Dennis Sellers

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">According to the latest research from <a href="https://www.counterpointresearch.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Counterpoint</a>’s Market Monitor service, smartphone shipments in China declined 7% annually but grew sequentially in quarter two of 2018. The top five brands — which includes Apple — captured a record 84% of the market (Apple has 8%).</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Apple has released the fourth public betas of iOS 12 and tvOS 12. The public betas are available on <a href="https://beta.apple.com/sp/betaprogram/">Apple's Beta Software Program website</a>. Just remember that beta software, so proceed with care.</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://www.upwork.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Upwork</a>, a global freelancing website, has released its newest quarterly index of the hottest skills in the U.S. freelance job market. Apple’s Xcode ranks 15th on the list of the top 20 fastest growing skills needed; that’s out of the 5,000 the website tracks.</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Zulily.com is having a <a href="https://www.zulily.com/search?q=Apple&fromSearch=true" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">close-out sale</a> on Macs, iPhones, and accessories. Most of the items are refurbished, but you can get some pretty good deals, though none are the latest models.</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Twelve South has announced <a href="https://www.twelvesouth.com/product/airsnap" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">AirSnap</a>, a full-grain leather case to keep your Apple AirPods connected and protected. You don’t have to remove it to have access to your ear buds and the charging port.</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Apple has been granted a patent (number 10,037,054) for a “magnetic attachment unit” that involves an accessory mounting system that would allow two iPads to be linked together.</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Any true fan of action movies will have to see <em>Mission Impossible: Fallout,</em> one of the best action films ever made and now in theaters. To help enjoy the film, buy the $29.99 <em>Mission Impossible Collection </em>at iTunes. It bundles the first five films in the Tom Cruise-starring series.</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Fleetsmith — a provider of secure, automated Apple device management — has announced Fleetsmith Intelligence, which it says is the first free product providing Apple administrators with real-time visibility and insights across their entire fleet of devices. It's also the first no-cost solution to include enrollment via Apple’s Device Enrollment Program (DEP).</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Since Steve and I can’t cover everything, at the end of each week day, we’ll offer this wrap-up of news items you should check out.</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Apple has hired Sterling Crimson, best known for building a paint app for mobile VR headsets, reports <a href="https://variety.com/2018/digital/news/apple-cyber-paint-app-sterling-crispin-1202890174/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Variety</em></a>. The article says he’ll be working as a prototyping researcher at the tech giant.</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">According to a translated report from Taiwanese publication <a href="https://money.udn.com/money/story/5612/3279500" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Economic Daily News</em></a> — as noted by <a href="https://www.macrumors.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>MacRumors</em></a> — the successor to the MacBook Air will pack an Intel Kaby Lake processor. Makes sense as the release of the Cannon Lake chip, which would have been a logical choice, has  been delayed again. However, the Sellers Research Group says the new laptop won’t be dubbed a MacBook Air.</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">According to new data from <a href="http://www.emarketer.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">eMarketer</a>, Apple's share of smartphone users in the U.S. will remain basically static in 2018, accounting for a 44.6% share. The research group predicts that, by comparison, Android will account for 53.3% of U.S. smartphone usage in 2018. </p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">New data from <a href="http://www.juniperresearch.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Juniper Research</a> shows that, driven by payment cards and mobile wallets, in-store contactless payments will reach $2 trillion by 2020, representing 15% of the total point of sale transactions. The research group predicts that the mobile contactless payments market will be driven by Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, Google Pay and other “pay wallets.” </p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Apple has filed for a patent (number 2018026766) for a “physical activity and workout monitor” that involves the current and future versions of its iOS and watchOS Workout app.</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Samsung’s $69.99, <a href="http://www.samsontechcom" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">QH4 4-Channel Headphone Amplifier</a> lets you distribute audio to up to four individual headphones, each with its own volume control making it perfect for tracking multiple performers in a studio, podcast recording or recreational music listening.</p>