Dennis Sellers

<p>Apple has released new public betas of iOS 11.3 and macOS 10.13.4. The public betas are available on <a target="_blank" href="https://beta.apple.com/sp/betaprogram/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Apple's Beta Software Program website</a>. Just remember that beta software is unfinished software, so proceed with care.</p>

<p>If you have a HomePod and a Mac and want to use them to their full combined potential, you need Rogue Amoeba’s $29 <a target="_blank" href="https://rogueamoeba.com/airfoil/mac/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Airfoil for Mac</a>. </p>

<p><a target="_blank" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/story/id1342204830?ign-mpt=uo%3D8" rel="noopener noreferrer">Alto’s Odyssey</a>, the sequel to Alto's Adventure, has arrived a day early. The $4.99 endless runner game for the iPhone and iPad was supposed to be available tomorrow. Here’s how the game is described: </p>

<p>A woman who had a stroke while on a FaceTime video call with her sister, says the technology saved her life, according to the <em><a target="_blank" href="http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-43125658" rel="noopener noreferrer">BBC</a>.</em></p>

<p>An effort to block the Andrews government’s deal with Apple to build a store in Melbourne, Australia’s Federation Square has failed in parliament, clearing the way for the controversial retail development, reports <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/greens-fail-to-win-support-for-bid-to-block-apple-s-fed-square-store-20180221-p4z15y.html"><em>The Age</em></a>.</p>

<p>Sonnet Technologies is shipping the new 1TB version of its Fusion  Thunderbolt™ 3 PCIe Flash Drive. A pocket-size solid-state drive (SSD) storage device with a Thunderbolt 3 interface, the drive is equipped with 1TB of NVMe flash storage and leverages the 40Gbps bandwidth of Thunderbolt 3 to deliver data transfer speeds up to 2600 MB/second.</p>

<p>Apple has registered a handful of new devices in the Eurasian commission database that hints at new iPads coming soon, reports <a target="_blank" href="https://9to5mac.com/2018/02/21/eurasian-filings-hint-at-two-new-ipad-models-coming-soon/" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>9to5Mac</em></a>. The filings are for tablets running iOS 11. </p>

<p>Australian telecom Telstra has suffered a mass outage that has mass outage has seen customers experiencing widespread issues with Apple’s iMessage/Messages service, reports<em> </em><a target="_blank" href="http://www.news.com.au/technology/gadgets/mobile-phones/messaging-service-down-for-telstra-users/news-story/2c44c7d8f22a9fd53ce23bea800538e2" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>news.com.au</em></a>. But the glitch has reportedly been fixed.</p>

<p>Apple is in talks to buy long-term supplies of cobalt directly from miners for the first time, seeking to procure "several thousand" metric tons of cobalt per year for a period of at least five years, <em><a target="_blank" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-02-21/apple-is-said-to-negotiate-buying-cobalt-direct-from-miners" rel="noopener noreferrer">Bloomberg reports</a></em>.</p>

<p>Twenty-two more banks have announced <a target="_blank" href="https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204916" rel="noopener noreferrer">support for Apple Pay,</a> Apple’s mobile payment service.</p>

<p>Yesterday, <a target="_blank" href="https://appleworld.dreamhosters.com/blog/2018/2/20/second-scanning-depth-engine-patent-involves-3d-profiles-and-the-mac" rel="noopener noreferrer">I reported </a>that Apple had filed for a second patent for a “scanning depth engine” that generates 3D profiles. The tech giant has also been granted a patent (number 9,898,651) for “upper body skeleton extraction from depth maps,” which would facilitate gesture controls on a Mac or an Apple TV.</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>Apple has updated three OS beta releases — macOS High Sierra 10.13.4, iOS 11.3, and tvOS 11.3 — for developers. </p>

<p>Chinese website <a target="_blank" href="http://new.qq.com/omn/20180219/20180219A0Q3MX.html" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>QQ</em></a>  — as noted by <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cultofmac.com/530067/iphone-se-2-rumor-hints-wwdc-release/" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Cult of Mac</em></a> — claims Apple will unveil a new iPhone SE at this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC).</p>

<p>Apple has topped <em>Fast Company</em>’s 2018 World’s Most Innovation Companies list that spans more than 350 enterprises across 36 categories.</p>