles/16/08/09/apple-inc-gears-up-to-distribute-32-billion-in-dividends-to-shareholders-" rel="noopener noreferrer">AppleInsider</a>.</p>

<p>A couple of years ago, Ben Kunz writing for <em>Bloomberg Businessweek, </em>predictedthat Apple devices will soon project holograms "like you’ve never seen." Sounds a bit out-there, right? But Kunz could have been onto something.</p>

<p>When I was in high school, I had an art teacher who would allow us to hang out in the art room when we cut classes. But I didn't want to socialize. I wanted to create. </p>

<p>In June <a target="_blank" href="https://appleworld.dreamhosters.com/blog/2016/6/14/eddy-cue-apples-itunes-music-business-think-music-sales-not-streaming-is-doing-very-well?rq=iTunes%20downloads" rel="noopener noreferrer">Apple denied rumors</a> that it was going to stop selling downloads from the iTunes store in the not-too-distant future. However, reports are coming in that music downloads have already been stopped in South Korea, “suggesting that a worldwide rollout may be imminent,” reports <a target="_blank" href="http://www.shortlist.com/tech/apple-has-begun-to-stop-selling-downloads-on-itunes#gallery-1" rel="noopener noreferrer">ShortList</a>.</p>