Dennis Sellers

<p>The Total War series has always been one of my favorites, starting with Rome: Total War way back in 2004 (where have the past 12 years gone??). Like many Apple loyalists, my patience deserted me and I played the series first through Boot Camp, and then Parallels. </p>

<p>Swiss watchmaker Swatch has successfully opposed Apple's registration of the trademark "iWatch" in the UK. The UK's Intellectual Property Office (IPO) upheld Swatch's oppositionSwatch Group AG took action against Apple for registering the "iWatch" as a trademark in 2014, according to the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-37350870" rel="noopener noreferrer">BBC News</a>. </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>VMWare has launched VMFusion 8.5 and VMFusion 8.5 Pro, and there’s a <a target="_blank" href="http://tinyurl.com/zoja2oa" rel="noopener noreferrer">two-day sale underway </a>that let’s you save 15% or more.</p>

<p>Apple is trading up 8% since last Friday and is realizing the highest share price levels it's seen in five months. While the company's <a href="http://seekingalpha.com/news/3206153-tim-cook-berates-european-commission-message-european-community">Irish tax complications</a> took focus at the end of August, favorable <a href="http://seekingalpha.com/news/3208435-apple-plus-3-percent-carrier-iphone-7-pre-orders-encouraging">iPhone 7 demand</a> along with the release of Apple Watch Series 2 and other developments disclosed at the company's event last week have left the matter sidelined as investors look toward the future.</p>

<p>Apple CEO Tim Cook discussed augmented reality/virtual reality technologies this morning during an <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/exclusive-apple-ceo-tim-cook-prefers-augmented-reality/story?id=42064913">ABC News interview</a>. He said that, in his opinion, augmented reality (AR) is the larger of the two, “probably by far, because this gives the capability for both of us to sit and be very present talking to each other, but also have other things visually for both of us to see.”</p>

<p>More than 200,000 websites -- including small and large retailers -- plan to support Apple Pay on their sites in coming weeks, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.computerworld.com/article/3119735/mobile-payments/apple-pay-coming-to-200-000-plus-websites-not-just-in-store-or-in-app.html)" rel="noopener noreferrer">reports Computerworld</a>. Many of the sites include online retailers using e-commerce platforms run by Shopify, Demandware and IBM.</p>

<p>Twitter has launched a new, free Twitter app that will allow owners of an Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV or Xbox One to “consume the best of Twitter.” </p>

<p>Apple has added more stock to the online reservation program for its Apple Upgrade Program members, and return calls promised by Apple customer care to resolve ordering issues have started, reports <a href="http://appleinsider.com/articles/16/09/14/iphone-upgrade-program-members-have-stock-available-apple-support-call-backs-ongoing">AppleInsider</a>.</p>

<p>India’s government recently invited Apple, Google, Microsoft and Samsung to discuss embedding government-funded biometric technology into products sold within the country as part of an effort to register and authenticate its citizens, but Apple declined to attend, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-09-13/india-wants-apple-and-google-phones-to-use-government-encryption" rel="noopener noreferrer">reports Bloomberg</a>.</p>

<p>Last week it was announced that that real-time collaboration is being added in all iWork apps: Pages, Numbers, and Keynote. Apple has updated its iOS versions of the apps, accordingly.</p>

<p>Apple is preparing to reopen three retail stores on Friday after months of renovations, reports <a target="_blank" href="http://appleinsider.com/articles/16/09/13/apple-to-reopen-three-us-retail-outlets-in-tandem-with-iphone-7-launch" rel="noopener noreferrer">AppleInsider.</a></p>

<p style="margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px">Earlier this year, Apple quietly announced a new open sourced platform – called “CareKit” - that helps app developers build software focused around healthcare and patient data. The move provides Apple with the first point of contact to connect patients, doctors and caregivers using technology.</p>

<p>If you need to find out why your home or office network is running slower than it should -- or if you're just interested to see how fast it does run -- check out Speedy Net.</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>