Dennis Sellers

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Apple denies that it’s taking advantage of the large number of iOS users in China and overcharging them when they have in-app purchases, reports <em>Chinanews.com.</em></p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Twenty years ago yesterday (May 6) Steve Jobs introduced the iMac, which turned Apple’s fortunes around. The all-in-one desktop has gone through various intriguing redesigns, so what could the tech giant have planned for the future? Here are some possibilities I’m serving up for fun.</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">In a new support document sent to retail stores and Authorized Service Providers — and obtained by <a href="https://9to5mac.com/2018/05/06/face-id-rear-camera-repair-iphone-x/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>9to5Mac</em></a><em> —</em> Apple has outlined an updated repair process for cases where users are experiencing issues with Face ID on the iPhone X.</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Apple has been granted a second patent (number 20170205873, the others are 20170205873 and 9,898,074)  for a “scanning depth engine.” It involves a Mac with the ability to generate a 3D profile of an object by processing an optical image of the object.</p>

<p>Bracketron's $29.99 <a href="https://www.bracketron.com/tekgrip-power-dock#.WunipS-ZOWY" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">TekGrip Power Dock</a> is a hands-free mounting option for drivers that includes dual charging capabilities.</p>

<p>Did you know that you can use turn your Mac into a Wi-Fi hotspot. You can</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The iPhone’s iOS was the clear winner when it comes to smartphone usage in countries where English is the first language, as well as Japan and Sweden, according to <a href="https://deviceatlas.com/blog/latest-report-shows-feature-phone-use-still-widespread" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">new data</a> from <em>DeviceAtlas</em>. There were also gains for iOS in Canada, Egypt and Ireland. </p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">San Diego Federal Judge Mitchell D. Dembin  has ruled that Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice president of Internet software and services, will be deposed as a part of the company's ongoing legal battle with Qualcomm, according to <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-05-04/apple-s-eddy-cue-to-be-deposed-in-qualcomm-patent-battle" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Bloomber</em></a><em>g</em>.</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Apple has acknowledged a microphone issue affecting a limited number of iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus models running iOS 11.3 or later, according to <a href="http://www.macrumors.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>MacRumors</em></a>.</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Another day, another lawsuit. The owner of Los Angeles brand and worldwide art collective Pizzaboyzzz, Robert Karageuzian, has sued Kendall Jenner, the 22-year-old model, her DJ friend Daniel Chetrit and Apple over their new Beats 1 radio show for trademark infringement, according to court documents obtained by<em> </em><a href="https://theblast.com/kendall-jenner-apple-pizza-boys-lawsuit/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>The Blast</em></a>.</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Apple is paying publishers to unveil shows on Apple News first, reports <a href="https://digiday.com/media/buzzfeed-news-premiered-show-apple-news-facebook-youtube-twitter/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>DigiDay</em></a>. News is a mobile app and news aggregator developed by Apple for iOS; it launched with the release of iOS 9. </p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">According to the latest research from <a href="http://www.strategyanalytics.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Strategy Analytics</a>, global smartphone shipments reached 345 million units in the first quarter (Q1) of 2018. Despite fears of expensive pricing, Apple’s iPhone X was the world’s best-selling smartphone model, shipping an impressive 16 million units during the quarter, according to the research group. </p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">In the first quarter of 2018, Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway bought 75 million shares of Apple, reports <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2018/05/03/buffetts-berkshire-hathaway-bought-stunning-75-million-apple-shares-in-first-quarter.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>CNBC</em></a>. That adds to the 165.3 million shares Berkshire already owned at the end of 2017.</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Apple has been granted two patents that show the company is looking into ways to improve search results on the Mac’s Spotlight feature. Patent number 2018012803 is for “blending learning models for search support,” while patent number 2018121435 is for “re-ranking search results using blended learning models.” Both involve, among other things, crowd-sourced data.</p>

<p>If you’re flatfooted like me, SOLS’s <a href="http://www.sols.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">ExoSOLS app/service</a> can save your sole. It makes it easy to make your daily walk (your literal daily walk) more comfortable by allowing you to make 3D printed, custom orthotics.</p>