Dennis Sellers

<p>Apple is working on an Apple Watch with an EKG heart monitor, to help detect arrhythmia and stroke risks, reports <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-12-21/apple-is-said-to-develop-ekg-heart-monitor-for-future-watch" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Bloomberg</em></a>.</p>

<p>In a note to clients — as noted by <a target="_blank" href="http://appleinsider.com/articles/17/12/21/apple-said-to-be-working-on-new-large-capacity-battery-technology-for-2019-iphones" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>AppleInsider</em></a> — KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says that Apple is working on large-capacity battery technology for its smartphones.</p>

<p>Let the Apple Car rumors recommence. Apple has filed for a patent (number 20170353430) for an “autonomous navigation system,” which will doubtless review rumors of an Apple-branded vehicle (something I’m dubious about; more on that in a moment).</p>

<p>Forgot these puny 27-inch displays on an iMac and iMac Pro. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cnet.com/news/lg-rolls-out-its-first-nano-ips-based-monitors-at-ces-2018/" rel="noopener noreferrer">LG has announced</a> the upcoming 34WK95U (pictured), a 34-inch, 5K (5,120x2,160), HDR 600, Nano IPS display with a 21:9 aspect ratio. </p>

<p>Apple is now shipping the iMac Pro to folks who’ve ordered one. Sadly, deliveries from China aren’t expected to arrive before Christmas, notes <em><a target="_blank" href="http://appleinsider.com/articles/17/12/21/apple-begins-shipping-first-imac-pro-orders" rel="noopener noreferrer">AppleInside</a>r</em>.</p>

<p>Australia’s first ever Apple Global Flagship Store will open at Federation Square (pictured) in Melbourne, delivering more public space, visitors and events to Victoria, and creating hundreds of local jobs. However, not everyone is happy about it.</p>

<p>Apple is amending the App Store guideline that banned apps created using templates and other app generation services. When the company revised its policies earlier this year, the move was meant to reduce the number of low-quality apps and spam. </p>

<p>If you want better audio than most HDTVs speakers, and don’t have the room for a surround sound system, check out the Sony HT-XT2 2.1 Channel Sound system. It works great with the Sony XBR-X900E, which is the TV <a target="_blank" href="https://appleworld.dreamhosters.com/blog/2017/12/15/sonys-xbr-x900e-series-tv-is-a-great-companion-for-the-apple-tv-4k" rel="noopener noreferrer">I recommend</a> for owners of the Apple TV 4K. </p>

<p>If you install the Mac operating system on an external hard drive, thumb drive, or other storage device, your Mac can start up from that device instead of your built-in startup disk. First, make sure that your storage device is properly formatted.</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<a target="_blank" href="http://appleinsider.com/articles/17/12/20/apple-responds-to-reports-of-worn-battery-forcing-iphone-cpu-slowdown" rel="noopener noreferrer"> has responded</a> to claims that it purposefully slows down older iPhone models to promote sales. The company says that the slowdown is actually due to worn batteries, which are more likely to exist in older phones. In a statement to <em>AppleInsider,</em> the company said:</p>

<p>Yikes! Not only are <a target="_blank" href="https://appleworld.dreamhosters.com/blog/2017/12/18/next-official-date-for-airpods-availability-jan-5" rel="noopener noreferrer">Apple’s AirPods again in short supply</a>, but, as noted by <a target="_blank" href="http://appleinsider.com/articles/17/12/20/apple-tv-4k-sells-out-at-amazon-hours-after-launching" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>AppleInsider</em>,</a> the Apple TV 4K has already sold out at Amazon only hours after it began selling the set-top box.</p>

<p>Apple plans to allow developers to release universal apps that work across the macOS and iOS as early as next year as part of the company’s “Marzipan” project, according to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-12-20/apple-is-said-to-have-plan-to-combine-iphone-ipad-and-mac-apps" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Bloomberg News</em></a>. The apps will work with a touchscreen or mouse and trackpad depending on whether it’s running on the iPhone and iPad operating system or on a Mac, the article adds, quoting unnamed “people familiar with the matter.”</p>

<p>Several banks on the Polish market have been technically prepared to introduce Apple Pay for a long time now. Now the mobile payment service may be coming to the country soon, according to a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cashless.pl/in-english/3540-apple-pay-will-finally-arrive-in-poland-five-banks-including-alior-bz-wbk-and-mbank-are-in-negotiations" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Cashless</em> article</a>.</p>

<p>Analyzing early adopter reviews of Apple's iPhone X from major online retailers, a new report from the Consumer Sentiment Analysis (CSA) service at<a target="_blank" href="http://www.strategyanalytics.com" rel="noopener noreferrer"> Strategy Analytics</a> has found that its camera is the major driver among positive ratings and in particular, the front facing camera which allows Apple's new security feature, Face ID, is a key market differentiator.</p>