Dennis Sellers

<p>Apple has published an <a target="_blank" href="https://www.apple.com/iphone-battery-and-performance/" rel="noopener noreferrer">apology letter</a> to customers in regards to <a target="_blank" href="https://appleworld.dreamhosters.com/blog/2017/12/28/the-korea-communications-commission-wants-apple-to-explain-batterygate" rel="noopener noreferrer">“Batterygate”</a> for slowing down older phones to compensate for erratic battery performance. The letter starts off this way:</p>

<p>Could Apple have plans for an Amazon Prime-like service? A newly filed patent (20170372388) for a “system and method for fresh online experience” hints at this.</p>

<p>Apple has filed for a patent (number 20170374465) for an “audio system with configurable zones,” which involves the upcoming HomePod, as well as possible future, bigger incarnations of the speaker system.</p>

<p>With l<a target="_blank" href="https://appleworld.dreamhosters.com/blog/2017/12/27/eight-more-lawsuits-filed-in-iphone-batterygate-brouhaha" rel="noopener noreferrer">awsuits being filed left and right</a> over “Batterygate,” the equivalent of the FCC in Samsung’s home market of South Korea is now seeking an explanation for the slowing performance of older iPhones.</p>

<p>A year after delivering an unusual pay cut, Apple gave CEO Tim Cook a major boost in compensation for fiscal-year 2017 as the company exceeded annual sales and profit goals, reports <a target="_blank" href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/apple-boosts-pay-of-ceo-tim-cook-other-executives-1514415957" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>The Wall Street Journal</em></a>.</p>

<p>With Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman looking to give the kingdom a high-tech makeover, Apple and Amazon are in licensing discussions with Riyadh on investing in Saudi Arabia, reports <a target="_blank" href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-tech-exclusive/exclusive-apple-and-amazon-in-talks-to-set-up-in-saudi-arabia-sources-idUSKBN1EM0PZ?feedType=RSS&feedName=businessNews" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Reuters</em></a>.</p>

<p>watchOS 4 brings a flashlight feature to the Apple Watch that lights up the smartphone’s face for a (little) bit of extra light. to access the flashlight feature:</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>Similar to last year, 44% of new phone and tablet activations in the week leading up to Christmas were Apple devices, according to <a target="_blank" href="http://flurrymobile.tumblr.com/post/168998333465/apple-wins-2017-smartphone-holiday-season" rel="noopener noreferrer">the Flurry analytics group</a>. </p>

<p>MediaTek has a shot at winning orders for baseband modem chipsets from Apple, which is seeking additional modem chip capacity support after transferring half of its orders to Intel from Qualcomm, reports <a target="_blank" href="http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20171226PD203.html" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>DigiTimes</em></a>, quoting unnamed “industry sources.”</p>

<p>Another day, another lawsuit. Well, lawsuits. Eight more lawsuits have been <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-apple-batteries-lawsuits/apple-faces-lawsuits-after-saying-it-slows-down-aging-iphones-idUSKBN1EL034">filed</a> in various federal courts in the week since Apple opened up about its year-old software change, which slows down the performance of aging iPhones.</p>

<p>With three models of the Apple Watch now available, Speidel, the watch brand known for creating the iconic “Twist-O-Flex” bracelet, has released the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.speidel.com/index.php/watchbands/smart-watch/00139946.html" rel="noopener noreferrer">Twist-O-Flex smartwatch band</a>, which is compatible with any generation and size (38mm and 42mm) of the Apple Watch.</p>

<p>ou can listen to Apple Music on your Apple Watch Series 3 with a Wi-Fi or cellular connection, use any Apple Watch to control the music on your iPhone, and sync playlists to your Apple Watch to enjoy without your iPhone. However, playback controls for media playback are displayed automatically, which you may not prefer.</p>

<p>In 2018 the Computer History Museum will release the Apple Lisa operating system for free, as open source, reports <a target="_blank" href="http://www.businessinsider.com/apples-lisa-operating-system-is-going-open-source-2017-12" rel="noopener noreferrer">Business Insider</a>.</p>

<p>In a note to investors — as noted by <a target="_blank" href="//9to5mac.com/2017/12/26/iphone-x-outperformed-by-8-and-8-plus/" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>9to5Mac</em></a> — Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP) says that, after analyzing the first 30 days of iPhone X sales, the high end smartphone accounted for roughly 30% of total iPhone sales. </p>