Dennis Sellers

<p>Future iPad Smart Cases from Apple may have a power connector between the case and the tablet and to provide illuminated notifications. Apple has been granted a patent (number 9,104,371) by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office for an "integrated visual notification system in an accessory device."</p>

<p>We may yet see Apple products make of an alloy from Liquidmetal as evidenced by two newly published patents. Liquidmetal is the commercial name for a series of amorphous metal alloys. It's the brand name as opposed to the actual name of the material.</p>

<p>Recently, my brother was greeted by an irritating pop-up ad on his Mac. I guided him through the steps to removing it, so I'll repeat them here.</p>

<p>The TV/computer screen buzz lately is about Ultra High Def/4K displays. However, when considering new monitors (and, hey Apple, where's our 5K Thunderbolt Display?) and upcoming iMacs, perhaps Apple should think about pixel quality as well as pixel quantity.</p>

<p>Congratulations, Apple, you've held onto your tittle as the most sued U.S. company. However, you'd better watch out: Samsung is catching up quickly.</p>

<p style="margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px">Recently I noted that, for whatever reason, Messages on my Mac quit offering the option to send folks messages in any format but its native iMessage format. Since some of my friends, relatives and business associates are still heathens and don't have Macs or iPhones, I had to rejigger things so I could send simple text messages. </p><p>If you're facing the same problem, here's how you send SMS texts from OS X Messages (You'll need both your Mac and iPhone handy):</p>

<p>The UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has decided that ripping a CD in iTunes is no longer permitted, and neither is backing up your computer if it contains copyrighted content, notes <a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/1M7zWeA" rel="noopener noreferrer">TorrentFreak</a>. That's not right.</p>

<p style="margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px">According to the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.canalys.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">Canalys research group</a>, Lenovo took the top spot from Apple in the personal computer market (PCs) in the second quarter of 2015. Unlike most research groups, Canalys lists tablets such as the iPad in its tally of personal computers.</p>

<p>Adobe's Flash — a multimedia system for computers that is generally accessed through a web browser — has been slowly dying on the Mac vine for awhile. Perhaps it's time to remove it completely. </p>

<p>The <a target="_blank" href="http://www.blu-raydisc.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA)</a>  has completed an Ultra HD Blu-ray technical specification that will lead to the release of players and discs that support the new format. It will be begin licensing the format starting Aug. 24. However, don't expect any support from Apple.</p>

<p style="margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px">Analysts often Apple stock, often implying that the company is "doomed" if it doesn't enter a new market such as making televisions (the long-rumored "iTV") or automobiles (the currently rumored "Apple Car'). They ignore one of the reasons Apple has been successful: it does a few things well.</p>

<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.ibm.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">IBM</a> has announced new cloud-based IT services to help clients "quickly, easily and securely" integrate Macs with their enterprise systems and applications. It's the latest development in the (relatively) new love fest between IBM and Apple. </p>

<p>For months, I've been using my iPhone 6 Plus with no problems. Recently, however, it began randomly freezing on me. If you've experiencing the same thing, or other problems, try the following solutions in order — AFTER you've backed up your iPhone data to your iCloud or iTunes.</p>

<p>Google Maps for Android devices recently added the ability to edit the names of locations on the map, save them to your personal Google account and search for them the next time you’re out and about. This is something that Apple's Maps should have already featured.</p>

<p>Citing "sources close to Apple," <a target="_blank" href="http://read.bi/1MHu2BB" rel="noopener noreferrer">Business Insider</a> reports that Apple is privately testing a U.S. mobile phone service, and is also in talks with European carriers to offer something similar. Back in 2011, Apple filed a patent regarding such a move.</p>