Dennis Sellers

<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>

<p>The overall wearables market is expected to grow from 113.2 million shipments in 2017 to 222.3 million in 2021 with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 18.4%, according to the International Data Corporation (IDC) <a target="_blank" href="http://www.idc.com/tracker/showproductinfo.jsp?prod_id=962" rel="noopener noreferrer">Worldwide Quarterly Wearable Device Tracker</a>. And smart watches, led primarily by the Apple Watch, are expected to ship 71.5 million units by 2021, up from 31.6 million in 2017. </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.</p>

<p>The ONOTONE concrete series for iPhone and MacBook is here, and it’s handmade with real cement.</p>

<p>Feral Interactive has announced that Life Is Strange: Complete Season, the complete first season of the episodic adventure game, is <a target="_blank" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/life-is-strange/id1090369664?mt=12" rel="noopener noreferrer">out now on the Mac App Store</a> for $17.99. It requires macOS 10.11 or higher.</p>

<p>I love my AirPods, but, darn it, they’re constantly hiding from me. Thank goodness I ran across the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.amazon.com/AirPods-Lunies-Anti-lost-Protective-Charging/dp/B06XCZYH3Q?tag=imoreb-20&ascsubtag=UUimUdUnU42313YYwYg" rel="noopener noreferrer">Lunies</a>. The $11 accessory protects the wireless earpods and their case, and cuts down on the chance of your losing them.</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>Another day, another lawsuit. Apple is being sued for its App Store logo by a Chinese clothing brand called Kon that has a similar logo, according to <a target="_blank" href="https://phoneradar.com/apple-sued-chinese-company-copying-app-store-icon-design-asked-apologize/" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Phone Radar</em></a> — as noted by <em><a target="_blank" href="https://www.theverge.com/2017/12/19/16795334/kon-apple-lawsuit-app-store-logo-sex-pistols" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Verg</a>e</em>.</p>

<p>If you’re thinking about signing up for the Moviepass subscription service, you should proceed with caution. My experience says that you could lose your money and that their customer service is horrible.</p>

<p>Perhaps some <em>AWT</em> readers can help me figure this out: Apple has been granted a patent (D805311) for the “ornamental design for a chair.” But as you can see from the graphic, it’s not like any chair I’ve ever seen.</p>

<p>Face ID is one of the big selling features of the iPhone X. And it may be coming to Macs and iPads if  a newly granted Apple patent (number 9,846473) ever becomes reality.</p>

<p>In a note to clients — as noted by <a target="_blank" href="http://appleinsider.com/articles/17/12/19/new-apple-airpods-with-smaller-components-could-launch-in-late-2018" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>AppleInsider</em></a> — KGI Securities analysts Ming-Chi Kuo predicts that Apple will launch new AirPods with smaller components late next year.</p>

<p>Sanjay Kaul (pictured), the head of Apple India, is quitting at a time when the tech giant reported its slowest pace of growth in India in over five years for the fiscal year that ended March 2017, reports <a target="_blank" href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/hardware/apples-india-sanjay-kaul-head-quits-amid-companys-slowest-growth-in-5-years/articleshow/62126513.cms" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>The Economic Times</em></a>.</p>

<p>Spectrasonics's $499 <a target="_blank" href="http://www.Spectrasonics.net" rel="noopener noreferrer">Omnisphere</a> is a useful flagship synthesizer for macOS 10.8 or higher. The latest version (2.1) packs a streamlined Sharing feature for sharing user sounds and a new Library Publishing capability.</p>