Dennis Sellers

<p>Apple spent $1.86 million in lobbying expenditures in the third quarter of 2017, a 74% increase from $1.07 million from the same period in 2016, according to a new report from <a target="_blank" href="http://www.consumerwatchdog.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">Consumer Watchdog</a>, a nonprofit organization dedicated “to providing an effective voice for taxpayers and consumers in an era when special interests dominate public discourse, government and politics.”</p>

<p>New York City’s transit system is replacing the MetroCard with the ability for passengers to pay with mobile payment systems such as Apple Pay, reports <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/23/nyregion/metrocard-subway-new-york.html?_r=0" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>The New York Times</em></a>.</p>

<p><em><a target="_blank" href="http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20171023PD201.html)" rel="noopener noreferrer">DigiTimes</a> </em>reports that Apple suppliers are preparing the AMD Radeon Pro Vega cards that will power the graphics on the iMac Pro, which is due in December. Buyers will have an option to choose between the Vega 56 or 64, which have 8GB and 16GB of HBM2 memory, respectively, the article adds. </p>

<p>While a survey by the Bernstein broker firm <a target="_blank" href="https://appleworld.dreamhosters.com/blog/2017/10/23/survey-iphone-x-demand-will-be-substantial-but-not-exceptional" rel="noopener noreferrer">has found</a> that demand for the iPhone X will be “substantial, but not exceptional,” another survey — by the UBS investment firm (as noted by <a target="_blank" href="http://appleinsider.com/articles/17/10/23/survey-finds-iphone-x-8-purchase-intent-at-highest-level-since-apple-launched-the-iphone-6" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>AppleInsider</em></a> — finds that the next gen smartphone — as well as the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus — is generating considerable buying buzz, with 69% of North American consumers planning to buy a new iPhone within the next three months.</p>

<p>A <a target="_blank" href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-apple-iphone-survey/iphone-x-demand-will-be-substantial-but-not-exceptional-survey-idUSKBN1CS2ID?feedType=RSS&feedName=technologyNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2FtechnologyNews+%28Reuters+Technology+News%29" rel="noopener noreferrer">survey</a> by the Bernstein broker firm has found that demand for the iPhone X will be “substantial, but not exceptional.” Forty-eight percent of respondents said they are “excited” for the upcoming smartphone.</p>

<p>Purchase data from <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cirpllc.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">Consumer Intelligence Research Partners</a> (CIRP) — as noted by <a target="_blank" href="https://9to5mac.com" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>9to5Ma</em></a>c --  suggests that the iPhone 8 is selling in smaller numbers than the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus,</p>

<p>Will this never end? Judge Lucy Koh of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California has determined that a new <em>Apple v. Samsung</em> trial on design patent damages, which Samsung had been fighting for in courts on both coasts of the U.S. States since the 2012 verdict, is going to happen, reports <em><a target="_blank" href="http://www.fosspatents.com/2017/10/samsung-never-quits-finally-gets-design.html" rel="noopener noreferrer">FOSS Patents</a></em>.</p>

<p>Apple has been granted a patent (number 20170301310) for “displays with improved color accessibility” to aid folks who have trouble distinguishing between different colors on the display of an iOS, watchOS, or macOS device. </p>

<p>Picking up a friend at the airport? You can get the latest flight info in macOS High Sierra. Here’s how:</p>

<p>MacDaddy's Mac Backup Guru for macOS has three main, and very useful, features: 1) It provides a contextual menu to copy and paste a bootable volume in the Finder, 2) It's the only third party disk utility that provides Incremental Snapshots in macOS (as far as I know), and 3) It provides straightforward clone/sync functionality, with security that the sync is reliable.</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>As noted by <a target="_blank" href="http://mashable.com/2017/10/22/iphone-7-256-gb-discontinued/#5Bibc5X.3aqP" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Mashable</em></a>, Apple no longer sells a 256GB iPhone 7, previously the largest capacity, leaving consumers with 32GB and 128GB. If you want a 256GB iPhone, you’ll have to go for the iPhone 8, 8 Plus or iPhone X.</p>

<p>As noted by <a target="_blank" href="http://appleinsider.com/articles/17/10/20/apple-watch-gps-functionality-target-of-latest-uniloc-patent-lawsuit" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>AppleInsider</em></a>, patent troll Unilock is suing Apple (again), claiming the tech giant infringes an exercise monitoring system patent invented by Paragon Solutions. </p>

<p>Alphabet, Google’s parent company, is collaborating with Apple, AT&T, and government agencies including the FCC, FAA, and FEMA, to deliver limited wireless Internet access to Puerto Rico via the company's Project Loon balloons, as announced in a <a target="_blank" href="https://blog.x.company/turning-on-project-loon-in-puerto-rico-f3aa41ad2d7f" rel="noopener noreferrer">blog post</a> by Alistair Westgarth, head of Project Loon.</p>

<p>There’s a lot happening in the world of Apple news this week. Following are the hottest articles for the week of Oct. 16-20.</p>