Dennis Sellers

<p>Matias has announced the Wired Aluminum Keyboard for Mac, which the company is positioning as a replacement for Apple’s discontinued wired Mac keyboards. The new keyboard sports a built-in USB 2.0 hub and precision volume dial.</p>

<p><em>Reuters</em> reports that a consortium led by Bain Capital and including Apple has <a target="_blank" href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-toshiba-accounting-idUSKCN1BA13K" rel="noopener noreferrer">offered</a> a revised last-ditch bid for Toshiba's chip division that’s worth $18 billion.</p>

<p><a target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001RJUp_NebnX8Glt3exjmF7y-CS7LqgDgjE4jsA3Xpsdv3ndn5LHMrLT92kGmwnSkar0nwV5zg9e7KeZuX8lEjxNcux_NKRcSNDiMNMpV3DYVBpySy7SEuqOLnNM8jhVS5arcaZwq5xuoX0cjpsUU415DfnTyPcQ4uR_UtNL3AEMw=&c=CmqByfHDaxa5tHgzjlwTp2ySzdtj69vko83u7hLrKezWP1fkaO1YgA==&ch=d62GuMg0u6l0q9IFzvY2ase30PmmRjDUAEBfax_qkJh4lxHLNi1I_Q==" rel="noopener noreferrer">Kensington</a> has announced the $59 BlackBelt Rugged Case for Apple’s 9.7-inch iPad. It’s built with military-grade protection and an integrated hand.</p>

<p>AssistiveWare's Wrise 1.0 for macOS is a text-to-speech-powered word processor designed to make reading and writing accessible for most people thanks to its highlighting, zoom and EasyReading mode.</p>

<p>Apple has been granted a patent (number 9,749,000) for “drop countermeasures for electronic device,” which is designed to make iPhones, iPads, iPod touches and perhaps even Mac laptops less likely to sustain damage if dropped.</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>The AWT News Update is on hiatus while my compadre, Steve, is on a road trip. In its place, I’ll offer a text-only (no podcast) summary of breaking stories with a tip o’ my hat to my former website, <em>Apple Daily Report</em>.</p>

<p>Apple invited several media sites to its Cupertino, California, campus this week to show off some upcoming ARKit apps being developed by major companies like The Food Network, Ikea, Giphy, and AMC, according to various sites, including <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cnbc.com/2017/08/29/iphone-8-augmented-reality-apps-from-ikea-food-network-and-more.html" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>CNBC</em></a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.theverge.com/2017/8/29/16219208/apple-arkit-ar-apps-ikea-walking-dead-giphy-hungry-caterpillar-google" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>The Verge</em></a>, and <a target="_blank" href="https://techcrunch.com/2017/08/29/a-preview-of-the-first-wave-of-ar-apps-coming-to-iphones/" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>TechCrunch</em></a>. </p>

<p>The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) has announced the recipients of the 69th Annual Technology & Engineering Emmy Awards that will take place in partnership with the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) at their annual NAB Show on Sunday, April 8, 2018 in Las Vegas, NV.  Apple is among the winners. </p>

<p>Apple is now accepting Wechat Pay for payments made in its Apple App Store and iTunes in China after it previously accepted Alibaba’s Alipay as a mobile payment option. This will likely drive up the tech giant’s revenues in the country from in-store and music spending, reports <a target="_blank" href="https://www.chinamoneynetwork.com/2017/08/29/apple-accepts-wechat-pay-app-store-apple-pay-fails-make-inroads-china" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>China Money Network</em></a>.</p>

<p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.elgato.com/eve/coming-soon" rel="noopener noreferrer">Elgato</a> continues to expand itsEve product family of HomeKit enabled accessorieswith the Eve Lock, Eve Window Guard, Eve Smoke und Eve Aqua. HomeKit is a framework that allows control of compatible home automation devices through iOS and Siri.</p>

<p>Chamberlain and LiftMaster, which specialize in garage door openers and home access, announce Apple HomeKit compatibility for current owners of MyQ-enabled devices. HomeKit is a framework that allows control of compatible home automation devices through iOS and Siri.</p>

<p>Apple and Accenture <a target="_blank" href="https://www.accenture.com/us-en/company-alliance-apple" rel="noopener noreferrer">are partnering</a> to help businesses transform how their people engage with customers through business solutions for iOS. Accenture provides services in strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations. </p>

<p>Global smartphone shipments are expected to maintain positive growth through 2021, according to a new forecast from the International Data Corporation (IDC) <a target="_blank" href="http://www.idc.com/tracker/showproductinfo.jsp?prod_id=37" rel="noopener noreferrer">Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker</a>. And the outlook for Apple’s iPhone is extremely bright.</p>

<p>Apple is “scrambling” to strike deals with Hollywood studios to offer ultra-high definition films on its upcoming Apple TV, but discussions have been hampered by disagreements over pricing, reports <em><a target="_blank" href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/apple-studios-at-odds-over-movie-pricing-ahead-of-new-apple-tv-rollout-1504004401" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Wall Street Journal</a></em>, quoting unnamed “people with knowledge of the talks.”</p>