Dennis Sellers

<p>There’s a lot happening in the world of Apple news this week. Following are the hottest articles for the week of Dec. 11-15.</p>

<p>Apple has given a straight-to-series order to a space drama from Ronald D. Moore, the developer of the second, acclaimed <em>Battlestar Galactica</em> TV series, reports <a target="_blank" href="http://deadline.com/2017/12/apple-ronald-d-moore-space-drama-series-1202227584/" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Deadline</em></a>. The untitled project hails from Sony Pictures Television and Moore’s studio-based Tall Ship Productions.</p>

<p>The European Union’s Grand Court <a target="_blank" href="https://www.reuters.com/article/eu-apple-usa-taxavoidance/eu-court-rejects-u-s-intervention-in-apples-irish-15-bln-tax-case-idUSL8N1OF4UC?feedType=RSS&feedName=companyNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2FcompanyNews+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Company+News%29" rel="noopener noreferrer">has rejected</a> an U.S. government request to intervene in Apple’s fight against an EU order on back taxes. The Cupertino, California-based company is appealing an order to pay approximately $15.3 billion in back taxes to Ireland due to illegal tax breaks. </p>

<p>India will <a target="_blank" href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-india-tax-imports/india-raises-import-tax-on-cellphones-move-to-hurt-apple-idUSKBN1E911D?feedType=RSS&feedName=technologyNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2FtechnologyNews+%28Reuters+Technology+News%29" rel="noopener noreferrer">raise its import tax</a> on electronics to prioritize goods manufactured in the country. The cell phone tax increase from 10% to 15% could hurt Apple’s struggling market share in the region, notes <a target="_blank" href="#" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Seeking Alpha</em></a>.</p>

<p>Satechi has launched the Aluminum Type-C Clamp Hub, exclusively designed for the new 2017 iMac Pro, iMac Retina 4K and 27-inch 5K models. </p>

<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.synology.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">Synology</a> has announced two new products: the $1,660 FlashStation FS1018 (pictured), the company’s first all-flash desktop NAS, and $299.99 DiskStation DS218, a new addition to the family of NAS designed for homes. Also, Virtual Machine Manager, a new package that allows you to run virtual machines on your Synology NAS, is officially available.</p>

<p>Lucky Clan has launched Artstudio Pro 1.0 for macOS, the successor to their ArtStudio for iOS app. Completely redesigned, it brings new features and improvements, taking full advantage of the latest technologies like Metal, iCloud Drive, and more. </p>

<p>Apple is always looking for more ways to minimize potential damage to iPhones, iPads, and Mac laptops. A new patent filing (number 20170355507) is for “active surface protection for portable electronic devices.”</p>

<p>After purchasing my Apple TV 4K, I began searching for a 4K/HDR television, so I could truly enjoy the set top box’s ability to show movies and shows in 4K HDR quality. I don’t have the moolah for an OLED TV set, so after much research, I settled on Sony’s XBR-X900E-Series 55-inch—Class HDR UHD Smart LED TV.</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>At this summer’s Worldwide Developer Conference, <a target="_blank" href="https://9to5mac.com/2017/06/10/podcasts-in-ios-11-interface-updates-seasons-podcast/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Apple announced</a> the upcoming Podcast Analytics tool. And it’s finally here, at least in beta form.</p>

<p>Apple has released first public betas of iOS 11.2.5 and tvOS 11.2.5. The public betas are available on <a target="_blank" href="https://beta.apple.com/sp/betaprogram/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Apple's Beta Software Program website</a>. Just remember that beta software, so proceed with care.</p>

<p>Amazon is bringing back the Apple TV and Google Chromecast, two video-streaming devices that it removed from its online store two years ago as they compete against its own Fire TV gadgets.</p>

<p>Apple is offering a $5 App Store/iTunes gift card when you use Apple Pay to buy items as select retailers now through Dec. 21. You can find a complete list of participating companies by <a target="_blank" href="https://www.apple.com/apple-pay/holiday/" rel="noopener noreferrer">clicking here.</a></p>

<p>Apple has updated Logic Pro X, its pro audio production software, to version 10.3.3. It optimizes performance for the new iMac Pro — up to 36 cores.</p>