Dennis Sellers

<p>Apple has topped Forbes’ <a target="_blank" href="http://www.forbes.com/powerful-brands/list/#tab:rank" rel="noopener noreferrer">list of the most valuable global brands</a> for the sixth straight time. The company has a value of $154.1 billion, 87% more than second-ranked Google.</p>

<p>In a note to clients — as reported by <a target="_blank" href="http://9to5mac.com/2016/05/11/kgi-apple-iphone-7-plus-5-5-inch-dual-camera-3gb-ram/" rel="noopener noreferrer">9to5Mac</a> — KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicts that the next generation 5.5-inch iPhone, likely to be dubbed the iPhone 7 Plus, will have a dual back camera across the whole line. Previously, he thought that only the high end configurations of the iPhone would adopt the new camera technology.</p>

<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.standzout.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">Standzout</a>, a tablet and wearables accessory maker has released the $19.99 Helix Dock for Apple Watch, is now available for order. It’s a compact housing that stores the smartwatch’s charging cable and creates a charging platform for the Apple Watch. </p>

<p>How would you like a Mac with scent technology? I don’t actually expect it to happen, but some companies have looked into aromatherapy and connected media to interlace viewing experiences with interactive scent products. </p>

<p>You secure/encrypt your emails, our chats, and journals (or at least you should). If you need a secure word processing app for your articles and thoughts, <a target="_blank" href="http://createlivelove.com/623/" rel="noopener noreferrer">SecureWords</a> for Mac OS X is worth a look. </p>

<p>MBLM, a “brand intimacy agency focused on strategy, design, creative and technology,” says its <a target="_blank" href="http://mblm.com/apple" rel="noopener noreferrer">one-year study</a> shows that the Apple Watch is polarizing users.</p>

<p>A new report from <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ubs.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">UBS</a> — which provides financial advice and solutions to “wealthy, institutional and corporate clients worldwide, as well as private clients in Switzerland” — says Apple needs to jump into “bot” platform development or its app-based software ecosystem will be threatened.</p>

<p style="margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px">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’s price cut on the Apple Watch in April helped average daily sales rise 250% sequentially, according to new data from <a target="_blank" href="http://intelligence.slice.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">Slice Intelligence</a> — as reported by the <a href="http://finance.yahoo.com/news/price-cut-increased-apple-watch-050735755.html">Market Realist</a>.</p>

<p style="margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px">FileMaker, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Apple, has released <a href="http://www.filemaker.com/r/fm15_pr.html">FileMaker 15</a>. The company says the upgraded platform improves upon the fundamentals of custom app development with new features in five key areas: mobility, automation/integration, ease of use, security and performance. </p>

<p>Apple files for — and is granted — lots of patents by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. Many are for inventions that never see the light of day. However, you never can tell which ones will materialize in a real product, so here are today’s patent highlights: </p>

<p>Worldwide notebook shipments in the first quarter of 2016 arrived at 35.62 million units, according to <a href="http://www.trendforce.com/">TrendForce</a>. What’s more, the global market research firm says Apple saw a 40% quarterly decline in Mac laptop sales.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.ampple.com/">Ampple</a> has introduced <a target="_blank" href="http://igg.me/at/Ampple" rel="noopener noreferrer">an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign</a> for its high-definition sound system for the iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 4 that’s delivered in the form of a portable, protective case. The crowdfunding campaign, which has a funding goal of $50,000, features a limited amount of early bird specials of $95 (over 35% off the expected retail price of $149 for the shipping product.</p>

<p>Voip-Pal.com has announced that they’ve completed legal service on Apple, Verizon, and AT&T in the company’s combined $7 billion patent infringement lawsuits filed in February 2016 in the United States District Court, District of Nevada.</p>

<p>There are higher quality earphones and earbuds you can buy for use with your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. However, Apple's own EarPods are ubiquitous as they come with every iDevice. </p>