Dennis Sellers

<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>

<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.alivecor.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">AliveCor,</a> which specializes in FDA-cleared personal electrocardiogram (ECG) technology, has announced findings from two new studies that further support the use of portable ECG devices to provide groundbreaking health monitoring capabilities.</p>

<p>The Australian mobile phone market exceeded growth expectations, shipping 3.36m devices in the fourth quarter of 2017 -- 15.7% year-over-year (YoY) growth. </p>

<p>Apple is preparing to release a new entry-level MacBook at the end of the second quarter with a price tag expected to be about the same level as that of the existing MacBook Air or slightly higher, according to <a target="_blank" href="http://www.digitimes.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">DigiTimes Research</a>. DigiTimes Research senior analyst Jim Hsiao expects shipments for the new MacBook to reach around four million units in 2018.</p>

<p>Apple wants Mac keyboards to be more resistant to spills. The company has been granted a patent (number 20180068808) for “ingress prevention for keyboards.”</p>

<p>Rogue Amoeba’s Loopback for macOS is a useful tool for enabling audio routing between applications and audio devices on your Mac. In just a few clicks, you can easily pass audio directly between apps.</p>