Dennis Sellers

<p>A bipartisan group of lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives has sent a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray questioning the law enforcement agency’s decision to take Apple to court to force the company to help unlock a mass shooter’s iPhone, reports <a target="_blank" href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-apple-fbi/lawmakers-question-fbi-over-san-bernardino-suit-against-apple-idUSKBN1HK2I6" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Reuters</em></a>.</p>

<p>In an internal memo, Apple told employees <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-04-13/apple-warns-employees-to-stop-leaking-information-to-media" rel="noopener noreferrer">it caught 29 leakers</a> — in other words, folks who divulged company secrets — in 2017, and 12 of that group were arrested. </p>

<p>Apple said an unauthorized repair shop owner in Norway violated its trademark by using aftermarket iPhone parts, but a court decided in favor of the shop owner, notes <a target="_blank" href="https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/a3yadk/apple-sued-an-independent-iphone-repair-shop-owner-and-lost" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Motherboard</em></a>.</p>

<p>Sales of the iPhone X are disappointing so Apple may raise the price of the follow-up to the high-end smartphone later this year, according to UBS.</p>

<p>The iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus (PRODUCT)RED Special Edition are now available at Apple retail stores. </p>

<p>In a note to clients — as noted by <a target="_blank" href="http://www.macrumors.com" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>MacRumors</em></a> — KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reiterates recent reports that Apple’s HomePod sales are disappointing. He says the tech giant is considering a lower-priced wireless speaker to deal with the situation.</p>

<p>The ongoing legal brouhaha between Apple and Smartflash turn another turn in the former’s favor this week, notes <a target="_blank" href="https://appleinsider.com/articles/18/04/13/apple-gets-another-court-win-in-smartflash-suit" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>AppleInsider</em></a>. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit this week upheld an earlier ruling by the Patent Trial and Appeal Board.</p>

<p>Apple has begun trial production of the iPhone 6s Plus — one of its highest selling models in India — at the Bengaluru facility of Wistron, Apple’s primary assembler in the country, which may lead to a “price correction,” reports <em><a target="_blank" href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/hardware/in-2-weeks-apple-could-start-making-iphone-6s-plus-here/articleshow/63741022.cms" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Economic Times</a></em>, quoting two unnamed “senior industry executives.”</p>

<p>Another day, another lawsuit. Even though <a target="_blank" href="https://appleworld.dreamhosters.com/blog/2018/4/10/apple-gets-an-a-on-the-gender-pay-scorecard?rq=Gender" rel="noopener noreferrer">Apple received an A-</a> on the Gender Pay Scoreboard (pictured), Carney Shegerian, trial lawyer and founder of the Los Angeles-based employment discrimination firm Shegerian & Associates, has announced a class action lawsuit against the company alleging that the tech giant has and continues to violate the California Equal Pay Act and the Fair Employment and Housing Act by paying women Experts less than it pays men for equal or similar work. </p>

<p>Yikes! Shortly after finding Apple infringed VirnetX network security patents, a jury in the Eastern District of Texas on Wednesday found the infringement was willful, a decision that has the potential to put the iPhone maker on the hook for more than $1.5 billion in damages, according to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.law360.com/technology/articles/1032626/apple-s-infringement-in-502m-security-ip-row-willful-jury?nl_pk=ade0cf2b-ea3f-464b-bc93-d8e19277ac63&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=technology" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Law360</em></a>.</p>

<p>Apple wants to protect your eyes, so has filed for a patent (number 20180102109) for “luminescence shock avoidance in display devices” on its various gadgets.</p>

<p>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>A new report from the In-vehicle UX (IVX) group at <a target="_blank" href="http://www.strategyanalytics.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Strategy Analytics</a>, “<em>Android Auto and CarPlay Remain Popular Among Owners</em>” surveying new vehicle owners with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, has found that these owners remain satisfied and evangelistic about mirroring systems, with a large percentage relying on them solely for all key in-car tasks.</p>

<p>A <a target="_blank" href="https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/vbxxxd/unlock-iphone-ios11-graykey-grayshift-police" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Motherboard</em> investigation</a> has found that law enforcement agencies across the country have purchased GrayKey, a relatively cheap tool for bypassing the encryption on iPhones, while the FBI pushes again for encryption backdoors.</p>

<p>Apple is teaming up with GOAT, Jet, and HotWire to offer, respectively, discounts on sneakers, patio/garden purchases, add hotel bookings.</p>