Dennis Sellers

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Apple has filed for a patent (number 20180181204) for a “guidance system for the sensory impaired” that would use an iPhone as, among other things, a digital cane for the visually impaired.</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Apple is considering creating a single subscription offering that would encompass its original TV shows, music service and magazine articles, two people “familiar with the company’s plans” told <a href="https://www.theinformation.com/articles/apple-eyes-streaming-bundle-for-tv-music-and-news" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>The Information</em></a>.</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Griffin Technology’s $16.99 <a href="http://griffintechnology.com/us/itrip-clip-bluetooth-headphone-adapter" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">iTrip Clip</a> is a Bluetooth audio adapter that converts any part of wired headphones to wireless headphones. It ensures that you can continue using your favorite 3.5mm headphones with no worries about if you bought a smartphone with no headphone jack (not that Apple would make such a thing….).</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">This summer, Americans should keep a close eye on their prized smartphones. Mobile protection claims data from Asurion, a global tech solutions company, indicates the summer months see more than a 50% jump in smartphone loss and theft.</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">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 style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Now that my <em>Apple World Today</em> compadre, Steve Sande, is transforming his daily news update podcast into <em>Tangible Tech</em>, Yours Truly will offer an end-of-the-day text-and-graphics only update of various Apple news items. Because, hey, Steve and I can’t cover everything!</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">A California jury <a href="https://www.law360.com/technology/articles/1057173/breaking-dr-dre-jimmy-iovine-owe-25m-in-beats-royalties-jury-says?nl_pk=ade0cf2b-ea3f-464b-bc93-d8e19277ac63&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=technology" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">has found </a>that Beats Electronics founders Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine owe $25.25 million to an entrepreneur who worked on the first model of their iconic headphones, holding that the music moguls breached a contract entitling the early co-creator to royalties.</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Is it over? Yay! According to <a href="https://go.skimresources.com/?sref=https%3A%2F%2F9to5mac.com%2F2018%2F06%2F27%2Fapple-samsung-settle-patent-case%2F&xtz=300&jv=13.6.4&isjs=1&xuuid=5fff790a58cb314ab3387d127d3755b2&persistence=1&checksum=5ce3789eeda77e0802e5c74b8c7af330d5249cd9ccc17bd37e76700368e63116&id=3947X638757&xsessid=&xed=0&bv=2.5.1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bloomberg.com%2Fnews%2Farticles%2F2018-06-27%2Fapple-samsung-settle-patent-infringement-dispute&xguid=01CH1B357N9JBNE6J8CZ2Z4N6N&xs=1&xcreo=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Bloomberg</em></a>, Apple and Samsung reached a settlement in their U.S. patent battle, putting an end to a seven-year fight over smartphone designs. Terms of the accord haven’t been disclosed. </p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Apple CarPlay and Google's Android Auto are less distracting to drivers when compared to built-in vehicle infotainment systems designed by automakers, according to <a href="https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=2173927-1&h=2141657419&u=https%3A%2F%2Fpublicaffairsresources.aaa.biz%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fdlm_uploads%2F2018%2F06%2F18-0333_AAAFTS-Utah-CP-AA-Fact-Sheet_FINAL.pdf&a=new+research">new research</a> from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. </p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Let the Apple Car rumors recommence. Mark Rober, who is best known for <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCY1kMZp36IQSyNx_9h4mpCg" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">his YouTube videos</a> of science stunts, has been “quietly working as an engineer for Apple’s secretive special projects group,” according to <a href="https://variety.com/2018/digital/news/youtube-maerk-rober-apple-vr-1202858396/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Variety</em></a>. His work includes contributions to the company’s virtual reality projects, with a focus on using VR as on-board entertainment for self-driving cars, the article adds.</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Elgato Systems — which makes such products as the Thunderbolt 3 Dock and a variety of products compatible with Apple’s HomeKit — announced it will shift its focus exclusively to Eve, its smart home product line. </p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Dashlane has announced a new feature for mobile users: <a href="https://blog.dashlane.com/inbox-security-scan/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Inbox Security Scan</a>. The average Internet user has over 150 online accounts, making it nearly impossible to create strong, unique passwords for each, and difficult to remember which accounts they created. </p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">New data from <a href="http://www.juniperresearch.com/CMSModules/Newsletters/CMSPages/Redirect.ashx?linkguid=1a21c24a-a8cf-4751-b408-84b611452194&email=submitnews%40applecentral.com&hash=898d7744c1fb18e3162d64eeaff77c4d3cc1a3b3101c2b7a131d8a324f3f7a58" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Juniper Research</a> estimates the global number of mobile contactless users will exceed 760 million by 2020, up from an estimated 440 million in 2018. The research group forecasts services such as Apple Pay, Samsung Pay and Google Pay, will reach 450 million by 2020, with Apple accounting for 1-in-2 payments users globally.</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Apple and Qualcomm, the world’s dominant supplier of baseband processors, on Tuesday <a href="https://www.law360.com/technology/articles/1057715/itc-wraps-up-qualcomm-s-patent-case-against-iphone?nl_pk=ade0cf2b-ea3f-464b-bc93-d8e19277ac63&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=technology" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">concluded arguments </a>in an International Trade Commission (ITC) lawsuit.</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Apple has been granted a patent (number 10,009,713) that would allow iPhones to transfer info between themselves by “bumping’ them together. This bump or tap may be sensed by, for example, sensors in one or both devices. The devices may then transfer data or conduct a transaction between them.  </p>