Dennis Sellers

<p>UK Chancellor Philip Hammond has announced a Treasury crackdown on big tech firms which use complex, offshore tax structures to minimize their UK tax bill. He said the government would tax British royalties held in offshore accounts starting next year.</p>

<p>In a note to clients — as noted by <a target="_blank" href="https://www.macrumors.com/2017/11/21/2018-iphones-upgraded-antenna-design/" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>MacRumors</em></a> — KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says 2018 iPhones will feature upgraded liquid crystal polymer (LCP) antenna modules that will result in faster LTE transmission speeds. His note says:</p>

<p>Apple has posted research on how self-driving cars can <a target="_blank" href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-apple-autos/apple-scientists-disclose-self-driving-car-research-idUSKBN1DM08H" rel="noopener noreferrer">better</a> spot objects while using fewer sensors. It appears to be the company's first publicly disclosed paper on autonomous vehicles</p>

<p>Apple will launch a cheaper smartphone — a second generation iPhone SE — in the first half of 2018, according to the Chinese publication, <em>Economic Daily News, </em>as noted by <a target="_blank" href="https://seekingalpha.com/news/3314092-apple-release-lower-cost-iphone-se-2-1h18?uprof=53&dr=1#email_link" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Seeking Alpha</em><em>.</em></a></p>

<p>Apple has been granted a patent (number 9,826,301) for an AirPod case with an inductive charging system that includes a rechargeable battery and a first and a second charging system. It involves Apple’s upcoming AirPower wireless charging mat that’s due in 2018.</p>

<p>Apple’s $149.99 <a target="_blank" href="https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MQG12ZM/A/leather-sleeve-for-12%E2%80%91inch-macbook-saddle-brown" rel="noopener noreferrer">leather sleeve for MacBook</a> is, as far as I can tell, the first case the tech giant has ever released for one of its laptops. And it’s as classy, and pricey, as you’d expect. </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>Apple has <a target="_blank" href="https://techcrunch.com/2017/11/21/apple-acquires-mixed-reality-headset-startup-vrvana-for-30m/" rel="noopener noreferrer">acquired a Montreal start-up</a> along its reported route toward building an augmented reality headset. The tech giant bought <a target="_blank" href="https://vrvana.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">Vrvana</a>, makers of a headset called Totem (pictured), for around $30 million, <em>TechCrunch</em> reports.</p>

<p>Ireland is closer to collecting €15B (about $15 billion) in Apple taxes following European Commission criticism that the country was dragging its feet.</p>

<p>Apple has been granted a patent (number 9,824,719) for an automatic recording and authoring tool. It involves GarageBand for macOS and iOS and Logic Pro X for macOS.</p>

<p>Apple expects to ship 4M HomePods next year, according to a<em> </em><a target="_blank" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-11-21/why-apple-s-homepod-is-three-years-behind-amazon-s-echo" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Bloomberg</em></a> report. Last week Apple said the smart speaker launch will now happen in “early 2018” instead of in December, as expected. <em>Buzzfeed</em>’s John Paczkowski <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/JohnPaczkowski/status/931556183806132224?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2F9to5mac.com%2F2017%2F11%2F17%2Fhomepad-delay%2F" rel="noopener noreferrer">tweets</a> the full statement from the tech giant: </p>

<p>Apple, Samsung Electronics and Amazon will be the top three tablet vendors worldwide in 2017, while Huawei will move to fourth place, surpassing Lenovo thanks to a strategy to push product differentiation, according to <a target="_blank" href="http://www.digitimes.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">DigiTimes Research. </a></p>

<p>The <em><a target="_blank" href="https://www.ft.com/content/7cb56786-cda1-11e7-b781-794ce08b24dc" rel="noopener noreferrer">Financial Times</a></em> reports that supplier Foxconn illegally employed and overworked students due to the production delays with the iPhone X.  Six of the students told the publication that they regularly work 11-hour days at a factory in Zhengzhou.</p>

<p>Apple has pulled Microsoft’s Skype from its China App Store. Regarding the matter, the tech giant tells<em> </em><a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/21/business/skype-app-china.html?_r=1" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>The New York Times</em></a>: </p>

<p>Along with the iPhone X, Apple released the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MQRW2/iphone-x-leather-folio-cosmos-blue?fnode=42" rel="noopener noreferrer">iPhone X Leather Folio</a>. It’s as gorgeous as you’d expect, but, with a price tag of $99, it’s hard to recommend it over <a target="_blank" href="https://appleworld.dreamhosters.com/blog/2017/11/16/nomads-leather-cases-for-the-iphone-x-offer-something-for-everyone?rq=Leather%20Folio" rel="noopener noreferrer">similar leather cases</a> from companies such as Nomad.</p>