Dennis Sellers

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://www.sfbags.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">WaterField Designs</a> has announced two new cases for transporting Apple’s 2108 Mac mini: a custom-fitted Mac mini SleeveCase ($59) and the Mac mini Travel Case ($179).</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Swamp Dog has announced Kudos 1.0, a macOS productivity app that can create a source reference for selected text. </p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Kano is bringing the $99.99 <a href="https://kano.me/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIk7rwgP_R3gIVyP_jBx2wlAQbEAAYASAAEgIEbPD_BwE" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Harry Potter Kano Coding Kit</a>, an interactive wand that lets you make and code “magic on a screen” to <a href="http://apple.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">apple.com</span></a> and select Apple Stores.</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">I’ve got a $69.95 <a href="http://www.mophie.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">mophie</a> charge stream desk stand connected to my iPhone Xs Max, and, as promised, it provides high-speed wireless charging, delivering up to 10W of power on contact. (My smartphone had an average charge of 38% after 60 minutes.)</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Future AirPods may be a bit more customizable for different sizes of ears. Apple has been granted a patent (number 10,129,625) for “headphone eartips with internal support components for outer eartip bodies.” </p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Yikes! Apple has confirmed to <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2018/11/12/18077166/apple-macbook-air-mac-mini-t2-chip-security-repair-replacement-tool" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>The Verge</em></a> that, under a recently revised repair process, only certain authorized replacement parts will work in a T2-equipped Mac. They require a proprietary diagnostic tool be run after the logic board or Touch ID sensor is replaced, so can’t be repaired by third parties.</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Apple has appointed Ashish Chowdhary, chief customer operations officer at Nokia Networks, as head of its operations in India, reports <a href="http://www.ians.in/index.php?param=category/10004/10004" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>IANS</em></a>, quoting unnamed “reliable industry sources.”</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">OWC has introduced the OWC 14-port <a href="https://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/TB3DK14PSG/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Thunderbolt 3 Dock </a>for Mac and Windows systems machines maximizing simplicity and productivity.</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Want to make FaceTimes calls on your Apple Watch? It may happen. Apple has been granted a patent (number 10,129,503) for an “image-capturing watch.” </p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Apple has updated <a href="http://www.apple.com/swift/playgrounds/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Swift Playgrounds</a>, a free iPad app to teach kids of any age basic coding skills in Swift, to version 2.2. The upgrade — available at the Apple App Store — makes third party content easier to discover and download for free directly within the app.</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">When Apple hyped the 2018 iPad Pro as a computer that has outsold almost all other laptops, the company begged reviewers to test drive it as a notebook replacement. Is it? For many people, yes, but for a lot of folks, no, it’s not likely to kick your MacBook, MacBook Air, or MacBook Pro to the curb.</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Apple Chief Design Officer Jony Ive and renowned industrial designer Marc Newson have designed <a href="http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2018/red-n10000/lot.pr.9YPHM.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a unique ring</a> made exclusively for (RED) by Diamond Foundry. It’s completely made of diamond and is designed for the auction house <a href="http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2018/red-n10000/lot.pr.9YPHM.html">Sotheby’s</a> Dec. 5 (RED) Auction, raising funds to help eliminate HIV/AIDS in eight African countries.</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Apple’s iPhone was the top-selling mobile phone during Alibaba's record-breaking 24-hour Singles Day shopping event, according to <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2018/11/12/alibaba-singles-day-2018-apple-was-the-top-selling-mobile-phone-brand.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>CNBC</em></a>. </p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">According to a new report from <a href="http://www.trendforce.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">TrendForce,</a> global tablet shipments are expected to decline 4.3% year-over-year in 2018 to 145.5 million units, as the shipments of entry-level devices are on pace to grow weaker due to the rise of smart speakers and unfavorable currency exchange rates.</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">According to the latest quarterly research from Strategy Analytics, global smart speaker shipments grew 197% year-over-year to reach a record 22.7 million units in quarter three of 2018, putting the market on track to surpass 100 million units in use during the final quarter of the year. Apple’s HomePod continues to slowly gain ground. </p>