Dennis Sellers

<p>New data from CIRP — as noted by <em><a target="_blank" href="https://9to5mac.com/2018/01/16/iphone-activations-q4-2017/" rel="noopener noreferrer">9to5Mac</a></em> -- indicates that Apple increased its U.S. iPhone activations 10 points in the final quarter of the year, from a 29% share in the September quarter to a 39% share by December, notes the research group.</p>

<p>Apple has been granted a patent (number 9,868,041) for an “integrated media jukebox and physiologic data handling application.” With roots going back to 2006, the patent originally involved syncing an iPod with your Mac. Now it includes more devices, including the Apple Watch and a “foot mounted unit,”and more data than music.</p>

<p>Developers, take note: Apple’s WebKit team has announced Speedometer 2.0. It’s an update of the benchmarking suite designed to allow browser engineers to test their browser engines.</p>

<p>Still more fallout from “Batterygate.” The Shanghai Consumer Council has sent an inquiry letter to Apple over the slow-down of older iPhones after an iOS update, demanding a reply before Friday, according to a <a target="_blank" href="http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-01/16/c_136897717.htm" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Xinhua</em> report</a>.</p>

<p>Want top-of-the-line protection for your iPhone X? You need the $89.99 <a target="_blank" href="http://www.lifeproof.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">LifeProof Fre</a>, which is water proof, dirt proof, snow proof, and shock proof.</p>

<p>If you're an advanced user who’s comfortable with UNIX, you can use single-user mode or verbose mode in macOS High Sierra to help isolate issues related to startup.</p>

<p>A researcher has discovered a strain of malware in the wild that targets macOS users, reports <a target="_blank" href="http://www.zdnet.com/article/mami-malware-targets-mac-os-x-dns-settings/" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>ZDNet</em></a>. The malware, dubbed MaMi, was first spotted by security researcher Patrick Wardle.</p>

<p>Apple has raised concerns about the delay in Ireland’s planning process in correspondence relating to the application for a data center in Athenry, Ireland, according to the <a target="_blank" href="http://connachttribune.ie/documents-reveal-apples-concern-about-athenry-data-centre-delays/" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Connacht Tribune</em></a>. The tech giant has been seeking planning permission for an 850 million euro data center development in Athenry for almost three years.</p>

<p>The iPhone 7 Plus gained 2.8% of all smartphone sales in China, according to Counterpoint Research — as noted by <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/15/apple-iphone-7-plus-second-best-selling-phone-in-china-in-2017.html?__source=twitter%7Cmain" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>CNBC</em></a>. The tech giant was the only foreign brand to have a smartphone model in the top 10 best-selling handsets in China in 2017.</p>

<p>A group of Israelis has filed a request with the Haifa District Court of Israel to file a class-action lawsuit against Apple, Intel, and ARM because of the "Spectre" and "Meltdown" <a target="_blank" href="https://appleworld.dreamhosters.com/blog/2018/1/4/some-ios-tvos-devices-could-be-affected-by-a-chip-bug" rel="noopener noreferrer">processor exploits</a>. The six District Courts in Israel serve both as the appellate courts and also as the court of first instance for some cases (e.g. real estate or IP). </p>

<p>Apple has no plans to make any “major upgrades” to its MacBook Pro lineup in 2018, though the company expects to sell lots of laptops, according to <a target="_blank" href="http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20180115PD209.html" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>DigiTimes</em></a>. </p>

<p>Apple is honoring the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with a full-page tribute <a target="_blank" href="https://www.apple.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer">on its website</a>. There’s a black-and-white picture of the civil rights leader. It also lists one of his many famous quotes: “The time is always right to do what’s right.”</p>

<p>WaterField Designs' <a target="_blank" href="https://www.sfbags.com/products/bolt-briefcase" rel="noopener noreferrer">Bolt Briefcase</a> is designed to meet the evolving needs of tech professionals and business travelers. Such folks carry a range of gadgets, each requiring different degrees of accessibility and protection. </p>

<p>On Jan. 10, it was reported that Apple will hand its China cloud operations over to a state-owned partner Guizhou-Cloud Big Data Industry Co. (GCBD) on Feb. 28. This was only meant to affect customers in mainland China, some users outside of China also received an email telling them their data was affected and being given to GCBD. </p>

<p>Four U.S. House Republicans, including the chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, wrote Apple CEO Tim Cook on Thursday, asking him to answer questions about the company’s disclosure that it slowed older iPhones with flagging batteries, reports <a target="_blank" href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-apple-batteries/house-republicans-want-answers-on-apple-throttling-older-iphone-speeds-letter-idUSKBN1F12OY" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Reuters</em></a>.</p>