Dennis Sellers

<p>Apple tells <a target="_blank" href="https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/apple-homepod/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=social-promo#homepods-flaws-but-not-dealbreakers-homepod-vs-echo-vs-google-home-max-vs-sonos-one" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Wirecutter</em></a> that the HomePod’s base can indeed leave residue on certain wood countertops, as reviewers and owners (such as <a target="_blank" href="https://www.pocket-lint.com/smart-home/reviews/apple/141256-apple-homepod-review-the-smart-sounding-speaker-that-s-just-not-smart-enough" rel="noopener noreferrer">Pocket-lint</a>, and <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/Guyinsf415/status/962459450123538433" rel="noopener noreferrer">folks on Twitter</a>) have noticed.</p>

<p>Boy, the analysts have been busy today. In a note to clients — as noted by <a target="_blank" href="http://appleinsider.com/articles/18/02/14/rear-facing-3d-sensing-technology-possibly-slated-for-fall-2019-iphone-allowing-apple-to-press-ar-advantage" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>AppleInsider</em></a> — Barclays in London, says Apple and its partners are "working hard on a world-facing solution" capable of scanning surroundings in 3D, similar to what the TrueDepth system does for a user's face. </p>

<p>When news publishers have a big story these days,” their editors jump on Slack and pitch it to an unlikely partner: Apple,” according to <em><a target="_blank" href="https://www.theinformation.com/articles/inside-apples-courtship-of-news-publishers?eu=wcmbcKs53B8XCywfGsylsw" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Information</a>.</em> The tech giant has built a “small but powerful news team that is making Apple a key distribution outlet for news publishers,” the article adds. </p>

<p>In a note to clients — as noted by <a target="_blank" href="http://www.macrumors.com" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>MacRumors</em></a> — Barclays analysts Andrew Gardiner, Hiral Patel, Joseph Wolf, and Blayne Curtis said Apple will launch three new iPhone models this year with a second-generation TrueDepth camera system, which will potentially be reduced in size.</p>

<p><a target="_blank" href="https://spiceworks.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Spiceworks</a> has announced the results of a new survey that examines how businesses are securing their data and devices on corporate and public Wi-Fi networks. It revealed the perceived Wi-Fi risks associated with traditional computing devices is much lower, particularly among Apple products. </p>

<p>Jamf has released<strong> </strong><a target="_blank" href="https://www.jamf.com/products/jamf-pro/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Jamf Pro 10.2</a>, its enterprise mobility management (EMM) solution for Apple devices, which expands on the patch management framework by adding support for external patch sources. </p>

<p>In a note to clients — as noted by <a target="_blank" href="http://appleinsider.com/articles/18/02/14/apple-expected-to-ship-100m-61-lcd-iphone-units-priced-at-700-800-in-late-2018" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>AppleInsider</em></a> — KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicts that Apple will ship 100 million iPhones in the second half of 2018.</p>

<p>Apple is in talks with China-backed Yangtze Memory Technologies to buy NAND flash chips, reports the <em>Nikkei Asian Review</em> (<a href="https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Companies/Apple-in-talks-for-first-order-from-a-Chinese-chipmaker">https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Companies/Apple-in-talks-for-first-order-from-a-Chinese-chipmaker</a>) It would be Apple's first-ever purchase from a Chinese memory chipmaker.</p>

<p>Quit teasing us, Apple! The tech giant has been granted another patent (number 9,894,505) involving a home server (you can read about <a target="_blank" href="https://appleworld.dreamhosters.com/blog/2017/5/26/new-patent-filing-hints-at-an-apple-home-servernas-device?rq=NAS" rel="noopener noreferrer">another one here</a>. This one is dubbed “networked media station.”</p>

<p>Brother Mobile Solutions’ <a target="_blank" href="https://www.brothermobilesolutions.com/products/mobile-printers/pocketjet/" rel="noopener noreferrer">PocketJet 7 mobile printer line</a> offers full-page mobile printing solutions with an Freedom Architecture that ensures across-the-board software compatibility, resulting in “instantaneous interoperability” with smartphones, tablets and PCs built on macOS, iOS, Android, and Windows.</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>Over The Moon has launched its sequel The Fall Part 2: Unbound on Mac, PlayStation4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC, and Linux platforms. It’s the sequel to the award-winning original game (not surprisingly called The Fall) the second chapter in a planned trilogy.</p>

<p>Apple is developing a drama series dubbed <em>Swagger </em>that’s based on the early life and career of NBA superstar Kevin Durant, reports <a target="_blank" href="http://variety.com/2018/tv/news/kevin-durant-series-apple-1202696067/" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Variety</em></a>.</p>

<p>At its annual meeting (held today), two Apple shareholder proposals <a target="_blank" href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-apple-shareholders/apple-shareholders-defeat-two-proposals-at-annual-meeting-idUSKCN1FX2GA" rel="noopener noreferrer">weren't approved</a>. Also, CEO Tim Cook downplayed a suggestion that the company might issue a special dividend to shareholders with some of the $285 billion in cash that the company is now able to bring back from overseas.</p>

<p>In a competitive study of smart home voice control platforms, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.abiresearch.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">ABI Research</a> finds that Alexa currently leads the market. This is due mostly to the market deployment footprint and scale it enjoys. However, Amazon faces well positioned and strengthening challenges to its dominance, especially in multi-language support, according to the research group.</p>