Dennis Sellers

<p>Future iPhones and iPads may have screens that can dynamically change their shape. Apple has been granted a patent (number 9,600,070) for an <strong>“user interface having changeable topography.”</strong></p>

<p>If you’re a fan of science fiction (good, bad, and somewhere in between), you should download the COMET TV app for the fourth generation Apple TV. Some of the content is good, while some is incredibly cheesy, in a it’s-so-bad-I-can’t-stop- watching way—but, hey, it’s free.</p>

<p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.jamf.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Jamf</a>, which specializes in Apple device management, has announced support for the latest Apple releases of iOS (10.3), macOS (10.12.4) and tvOS (10.2), which are expected soon.</p>

<p>I'm not sure we'll ever see this on a Mac, but Microsoft and Jinha Lee, a MIT graduate working at Samsung on TV interfaces, developed a prototype of a "transparent" computer that lets you reach "inside" and "touch" digital content. </p>

<p>Apple Music has reportedly broken the 24-hour record for album streams with Drake's <em>More Life</em>. The newly-released (March 18) album reportedly registered <a target="_blank" href="http://www.theverge.com/2017/3/20/14988474/drakes-more-life-apple-music-streaming-record" rel="noopener noreferrer">89.9 million</a> single-day streams on Apple’s music streaming service compared to 61.3 million on Spotify for the first day of availability on both services.</p>

<p>Add this to the “iPhone 8” rumors (which number about 2,042, by my count): it will have a “water drop” design that harkens back to the original Apple smartphone to celebrate the iPhone’s 10th anniversary, according to <a target="_blank" href="https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=ko&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.etnews.com%2F20170320000231" rel="noopener noreferrer">ET News</a>.</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 released an eight beta of macOS Sierra 10.12.4 for developers and public beta testers. </p>

<p>New iPads tomorrow, perhaps? Apple has updated its <a target="_blank" href="https://www.apple.com/support/systemstatus/" rel="noopener noreferrer">System Status</a> page, noting that its online store will be "updated and unavailable" for "maintenance" tomorrow, Tuesday, March 21, between midnight and 5:30 a.m. (Pacific).</p>

<p>Apple NZ has paid no taxes within New Zealand, and has instead been paying the amount due to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO). According to the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11820240" rel="noopener noreferrer">New Zealand Herald</a>, Apple NZ has paid nothing in taxes to the New Zealand Inland Revenue Department for the last 10 years despite making sales worth around $4.2 billion since 2007.</p>

<p>Apple users in Korea are feeling no love after the Cupertino, California-based company decided to make <a target="_blank" href="https://appleworld.dreamhosters.com/blog/2017/3/17/apple-plans-two-new-rd-centers-in-china?rq=Shanghai" rel="noopener noreferrer">heavy investments in China</a> while mostly ignoring Korea, according to <a target="_blank" href="http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/tech/2017/03/133_226048.html" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Korea Time</a>s.</p>

<p>A <a target="_blank" href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/brentmorgan/superscreen" rel="noopener noreferrer">Kickstarter</a> crowdfunding campaign has launched for Transcendent Designs’ Superscreen, a display that turns an iOS and Android smartphone into a 10.1-inch Full HD tablet with 2560 x 1600 2K display. Contributions cost $99, which is 67% off the expected retail price of $299. </p>

<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.WebMD.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">WebMD</a> — a provider of health information services — and Scripps Translational Science Institute (STSI) have announced a new investigative study designed to improve researchers’ and health care professionals’ understanding of what contributes to healthy pregnancies and positive pregnancy outcomes. </p>

<p>Apple has built an augmented reality (AR) team of hundreds of engineers “combining the strengths of its hardware and software veterans with the expertise of talented outsiders” and is “very serious about AR,” reports <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-03-20/apple-s-next-big-thing" rel="noopener noreferrer">Bloomberg</a>, quoting unnamed “people with knowledge of the company’s plans.”</p>

<p>Alien Orb Software has introduced Screen Commander 1.0, a screen blanking utility for macOS. Developed for users with multiple displays, it lives in the menubar as a small icon and provides screen blanking options at the click of the mouse.</p>