Dennis Sellers

<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>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Now that Apple <a href="https://appleworld.dreamhosters.com/blog/2018/4/26/rip-apples-airport-wireless-router-line?rq=AirPort%20Extreme" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">has officially discontinued</a> its AirPort wireless router line-up, many folks are looking for an alternative. One good candidate is Synology’s $200 <a href="https://www.synology.com/en-us/products/RT2600ac" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>RT2600ac</strong></a>, a high-speed, security-focused router.</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;">Limerick, Ireland’s newest secondary school is set to become a virtual-learning’environment where iPads will be used as the key classroom tool, principal Eoin Shinners told the <a href="https://www.limerickleader.ie/news/home/314068/ipads-set-to-become-key-tools-at-limericks-newest-school.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Limerick Leader</em></a>.</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">An “evolving” information-stealing malware campaign has added iOS device phishing and cryptocurrency mining to its targets, having previously focused just on the Android system, according to <a href="https://www.zdnet.com/article/malware-campaign-expands-to-add-cryptocurrency-mining-and-ios-phishing-attacks/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>ZDNet</em></a>.</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Cupertino, California — Apple’s home base — may introduce a tax that would charge the tech giant an additional fee based on its number of employees. The city has hired a firm to poll residents asking their thoughts on such a tax, and how it should be spent, according to <a href="https://www.cultofmac.com/549311/cupertino-extra-taxes-apple/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Cult of Mac</em></a>.</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">U.S. District Judge Richard Seeborg says ruled legal action against Apple over its Powerbeats headphones can go ahead "in part,” reports the <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-44197119" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>BBC</em></a>. The lawsuit was filed in September 2017.</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama have signed a deal to produce films and series for Netflix instead of Apple. Netflix announced the agreement in a <a href="https://twitter.com/netflix/status/998594451378397185" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">tweet</a>:</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Nektony has debuted Startup Disk Full Fixer, a free productivity app for macOS 10.13 or later. The utility — available at the <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/app/startup-disk-full-fixer/id1346655838" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Mac App Store</a> — is specifically designed for finding and removing junk files to free up more HD space. </p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Apple has fallen one place in the <a href="https://9to5mac.com/guides/fortune-500/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Fortune 500</a> rankings, based on company revenues, dropping from third place to fourth. Still, the tech giant remains the most valuable and profitable company on the list with $850 billion in market cap and $48 billion in profits.</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Following closing arguments Friday, the five women and three men of a California federal jury filed out of a San Jose courthouse for a weekend break with a billion-dollar question hanging in the air. A decision is expected today, according to <a href="https://www.law360.com/technology/articles/1045106/fate-of-apple-s-1b-ip-fight-with-samsung-in-jury-s-hands?nl_pk=ade0cf2b-ea3f-464b-bc93-d8e19277ac63&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=technology" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Law360</em></a>.</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Apple has filed for a patent (number 20180133573) for an “integrated media jukebox and physiologic data handling application.” Though it sounds like it involves music (and it does, pertaining to workout playlists), it also involves methods for tracking exercise performance with interaction between an Apple Watch and a Mac or iPad.</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">According to a <a href="https://www.loveios.net/2018/05/rumor-homepod-price-199-beats-brand.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">new rumor</a>, Apple is working with MediaTek, a Taiwanese fabless semiconductor company, to introduce a $199 HomePod (the current model is $349). However, per the rumor, it won’t be called a HomePod, but will use the Beats brand. (Apple bought Beats Electronics almost four years ago for $3 billion.)</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://www.addigy.com">Addigy</a>, a provider of cloud-based macOS/iOS management software, has highlighted five key GDPR processes and guidance for achieving Apple device compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) going into effect on May 25.</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Apple has taken new action against app developers in order to comply with new cybersecurity laws in China. According to <a href="https://www.slashgear.com/apple-pulls-callkit-apps-from-chinese-app-store-following-new-law-20531312/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>SlashGear</em></a>, the tech giant has started warning iOS developers that any apps using Apple’s CallKit will be pulled from the Chinese App Store unless they remove the framework’s integration. </p>