Dennis Sellers

<p>Chinese smartphone shipments registered another quarter of decline as the market contracted 5% in the third quarter of  017 to 119 million units, according to <a target="_blank" href="http://www.canalys.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">Canalys</a>. Apple’s declining streak in China has come to an end, as shipments grew 40% from eight million in quarter three 2016 to about 11 million this quarter. </p>

<p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.moneyspire.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">Moneyspire Inc</a>. has announced Moneyspire 2018, the company's personal finance software for Mac, Windows and iOS. It allows you to organize your transactions and see where your money is going. </p>

<p>Apple shares are up 0.66% premarket after <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cnbc.com/2017/10/30/apple-shares-rise-on-booming-iphone-x-demand.html" rel="noopener noreferrer">analyst reports</a> show high iPhone X demand after preorders started on Friday. The first units are due to arrive this Friday, Nov. 3.</p>

<p>Halloween is tomorrow. While I was looking for killer horror games myself, I realized one thing: the best horror games support macOS.</p>

<p>iOS 11 lets you customize the redesigned Control Center so you can change the settings for the things you do most. At least up to a point.</p>

<p>In a note to clients — as noted by <a target="_blank" href="http://appleinsider.com/articles/17/10/29/face-id-truedepth-camera-component-supplies-stable-technology-will-span-2018-iphone-line" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>AppleInsider</em></a> — KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes that the 2018 model-year iPhone will launch "on time" and with a "stable supply" sporting the existing TrueDepth system, and Face ID user authentication. Of course, the may not bring you much comfort if you’re awaiting the 2017 iPhone X.</p>

<p>U.S. iPhone users will spend an average of $88 per year on paid apps and in-app purchases by 2020, according to <a target="_blank" href="https://sensortower.com/blog/revenue-per-iphone-forecast" rel="noopener noreferrer">a new forecast</a> out this week from Sensor Tower, as noted by <a target="_blank" href="https://techcrunch.com/2017/10/27/u-s-iphone-users-will-spend-an-average-of-88-per-year-on-apps-by-2020/" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>TechCrunch</em></a>. </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. 23-27.</p>

<p>If you’ve ordered an iPhone X — and, apparently, lots of us have — Apple also want you to buy its <a target="_blank" href="https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MQRW2/iphone-x-leather-folio-cosmos-blue?fnode=42" rel="noopener noreferrer">iPhone X Leather Folio</a>. It’s a $99 case that comes in “cosmos blue,” “taupe,” “berry” and black.</p>

<p>In addition to the iPhone X, Apple also added another item to its online store (and, presumably, at its brick-and-mortar retail stores: a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MQG12ZM/A/leather-sleeve-for-12‑inch-macbook-saddle-brown" rel="noopener noreferrer">$149 leather sleeve</a> for the 12-inch MacBook.</p>

<p>Apple has updated its website with <a target="_blank" href="https://support.apple.com/iphone/repair/service/pricing" rel="noopener noreferrer">non-warranty service pricing</a> for the iPhone X, which is already back-ordered.</p>

<p>Preorders for the iPhone X started at 12 a.m. Pacific Time today, and the delivery window is already <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/40488142/iphone-x-pre-orders-sorry-theres-already-a-wait?partner=feedburner&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+fastcompany%2Fheadlines+%28Fast+Company%29">pushed back to six weeks</a>.</p>

<p>Apple has asked the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for permission to exclude a new shareholder proposal on tying diversity figures for its executives to CEO performance as a way to improve diversity in the company, reports <a target="_blank" href="http://www.siliconbeat.com/2017/10/26/apple-asks-sec-exclude-new-shareholder-proposal-reporting-senior-leadership-diversity-figures/" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Silicon Beat</em></a>. The proposal involves Apple’s diversity efforts, or lack thereof, especially regarding senior management positions.</p>

<p>Apple has filed for a patent (number 20170308163) for “user detection by a computing device.” It involves the Face ID feature of the iPhone X.</p>

<p>You can access Control Center from any screen on your iPhone and iPad, including while you’re in an app or playing a game. However, the procedure has been tweaked a bit in iOS 11.</p>