Dennis Sellers

<p>PayPal -- followed closely by Amazon brands -- retains its Brand of the Year designation, leading mobile payment brands for the third consecutive year. However, up-and-coming brands Venmo (owned by PayPal), Square, and Apple Pay are making “significant gains,” according to new research from The Harris Poll's 29th annual <a target="_blank" href="http://www.theharrispoll.com/equitrend-information/" rel="noopener noreferrer">EquiTrend Study</a>.</p>

<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.kahoot.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">Kahoot!</a>, a game-based learning platform, has launched its <em>Kahoot! EdTrends Report</em>, which addresses the latest education tech trends in the U.S. K-12 market. The report says Google is getting a stronghold in U.S. classrooms, with Chrome OS growing quickly on computers, while Apple's iOS dominates on mobile devices and tablets. </p>

<p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.virginmobileusa.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">Virgin Mobile USA</a> says it’s going “iPhone only.” A note on the company’s website has this to say:</p>

<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.idc.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">IDC</a> forecasts that watches will account for the majority of all wearable devices shipped from now through 2021. However, the research group says that basic watches (devices that don’t run third party apps) will continue out-shipping smart watches (devices capable of running third party applications such as the Apple Watch.</p>

<p>An anonymous poll of Apple employees earns CEO Tim Cook a 93% approval rating, earning him the No. 53 ranking among U.S. companies surveyed for Glassdoor's annual Employees' Choice Awards. Glassdoor is a jobs and recruiting site.</p>

<p>Chris Lattner, the senior director of Apple's Developer Tools Department, departed the company in January to go to work for Tesla. However, he’s bidding adieu to the electric car company.</p>

<p>In a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.macobserver.com/columns-opinions/editorial/dear-apple-please-dont-give-ibooks-ios-11/" rel="noopener noreferrer">June 19 article</a> for <em>The MacObserver</em>, Andrew Orr asked Apple to not give up on iBooks in iOS 11. I’ll second that and add iBooks Author to the mix.</p>

<p>Apple has been granted a patent (number 9,684,440) for “progressive rotational view” that hints that we may see more augmented reality apps such as <a target="_blank" href="https://appleworld.dreamhosters.com/blog/2017/6/19/apple-ikea-teaming-up-for-an-augmented-reality-app" rel="noopener noreferrer">Apple and IKEA are partnering on</a>, not on just iOS devices, but Macs, as well.</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>In a note to clients — <a target="_blank" href="http://www.cnbc.com/2017/06/20/apple-smart-glasses-for-augmented-reality-could-leverage-iphone-power-ubs-says.html" rel="noopener noreferrer">as noted by CNBC</a> — UBS analyst Steven Milunovich says may leverage augmented reality on the iPhone to help pave the way for a future smart glasses product via its ARKit developer tools.</p>

<p>The global automotive industry is at a turning point. The automobile is undergoing a transformation, moving from a means of conveyance to becoming a data center on wheels. For car manufacturers to maintain their leverage, they have to build alliances and concentrate on R&D resources. </p>

<p>As noted by <a href="http://www.macrumors.com">MacRumors</a>, Apple has updated its Mac recycling program to partner with a new company, replacing longtime partner PowerOn with Phobio.</p>

<p>Another 40 institutions have joined Apple’s list of participating partners since the last refresh. You can find the <a target="_blank" href="https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204916" rel="noopener noreferrer">complete list here</a>.</p>

<p>In the <a target="_blank" href="http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gartner.com%2Fdocument%2Fcode%2F333112&esheet=51576937&newsitemid=20170619005849&lan=en-US&anchor=Gartner+Global+Top+100%3A+IT&index=1&md5=5d05c270541c3c59d6bc628e718e862e" rel="noopener noreferrer">Gartner Global Top 100: IT</a> vendors, Apple is the largest vendor with more than $218 billion in IT revenue — approximately $79 billion larger than the No. 2 vendor, Samsung Vendor Group. The top global 100 vendors in IT in 2016 are based on their revenue across IT (excluding communication services) and component market segments.</p>

<p>Kensington has announced the general availability of its $349.99 <a target="_blank" href="http://link.email.dynect.net/link.php?DynEngagement=true&H=s8mq%2BFF8Y8J%2F7%2FXrLp5ygdcwMPrxjsUdQBMch4EEnHhpCCjF3%2FNlfBDpcLB2Ruh1y74AufkmIs4pe13XBLMEId0RZcOVCtjoa2eOwU7fTWfRYl5v6wkVfctIzL6tsyOV&G=0&R=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kensington.com%2Fsku%2FK38239US&I=20170620130106.000000303ca6%40mail6-34-usnbn1&X=MHwxMDQ2NzU4OjU5NDhhMjczMjBiODk4NzQxZWRmN2UxZDs%3D&S=0KJpAcCWzSOuta4BLKS_RYjYjRyE67cs2eWkO6Q55Qk" rel="noopener noreferrer">SD5000T Thunderbolt 3 Docking Station</a> for macOS. It provides a bridge allowing more mobile and thinner devices access to a suite of gadgets on the user’s desk. </p>