Dennis Sellers

<p>Apple is working on at least three updated Mac models with custom, company-built co-processors for release as soon as this year, including updated laptops and a new desktop, according to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2018-apple-custom-chips/?utm_content=tech&utm_campaign=socialflow-organic&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&cmpid%3D=socialflow-twitter-tech" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Bloomberg</em>,</a> quoting an unnamed “person familiar with the plan.”</p>

<p>Apple will halve its iPhone X production target to 20 million units for the first quarter of calendar year 2018, according to <a target="_blank" href="https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Companies/Apple-to-halve-iPhone-X-production-volume-in-1Q?page=1" rel="noopener noreferrer">Nikkei Asian Review</a> sources.. The drop reportedly follows lower-than-expected holiday sales for the premium iPhone. </p>

<p>Chronos' Business Card Shop for macOS (10.11 or later) makes it easy to design business cards. And the latest version (8) adds enhanced color capabilities.</p>

<p>A few years ago Apple started iBeacon activations at many of its U.S. Apple retail stores. However, I'm looking forward to seeing it used in the home.</p>

<p>You can take the notes that you’ve created in other apps, and import them into the Notes app in macOS High Sierra. </p>

<p>Streaming services like Apple Music will have to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/news/record-labels/8096592/copyright-royalty-board-raises-payout-rate-from-music" rel="noopener noreferrer">pay more to songwriters and publishers</a>, according to the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA). All the details for other rates from the Copyright Royalty Board (CRB), like the per song mechanical on CDs and downloads, haven’t yet been disclosed.</p>

<p>There’s a lot happening in the world of Apple news this week. Following are the hottest articles for the week of Jan. 22-27.</p>

<p><a href="http://deadline.com/tag/dana-tuinier/">Dana Tuinier</a> has been hired as creative executive, comedy, for Apple’s Worldwide Video unit, reporting to head of development Matt Cherniss, reports <a target="_blank" href="http://deadline.com/2018/01/dana-tuinier-apple-creative-executive-comedy-worldwide-video-division-1202270669/" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Deadline</em></a>.</p>

<p>Apple Garosugil opened in Seoul this morning to thousands of customers who braved sub-freezing temperatures to be among the first to visit Apple’s premiere location in South Korea.</p>

<p>Apple has overtaken Xiaomi to take fourth place in the Chinese smartphone market, pushing the privately owned Chinese electronics company back to fifth with 13 million units. This comes even as the country’s smartphone market suffers its first-ever decline as shipments fall 4% in 2017.</p>

<p>One year after construction on the first phase of Apple Park was originally scheduled to be finished, the city of Cupertino, California has granted Apple a series of temporary occupancy permits that allow employees to move into parts of the main building of the “spaceship” campus, reports <a target="_blank" href="https://venturebeat.com/2018/01/26/apple-finally-gets-cupertinos-permission-to-occupy-parts-of-apple-park-spaceship-building/" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>VentureBeat</em>.</a></p>

<p>Apple has updated its Clips app for iOS devices to version 2.0.2. The upgrade provides a new Apple-designed label and poster for the Chinese New Year.</p>

<p>Apple has started taking preorders for the HomePod. The $349 wireless speaker will ship to users in two weeks, on Friday, Feb. 9.</p>

<p>Google is reportedly planning the biggest satellite launch ever along with SpaceX (which is backed by Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk) to provide faster Internet connections to more people around the world, note. Should Apple consider something like this?</p>

<p>Admit it; you suffer from cable clutter. I know I do. Even though I have a 27-inch iMac with lots of internal storage and decent speakers, I have connections to: external speakers, an external hard drive, an iPad, and an iPhone. And, of course, a surge protector to protect all these gadgets.</p>