Dennis Sellers

<p>Apple CEO Tim Cook says Apple plans to build its first Asia-Pacific research and development center in China, reports <a target="_blank" href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-apple-china-idUSKCN10R14G?il=0" rel="noopener noreferrer">Reuters</a>.</p>

<p>In addition to cutting component quotes for notebooks and smartphones, Apple plans to reduce its costs from servers, according to <a target="_blank" href="http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20160816PD207.html" rel="noopener noreferrer">DigiTimes</a>. The Cupertino, California-based company has been seeking new server suppliers with lower quotes and “expects the move to give its existing server partners pressure on reducing their prices, according to sources from the upstream supply chain,” the article adds.</p>

<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.raynersw.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">Rayner Software</a> has introduced KeyShade 1.0, their new password and information manager for Mac OS X (10.8 or higher) and iOS (8.3 or later). </p>

<p>Apple has been granted a patent (number 9,4176,706) for a “three dimensional user interface session control using depth sensors” that hints at a Mac user interface that utilizes gesture controls in much the same manner its <a target="_blank" href="https://appleworld.dreamhosters.com/blog/2016/8/11/leap-motion-control-is-intriguing-and-fun-but-not-quite-ready-for-prime-time?rq=Leap" rel="noopener noreferrer">Leap Motion’s Leap control device.</a></p>

<p>Nuance Communications has announced its new suite of <a href="http://click.skem1.com/click?c6099-3veazj-12s7mdb5">Dragon professional productivity solutions for Mac OS X and Windows</a> that leverage Nuance Deep Learning technology to deliver upwards of 24% greater accuracy.</p>

<p>Berkshire Hathaway, the multinational conglomerate run by Warren Buffett, disclosed in a regulatory filing on Monday that it had 15.2 million shares of Apple as of the end of June, or just under $1.5 billion worth. As noted by <a target="_blank" href="http://money.cnn.com/2016/08/15/technology/warren-buffett-apple-stake/index.html" rel="noopener noreferrer">CNN Money</a>, that that marks a 55% increase from the 9.8 million shares Berkshire had in the first quarter.</p>

<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.vava.com/voom20_bluetooth_portable_speaker.html" rel="noopener noreferrer">VAVA’s Voom 20</a> is a handsome, durable, portable speaker with good audio quality. At $79.99, it’s a value buy, as it has excellent battery life (about 10 hours on a full charge of the 5200mAh lithium-ion battery) and a certain degree of ruggedness thanks to its IPX5 splash-proof rating and rubberized body. </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>Bart Nabbe, a vehicle navigations specialist, has left Apple's "Special Projects" division, and is now working at electric car company Faraday Future as the director of strategy partnerships, reports <a target="_blank" href="http://appleinsider.com/articles/16/08/15/apple-computer-navigation-engineer-departs-for-mysterious-automaker-faraday-future" rel="noopener noreferrer">AppleInsider.</a></p>

<p>The latest market forecast from the Canalys (<a href="http://www.canalys.com">www.canalys.com</a>) research group shows worldwide smart phone shipments will reach just over 1.4 billion units in 2016 – a 5% year-on-year increase.</p>

<p>Apple is deeply invested in artificial intelligence and augmented reality when it comes to future products CEO Tim Cook <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/classic-apps/stepping-out-of-steve-jobss-shadow-tim-cook-champions-the-promise-of-apple/2016/08/12/fadb6c26-59cd-11e6-831d-0324760ca856_story.html">told the</a> Washington Post. That’s a good plan because, according to the new <a href="http://www.idc.com/tracker/showproductinfo.jsp?prod_id=1381"><em>Worldwide Semiannual Augmented and Virtual Reality Spending Guide</em></a> from the International Data Corporation (<a href="http://www.idc.com/">IDC</a>), worldwide revenues for the augmented reality and virtual reality (AR/VR) market will grow from $5.2 billion in 2016 to more than $162 billion in 2020. </p>

<p>There have been rumors of an iMac with Retina 8K display. It’s coming, but don’t look for it until 2020. Japan wants to broadcast the 2020 Olympics in 8K, and the industry is likely to use this as an opportunity to drive sales of 8K smart TVs. That would prove a good time to introduce an 8K iMac.</p>

<p>In a note to clients — as reported by <a target="_blank" href="http://www.macrumors.com/2016/08/15/kuo-10-5-ipad-pro-2017/" rel="noopener noreferrer">MacRumors</a> — KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicts that Apple will release three iPad Pro models in 2017 (including a 10.5-inch version) and a “revolutionary” tablet in 2018.</p>

<p>Apple CEO Tim Cook has struck back at critics of the company's strategy to avoid paying U.S. taxes, saying he would not bring that money back from abroad unless there was a "fair rate."</p>

<p><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/15/technology/with-nfl-deal-twitter-live-streams-its-ambitions.html"><em>The New York Times</em> reports</a> that Twitter is in discussions with Apple to launch a Twitter app for the Apple TV that would let Twitter's users watch the NFL games on Apple's set-top box. </p>