Dennis Sellers

<p>Apple will host its 29th annual Worldwide Developers Conference at the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, California, June 4-8. </p>

<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.digitimes.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">DigiTimes Research</a> claims Apple will release its AirPower wireless charger before the end of the month. The Sellers Research Firm (that’s me) thinks the odds are favorable this will happen.</p>

<p>Mobile app data and insights company <a target="_blank" href="https://www.appannie.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer">App Annie</a> and International Data Corporation (<a target="_blank" href="https://www.idc.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer">IDC</a>), a provider of technology market intelligence services, have unveiled a special joint report entitled, "Gaming Spotlight, 2017 Review.” The big news: direct spending on mobile games exceeded the combined spending total on home console, Mac/PC, and handheld console games by more than one third in 2017, up from a single-digit margin by the same measure in 2016. </p>

<p>Apple plans to release an 11-inch iPad Pro with a display at this summer’s Worldwide Developer Conference, according to Taiwan's <a target="_blank" href="https://money.udn.com/money/story/5710/3025097" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Economic Daily News</em></a> — as noted by <a target="_blank" href="http://www.macrumors.com" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>MacRumors</em></a>. This would hint at a replacement for the company’s current 10.5-inch iPad Pro.</p>

<p>Continuing a focus on health related products, such as its HealthKit and Apple Watch, Apple has been granted a patent (number 9,916,474) for a “wellness registry” for receiving and sharing wellness data. </p>

<p>Apple and Alphabet’s Google corporate brands dropped in the annual Harris Poll Reputation Quotient poll while Amazon maintained the top spot for the third consecutive year, as noted by <a target="_blank" href="https://tinyurl.com/y755zgfl" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Reuters</em></a>. The former plummeted from fifth place to 29th position, while the latter fell from eighth place to 28th position. </p>

<p>If you need a solid “mind mapping” app, check out <a target="_blank" href="http://www.mindlyapp.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">Drip Grind’s Mindly 1.6</a> for Mac is a handy companion to its Mindly app for iOS and Android devices. It help keep your “inner universe” organized by giving a structure to your thoughts, ideas, plans and projects.</p>

<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>