Dennis Sellers

<p>The EMEA [Europe, the Middle East, and Africa] mobile phone market saw smartphone volumes fall for a second year in 2017, but Apple gained ground, according to a new report from <a target="_blank" href="http://www.idc.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">IDC</a>.</p>

<p>Apple has removed Private Photos (Calculator%) from the the App Store, notes <a target="_blank" href="http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-pulls-private-photos-calculator-from-app-store-2018-4" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Business Insider</em></a>. It’s an app that poses as a calculator and allows users to hide secret photos and videos.</p>

<p>Some of us kept hoping that Apple wasn’t abandoning its AirPort line, but this seems to be the case. As noted by <a target="_blank" href="https://appleinsider.com/articles/18/04/17/airport-express-removed-from-home-app-in-latest-ios-114-beta" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>AppleInsider</em></a>, AirPort Express is no longer showing up in the Home app for users on the latest iOS 11.4 beta, “casting doubt that it will be updated to use as an AirPlay 2 target.”</p>

<p>Apple has released a second public beta of iOS 11.4. Among other things, it includes AirPlay 2 support.</p>

<p>Apple is “significantly” expanding its downtown Seattle engineering center, giving itself enough capacity for potentially close to 500 people across five floors inside one of the city’s tallest skyscrapers, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.geekwire.com/2018/apple-expands-seattle-aims-best-rival-tech-giants-fierce-battle-top-talent/" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>GeekWire</em></a> reports.</p>

<p>Roskomnadzor, Russia’s state telecommunications regulator, has asked Apple and Google to remove the Telegram Messenger tool from their app stores, according to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-telegram-stores/russia-asks-google-and-apple-to-remove-telegram-from-stores-ifax-idUSKBN1HO0ZX" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Reuters</em></a>.</p>

<p>WaterField Designs is bringing back its iconic <a target="_blank" href="https://www.sfbags.com/products/rough-rider-messenger-bag" rel="noopener noreferrer">Rough Rider Leather Messenger.</a> It’s been revamped with a padded laptop compartment, a pass-through to slide over wheeled suitcase handles, and new leather accent colors.</p>

<p>I’m a little dubious this will ever reach fruition, but Apple has filed for a patent (number 9,949,015) that would allow an AirPod case to plug into a wired speaker system — and play music through the speaker via the connection. The invention is dubbed “wireless headset carrying case with wireless transmitter.”</p>

<p>If the iPhone X is a “bomb” as some reports would have you believe, Apple needs more bombs like this. In a note to clients — as noted by <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cnbctv18.com/telecom/iphone-x-pocketed-35-of-total-handset-industry-profits-in-q4-2017-37151.htm" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>CNBC</em></a> — Counterpoint Research says the high-end smartphone captured 35% of the total handset industry profits in the fourth quarter of 2017.</p>

<p>Following Apple’s acquisition of Texture, the company is expected to launch a magazine and news subscription service within a year, according to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-04-17/apple-is-said-to-plan-apple-music-like-news-subscription-service" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Bloomberg</em></a>. </p>

<p>If you deal at all with EPUB (electronic publication documents), <a target="_blank" href="http://www.enolsoft.com/epub-viewer-for-mac.html" rel="noopener noreferrer">EPUB Viewer</a> for macOS (10.6 and later) from Enolsoft is a tool worth checking out — IF you need lots of bells and whistles.</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>Carl Chery, Apple Music’s head of artist curation overseeing hip-hop and R&B programming, is leaving the company for Spotify, reports <a target="_blank" href="http://variety.com/2018/digital/news/apple-music-hip-hop-head-carl-chery-spotify-1202754200/" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Variety</em></a>.</p>

<p>As noted by <a target="_blank" href="https://www.theapplepost.com/samsung-to-begin-iphone-x-plus-display-production-in-may/" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>The Apple Post</em>,</a> Taiwan’s <a target="_blank" href="https://money.udn.com/money/story/5612/3088603" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Economic Daily News</em></a><em> </em>claims Samsung will begin production of new OLED displays for the next gen iPhone X, and the rumored “iPhone X Plus” in May, with plans to double its production in July.</p>

<p>Samsung’s Galaxy S9 and S9+ smartphones (pictured) top <em>Consumer Repor</em>t’s latest <a target="_blank" href="https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/cell-phones-services.htm" rel="noopener noreferrer">smartphone ratings</a>, beating out Apple’s iPhones.</p>