Dennis Sellers

<p>Global tablet shipments fell 8% year-on-year in in the second quarter (Q2) of 2016 to 46.7 million units while average selling prices (ASPs) went the other way, climbing 9% during the same period, according to <a target="_blank" href="http://www.strategyanalytics.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">Strategy Analytics</a>. Consumers and enterprises alike are buying more “pro slates” (such as the iPad Pro and Surface Pro 4) than ever before “as prices reach tolerable levels and as computing behaviors and needs shift toward more mobility and touchscreen interfaces,” adds the research group.</p>

<p>Nobel economist Joseph Stiglitz said U.S. tax law that allows Apple to hold a large amount of cash abroad is “obviously deficient” and called the company’s attribution of significant earnings to a comparatively small overseas unit a “fraud.”</p>

<p>Apple has updated iMovie for iOS to version 2.2.3. It allows you to start projects quickly by selecting multiple photos and videos.</p>

<p>Sometimes when I’m visiting my siblings I find that my 12-inch MacBook and 12.9-inch iPad Pro both need charging. Do I lug two chargers? Nope, I take Kanex’s $99.95 <a target="_blank" href="http://www.kanex.com/gopower-usbc" rel="noopener noreferrer">GoPower USB-C portable battery.</a></p>

<p>If you use products from <a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/1VJHSHw" rel="noopener noreferrer">Neenah Paper</a> — which manufactures — papers for premium writing, text, cover, digital, packaging and specialty needs, you'll want to check out its free <a target="_blank" href="http://www.neenahpaper.com/?gclid=CI6qmcqS_MYCFQUMaQodSHUASQ" rel="noopener noreferrer">Cabinet apps </a>for Mac OS X and iOS devices. Available at the Mac App Store and Apple App Store respectively, they allow you to browse Neenan products to quickly find the right paper for your needs.</p>

<p>Apple files for — and is granted — lots of patents by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. Many are for inventions that never see the light of day. However, you never can tell which ones will materialize in a real product, so here are today’s patent highlights:</p>

<p>Apple plans to roll out a redesigned version of its Apple Store mobile app that will use a customer’s buying history to recommend more purchases, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-07-28/apple-is-said-to-redesign-online-store-app-with-recommendations" rel="noopener noreferrer">according to Bloomberg.</a></p>

<p>Apple’s Ivan Krstić will lead a session on “Behind the Scenes of iOS Security” at Blackhat USA 2016, an annual event for security practitioners of all levels, which will run July 30 to Aug. 2 in Las Vegas. You can <a target="_blank" href="https://www.blackhat.com/us-16/registration.html" rel="noopener noreferrer">register here</a>.</p>

<p>Earlier this week <a target="_blank" href="https://appleworld.dreamhosters.com/blog/2016/7/25/apple-retiree-bob-mansfield-tapped-to-lead-apple-car-project?rq=Bob%20Mansfield" rel="noopener noreferrer">it was reported</a> that Apple had lured Bob Mansfield, former senior vice president, Technologies, out of retirement to head the “Apple Car” project (dubbed “Project Titan”). Now Bloomberg <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-07-28/apple-taps-blackberry-talent-as-car-project-takes-software-turn">reports</a> that software architect Dan Dodge, co-founder and once CEO of BlackBerry division QNX, has joined the company to work on a team led by Mansfield.</p>

<p>Apple’s “hard nosed” bargaining tactics are the reason we’ve yet to see an Apple streaming TV service — if we ever do, according to <a target="_blank" href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/apples-hard-charging-tactics-hurt-tv-expansion-1469721330" rel="noopener noreferrer">the Wall Street Journal.</a></p>

<p><a href="http://www.dashlane.com/">Dashlane</a> has released a list of the top ten websites with safe password practices, just in time to help parents navigate online safety risks during the busy back-to-school season. <a target="_blank" href="http://apple.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">Apple’s website</a> tops the list.</p>

<p>Apple plans to open an Apple Store in the World Trade Center Transportation Hub (pictured), Jason Barlia, head of Apple's marketing for New York stores, while speaking at the opening of Apple's first Brooklyn store.</p>

<p>The latest report from the global market research firm <a target="_blank" href="http://www.trendforce.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">TrendForce</a> finds that worldwide tablet shipments for this second quarter totaled 33.54 million units, representing a quarterly drop of 4.8% and a year-on-year decline of 8.8%. Apple retains its top position in the quarterly ranking with 9.95 million iPads shipped. This figure translates to a 2.9% dip from the first quarter and a 9% drop from a year ago.</p>

<p>Apple held onto fifth place in the Chinese smartphone market for the first half od 2016, ahead of Samsung, with around a 9% market share, according to <a target="_blank" href="http://www.canalys.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">Canalys</a>. The iPhone SE has done little to increase overall shipment numbers in China, claims the research group.</p>

<p>Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing, has joined the Illumina board of directors. <a href="http://www.illumina.com">Illumina</a> is a company devoted to “improving human health by unlocking the power of the genome.”</p>