Dennis Sellers

<p>Future Apple Watches might use your heart rate to identify you as its owner. Apple has applied for a patent (number 20160296142) for an “user identification system based on plethysmography.” Plethysmography is used to measure changes in volume in different parts of the body.</p>

<p>Vivid graphics and realistic gameplay make GRID 2 Reloaded Edition for the Mac a racing game you should definitely take for a spin. Much of its appeal is due to the TrueFeel handling system that emphasizes each car’s unique features such as torque and weight distribution. With it you can adjust your driving style to each auto when you slip behind the wheel. </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>Apple Pay is now available in New Zealand for ANZ customers with an iPhone, reports <a target="_blank" href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/digital-living/85198840/Apple-Pay-arrives-in-New-Zealand" rel="noopener noreferrer">Stuff</a>. ANZ is the only bank in New Zealand that accepts it and it works both with their Visa and debit cards.</p>

<p>In a note to clients — as noted by <a target="_blank" href="http://appleinsider.com/articles/16/10/12/apples-iphone-7-predicted-to-spur-8-growth-2017-redesign-seen-causing-16-sales-spike" rel="noopener noreferrer">AppleInsider</a> — UBS analyst Steven Milunovich says he expects the iPhone 7 series will spur 8% unit growth in fiscal year 2017 — a number he said is close to current Wall Street consensus.</p>

<p>This should be good news for Apple's iBookstore (and perhaps the iPad): over the next two years, ebooks are set to surpass print in the U.S.</p>

<p>Global smartphone shipments are expected to grow 7.2% on year to 1.42 billion in 2016 and another 7% to 1.52 billion units in 2017, according to the latest estimate by <a target="_blank" href="http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20161012PD200.html?chid=2" rel="noopener noreferrer">Digitimes Research</a>. Apple will be the sole non-Asia brand among the top-20 smartphone brands in 2017, while all the remaining 19 vendors will come from Asia, including 11 from China, the report says.</p>

<p>Apple <a target="_blank" href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-apple-shenzhen-idUSKCN12C0BZ" rel="noopener noreferrer">has announced plans</a> to open a research and development center in the southern city of Shenzhen, China, in 2017. This follows a similar plan for a center in Beijing.</p>

<p>Finally! A screen protector that I can apply on my iPhone without leaving a horde of bubbles, something that drives me nuts. This screen protector is Kanex’s EdgeGlass, which provides edge-to-edge protection for the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. </p>

<p>You can use a variety of gestures to interact with your Apple Watch. When you touch the screen, your watch uses Force Touch technology to sense how hard you press. </p>

<p>Apple was <a href="http://fortune.com/2016/05/12/apple-invests-1-billion-into-chinese-ride-sharing-company/">previously not considered</a> to have received a seat on the board of directors as part of its investment in the Chinese company. It's now being <a href="https://www.theinformation.com/apple-took-board-seat-at-didi-chuxing">reported</a>, however, that one was secured within the weeks following the deal.</p>

<p style="margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px">Apple, you might want to give us some Mac upgrades ASAP. Mac sales are continuing to slide, according to data from two research groups.</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>With Samsung officially <a href="http://seekingalpha.com/news/3213272-samsung-halts-production-galaxy-note-7">terminating</a> all sales and exchanges of its Galaxy Note 7 device, Drexel Hamilton analyst Brian White <a href="http://blogs.barrons.com/techtraderdaily/2016/10/11/apple-rising-samsung-note-7-collapse-means-another-8m-iphone-7-sales-says-drexel/">estimates</a> an eight million boost to iPhone unit sales in calendar year 2016. </p>

<p><a target="_blank" href="http://temkingroup.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Temkin Group</a> has released a new research report, <em>Net Promoter Score Benchmark Study, 2016</em>”, based on a study of 10,000 U.S. consumers. The Net Promoter Score (NPS) measures the likelihood of consumers to recommend a company to their friends and family, using a scoring range from -100 to +100.</p>