Dennis Sellers

<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Energy and Commerce Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and Consumer Protection and Commerce Subcommittee Chairwoman Jan Schakowsky  (D-IL) have sent a <a href="https://energycommerce.house.gov/sites/democrats.energycommerce.house.gov/files/documents/Apple.2019.2.5.%20Letter%20re%20Group%20FaceTime%20Privacy%20Violation.CPC__0.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">letter</a> to Apple CEO Tim Cook requesting more information about when the company first learned of the security flaw in its Group FaceTime feature, the extent to which the flaw has compromised consumers’ privacy and whether there are other undisclosed bugs that currently exist and have not been addressed.</p>

<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Apple Pay now works with cards from HCBC France and BNP Paribas. The two banks join the 25 card issuers already supporting Apple’s mobile wallet service in France, notes <a href="https://9to5mac.com/2019/02/05/apple-pay-france" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>9to5Mac</em></a>.</p>

<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">A federal judge has granted Apple’s request to preclude Qualcomm from seeking financial compensation for the infringement before the lawsuit was filed in 2017, reports <a href="https://www.bloombergquint.com/technology/apple-wins-ruling-on-pre-suit-damages-in-qualcomm-patent-case#gs.hOEXqx3e" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Bloomberg</em></a>. The judge also ruled that the iPhone maker isn’t infringing one of the several patents that Qualcomm says are at stake in the litigation.</p>

<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Apple has announced <a href="https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2019/02/apple-names-deirdre-obrien-senior-vice-president-of-retail-and-people/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">in a press release</a> that, after five years leading the company’s retail and online stores, Angela Ahrendts, the company’s senior vice president of Retail, is departing in April for “new personal and professional pursuits.”</p>

<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Apple has released the second public betas of macOS 14.1.4, iOS 12.2, and tvOS 12.2. The public betas are available on <a href="https://beta.apple.com/sp/betaprogram/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Apple's Beta Software Program website</a>. Just remember that beta software, so proceed with care.</p>

<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Another day, another lawsuit. An attempted class action lawsuit — as noted by <a href="https://appleinsider.com/articles/19/02/05/lawsuit-claims-apples-ios-updates-in-2016-forced-customers-to-buy-new-iphone-chargers" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>AppleInsider</em> </a>— accuses Apple of forcing iOS devices owners to repeatedly buy new chargers by updating the smartphones with new requirements.</p>

<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Apple has been granted a patent (number 10,200,761) for a “TV side bar user interface” that may involve an interface for its upcoming video streaming service. Or it could involve features of its TV app on iOS devices. Or both.</p>

<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Imagine your iMac being Apple to wirelessly charge your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, AirPods, Magic Keyboard, Magic Trackpad, and more. It could happen. Apple has been granted a patent (number 10,199,873) involving a desktop computer that could sport a near field magnetic resonance (NFMR) power supply.</p>

<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Apple told<a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-apple-france/apple-agrees-to-pay-back-taxes-to-french-authorities-idUSKCN1PU0VS" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> <em>Reuters</em> </a> that it’s reached a deal with France to pay an undeclared amount of back-dated tax, with French media putting the sum at around 500 million euros ($571 million).</p>

<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.globenewswire.com/Tracker?data=Bdry5epxJNbOLkuqQQB-4mF0EBeFrQP2cgpOx84pilnExfMsQJUyhKA5ZqLePI1s38ZZ2AP61rnA4grq42i3yw==" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="text-decoration:underline">Jamf</span></a>, which specializes in Apple management, has acquired <a href="https://www.globenewswire.com/Tracker?data=utWlfig448Ep9OplBCyH4pUl5Pbf3W2kNKf3jeg0GVaKmvxKskwELDwOBlgxuyuiqNt-wybR33fg9ynBQhhHyw==" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="text-decoration:underline">ZuluDesk</span></a>, an Apple education technology solution. </p>

<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">David Nield writing for <a href="https://gizmodo.com/why-choosing-between-windows-and-macos-still-matters-1832023864" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Gizmodo</em> </a>points out the Mac’s lag in gaming support compared to Windows. I’d love to see Apple address this issue — and, naturally, I have some suggestions — but first let’s look at some salient points in David’s argument.</p>

<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Anker has launched its PowerLine II USB-C to Lightning cable, the first of Anker's new USB-C to Lightning cable series to receive Apple's official MFi certification. It’s three feet long and comes in white. The PowerLine II USB-C to Lightning Cable is available for pre-order at <a href="https://www.anker.com/deals/ctolightning" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="text-decoration:underline">https://www.anker.com/deals/ctolightning</span></a> .</p>

<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Apple’s clearance sale of the iPhone SE apparently sold out quickly. But don’t fear.</p>

<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">According to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/iphone-batterygate-lawsuits-cause-apple-to-set-aside-money-2019-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Business Insider</em></a>, Apple is setting aside money to pay for lawsuits related to the “Batterygate” brouhaha.</p>

<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">In March 2017,  <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-03-20/apple-s-next-big-thing" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Bloomberg</a> reported that Apple has built an augmented reality (AR) team of hundreds of engineers “combining the strengths of its hardware and software veterans with the expertise of talented outsiders” and is “very serious about AR. Now one of those team members has left.</p>