Dennis Sellers

<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>

<p>The Calendars app in macOS High Sierra is automatically backed up if you have an iCloud account and enable this option. However, I like to keep another back-up of my calendars and urge you to do the same. Here’s how:</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>GrayShift is a new lawful access company, with an ex-Apple engineer, Braden Thomas (pictured) on its staff, that promises to break into the latest iPhones. At least one local police department, has already signed up to its GrayKey service, reports <a target="_blank" href="https://graykey.grayshift.com), according to a Motherboard report (https://motherboard.vice.com/amp/en_us/article/xw5bqz/documents-prove-local-cops-have-bought-cheap-iphone-cracking-tech" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Motherboard</em></a>.</p>

<p>In a note to clients — as noted by <a target="_blank" href="http://www.macrumors.com" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>MacRumors</em></a> — Barclays analyst Blayne Curtis and his compadres say Apple’s AirPods (pictured) continue to grow in popularity, but HomePod sales have been disappointing.</p>

<p>DRmare Studio has introduced <a target="_blank" href="https://www.drmare.com/drm-audio-converter-for-mac/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Audio Converter 1.0</a> for macOS and Windows. The app lets you remove DRM from any protected audio, including Apple Music, iTunes M4P songs and Audible audiobooks.</p>

<p>Swift, Apple’s programming language, hasn’t celebrated its fourth birthday yet, but <a target="_blank" href="http://redmonk.com/sogrady/2018/03/07/language-rankings-1-18/" rel="noopener noreferrer">a new report </a>from RedMonk, a developer-focused industry analyst firm, finds that it's already as popular as its predecessor, the Objective-C language.</p>

<p>Another day, another lawsuit. Non-practicing entity Portal Communications has sued Apple for alleged infringement of three patents related to natural language voice and audio query systems, such as those of the tech giant's Siri, reports <a target="_blank" href="https://appleinsider.com/articles/18/03/09/apple-slapped-with-patent-suit-over-siris-natural-language-abilities)" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>AppleInsider</em>.</a></p>

<p>Former President Barack Obama is in advanced negotiations with Netflix to produce a series of high-profile shows — unless he goes with Apple, reports <em><a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/08/us/politics/obama-netflix-shows.html" rel="noopener noreferrer">The New York Time</a>s</em>.</p>

<p>Apple has been granted two patents for “wirelessly charged devices” that hints at upcoming uses for its AirPower charger. </p>

<p><a target="_blank" href="http://xwavesoft.com/cloud-outliner-for-iphone-ipad-mac-os-x.html" rel="noopener noreferrer">Cloud Outliner</a> is an app that allows anyone to easily create and share outlines between their Mac devices, iOS devices, and Evernote account.</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>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>