Dennis Sellers

<p>Mac sales for the fiscal 2016 third quarter that ended June 25 were down, but the news wasn’t all bad. Apple sold 4.25 million units during the period, down from from 4.8 million units in the year-ago quarter. However, Mac sales were up 5% from the previous quarter and revenues were up 3% sequentially. </p>

<p>However, though unit sales were down 3% from the previous quarter, revenues were up 10% thanks to the iPad Pro. About half of iPad Pro buyers are purchasing them for work, according to Apple CEO Tim Cook. </p>

<p>When it comes to the iPhone, there’s good news and bad news. Apple sold 40.4 million iPhones during the fiscal 2016 third quarter that ended June 25. Unit sales were down 21% from the previous quarter and 15% down from the year-ago quarter.  </p>

<p>Apple App Store revenue was up 37% to an all-time high in the fiscal 2016 third quarter that ended June 25. Also, the average amount spent per customer was the highest ever measured. Apple expects its services category to be the size of a Fortune 100 company by next year, says CEO Tim Cook.</p>

<p>Apple has <a target="_blank" href="http://seekingalpha.com/news/3196023-apple-buys-carpool-karaoke-cbs-apple-music-distribution?source=email_rt_mc_readmore&uprof=53&dr=1#email_link" rel="noopener noreferrer">reportedly bought</a> the <em>Carpool Karaoke</em> series being spun out of <em>The Late Late Show with James Corden</em> on CBS. No word on what the purchase price was.</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>According to <a target="_blank" href="http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20160726PD205.html" rel="noopener noreferrer">DigiTimes</a>, the second generation Apple Watch will arrive this September or October. Considering that the first generation smartwatch went o sale in September 2014, that timetable sounds about right.</p>

<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.fluentco.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">Fluent</a>, an ad tech company, has released a report on Apple products, which surveyed 2,144 Americans to better understand their views of Apple products—the iPhone in particular. The survey results confirmed the belief that Apple has a strong core business, but also demonstrated that consumers are divided on the extent to which Apple will continue to lead its competitors. According to Fluent:</p>

<p>Sometimes you have to wonder what tech analysts and pundits are thinking. There are two op-ed pieces today suggesting changes to Apple that simply aren’t going to happen. One recommends breaking Apple into separate companies. The other recommends firing Tim Cook.</p>

<p>Apple files for — and is granted — lots of patents by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. Many are for inventions that never see the light of day. However, you never can tell which ones will materialize in a real product, so here are today’s patent highlights: </p>

<p>Six people from New York state have been charged in "an organized criminal enterprise" during which fraudulent transactions allegedly were attempted at an Apple store (pictured) in Deer Park, Illinois, Lake County authorities told the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/lake-county-news-sun/news/ct-lns-lake-county-apple-arrests-0726-20160725-story.html" rel="noopener noreferrer">Chicago Tribune</a>.</p>

<p>If you're a Creative Cloud or Creative Suite user, you should check out Code Line's Art View, a Quick Look enhancement that offers "quick answers to common questions."</p>

<p>A study by Kansas State University says that people who spend more than six hours sitting each day are at higher risk of cancer, heart disease and diabetes. Which means you need to be taking more standing breaks (at least once every 30 minutes) -- and perhaps using "healthier" chairs such as the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.gaiam.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">BalanceBall from Gaiam</a>. <a target="_blank" href="http://tinyurl.com/kepk3eg" rel="noopener noreferrer">The research</a> involved 63,048 middle-aged men but US scientists say the findings are likely to also apply to women.</p>

<p>The data experts at <a href="https://www.specout.com/">SpecOut</a>, a consumer tech research site powered by <a href="https://www.graphiq.com/">Graphic</a>, has <a target="_blank" href="http://blog.chron.com/techblog/2016/07/the-best-laptop-computers-for-college-students-in-2016/)" rel="noopener noreferrer">developed a list </a>of the top laptops for students entering college in 2016. Apple has three of the top 10 entries. </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>