Dennis Sellers

<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>Apple considered a buyout of Time Warner in late 2015, with Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services raising the idea at a meeting with Time Warner’s head of corporate strategy, Olaf Olafsson, reports <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ft.com/home/us" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Financial Times. </a></p>

<p style="margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px"><a target="_blank" href="http://www.adata.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">ADATA Technology</a>’s PV150 Power Bank provides extra juice to your iPhone or iPad — and looks good doing it thanks to its leather-textured exterior. (The exterior is actually made of plastic, but sports leather textures and stitching.)</p>

<p>If you've ever wanted to be a god, <a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/1Rogf3G" rel="noopener noreferrer">Black and White 2 </a>from Feral Interactive gives you the chance. It's a $19.99 sequel to the real-time strategy sequel for Mac OS X 10.9.5 or higher. It's a fun, addicting game, though not without flaws. </p>

<p>The smart home market holds out the possibility of being a game changer with a world of helpful promises made by Apple’s HomeKit, Nest, Vivint, Philips and others. But bridging the gap in satisfaction between device and continued use through applications has been rough going. </p>

<p style="margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px">Apple will have to sell <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-apple-india-idUSKCN0YG2LW">at least 30% locally sourced goods</a> if it wants to open up retail outlets in India, a senior government official tells <em>Reuters</em>.</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>Not surprisingly, the long-rumored “Apple Car” will most likely be an electric vehicle — or at least a hybrid auto. According to <a target="_blank" href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-apple-charging-idUSKCN0YG262" rel="noopener noreferrer">Reuters</a>, Apple is investigating how to charge electric cars, talking to charging station companies and hiring engineers with expertise in the area, according to “people familiar with the matter and a review of LinkedIn profiles.”</p>

<p>Proving that 99% of all statistics are made up, the Amazon (Kindle), Barnes & Noble (Nook), and Hewlett Packard deliver the best customer experience in the computer and tablet industry, according to the <em>2016 Temkin Experience Ratings</em>, an annual ranking of companies based on a survey of 10,000 U.S. consumers. However, according to the J.D. Power Tablet Satisfaction Study for 2016 Volume 1 concerning the US market, Apple is still topping the charts in tablet satisfaction with the iPad,</p>

<p>There are lots of multiple clipboard apps available for the Mac (and you have to wonder why Apple hasn't built that functionality into Mac OS X). If you're looking for a powerful, customization one that can store images (and more), or one that lets you exclude apps that you don't want to save clippings from, give <a href="http://www.ondesoft.com/clipbuddy_mac/">Ondesoft ClipBuddy a try.</a></p>

<p>Apple has released firmware 7.6.7 for all of its 802.11n AirPort Base Stations. This includes the AirPort Express, AirPort Extreme, and AirPort Time Capsule. </p>

<p>Apple's motion to dismiss a pending class action lawsuit related to the "Error 53" Touch ID issue was countered in a recent court filing that claimed the company's remedial actions, which include an iOS software update and reimbursement efforts, are inadequate, reports <a target="_blank" href="http://appleinsider.com/articles/16/05/24/plaintiffs-try-to-keep-error-53-lawsuit-against-apple-alive-say-reimbursement-not-enough" rel="noopener noreferrer">AppleInside</a>r.</p>

<p>Apple Pay is rolling out in full force in Singapore today with Visa, MasterCard and five major banks on board, reports <a target="_blank" href="http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/five-major-banks-in-singapore-now-work-with-apple-pay" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Straits Times</a>. This makes Singapore the sixth country to get Apple Pay, after the U.S., UK, Canada, Australia and China.</p>

<p>An Apple job listing shows that the company is looking to hire a seasoned attorney with health privacy expertise to take on the role of Privacy Counsel , “suggesting a health and medical systems expansion could be in the works,” reports <a target="_blank" href="http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-hiring-hipaa-specialist-2016-5" rel="noopener noreferrer">Business Insider</a>. </p>

<p>On average, apps will run about 15% slower in the summer, according to research from <a href="http://www.apteligent.com/">Apteligent</a> a mobile app intelligence platform.</p>