Dennis Sellers

<p>Mobile app data and insights company <a target="_blank" href="https://www.appannie.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer">App Annie</a> and International Data Corporation (<a target="_blank" href="https://www.idc.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer">IDC</a>), a provider of technology market intelligence services, have unveiled a special joint report entitled, "Gaming Spotlight, 2017 Review.” The big news: direct spending on mobile games exceeded the combined spending total on home console, Mac/PC, and handheld console games by more than one third in 2017, up from a single-digit margin by the same measure in 2016. </p>

<p>Apple plans to release an 11-inch iPad Pro with a display at this summer’s Worldwide Developer Conference, according to Taiwan's <a target="_blank" href="https://money.udn.com/money/story/5710/3025097" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Economic Daily News</em></a> — as noted by <a target="_blank" href="http://www.macrumors.com" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>MacRumors</em></a>. This would hint at a replacement for the company’s current 10.5-inch iPad Pro.</p>

<p>Continuing a focus on health related products, such as its HealthKit and Apple Watch, Apple has been granted a patent (number 9,916,474) for a “wellness registry” for receiving and sharing wellness data. </p>

<p>Apple and Alphabet’s Google corporate brands dropped in the annual Harris Poll Reputation Quotient poll while Amazon maintained the top spot for the third consecutive year, as noted by <a target="_blank" href="https://tinyurl.com/y755zgfl" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Reuters</em></a>. The former plummeted from fifth place to 29th position, while the latter fell from eighth place to 28th position. </p>

<p>If you need a solid “mind mapping” app, check out <a target="_blank" href="http://www.mindlyapp.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">Drip Grind’s Mindly 1.6</a> for Mac is a handy companion to its Mindly app for iOS and Android devices. It help keep your “inner universe” organized by giving a structure to your thoughts, ideas, plans and projects.</p>

<p>Status lights appear on the top of a HomePod and change colors depending on what you're doing on HomePod.</p>

<p>The AWT News Update is on hiatus while my compadre, Steve, takes a road trip. In its place, I’ll offer a text-only (no podcast) summary of breaking stories with a tip o’ my hat to my former website, <em>Apple Daily Report</em>.</p>

<p>A <a target="_blank" href="http://loupventures.com/iphone-intent-to-upgrade-survey-suggests-more-predictable-demand/" rel="noopener noreferrer">new survey</a> by Loup Ventures shows that 22% of iPhone owners plan to upgrade to a new model this year, notes analyst Gene Munster. </p>

<p>Apple hit a new high today as<a target="_blank" href="https://seekingalpha.com/news/3338511-apple-hit-new-high-today-race-towards-1t-market-cap?uprof=53&dr=1#email_link" rel="noopener noreferrer"> shares bumped $182</a> intraday before dipping down slightly.</p>

<p>Apple Music now has 38 million paid subscribers, up from 36 million last month, reports <a target="_blank" href="https://tinyurl.com/ybylerwd" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Reuters</em></a>. This compares to 71 million premium subscribers at the end of 2017 for industry leader Spotify.</p>

<p>Launched today on Kickstarter, Grenoplus has announced iMate, a docking station that can power up a MacBook, MacBook Pro (13-inch and 15-inch models), an iPhone X, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPad Pro. It’s also the only docking station that comes with an Apple-certified Apple Watch Charger, according to Grenoplus Founder Alex Chan. </p>

<p>Apple has added its first animated TV show to its growing list of original programming. The tech giant has given a two-season series order to “Central Park,” a musical comedy from “Bob’s Burgers” creator Loren Bouchard and 20th Century Fox Television, reports <a target="_blank" href="http://variety.com/2018/tv/news/apple-animated-musical-comedy-central-park-bobs-burgers-1202724158/" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Variety</em></a>. </p>

<p>Apple has scooped up Texture, a digital mag subscription app, reports <a target="_blank" href="https://techcrunch.com/2018/03/12/apple-acquires-digital-newsstand-texture-as-it-doubles-down-on-content-from-trusted-sources/" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>TechCrunch</em></a>. The terms haven’t been disclosed, but Apple is acquiring the full company, including employees.</p>

<p>Voice assistant programs such as Apple’s Siri and Google’s Alexa, as well as voice search, are poised to transform how patients and physicians find medical information in Europe, research from <a target="_blank" href="http://www.decisionresourcesgroup.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">Manhattan Research</a>.</p>

<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.rescue.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">RESCUECOM</a> has released its latest Computer Reliability Report, which compares the brand market share of computer makers with their repair share, based on the number of computer repair calls received per brand, to create an overall reliability score. Apple received an A+ based on 20.7% market share.</p>