Dennis Sellers

<p>Apple has released updates for Mac OS X, iTunes and iOS.</p>

<p style="margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px">Apple has filed for a patent (number 20150227979) with the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office that's designed to make online ads more effective at catching your attention</p>

<p>Apple's AirDrop could eventually encrypt data before sending it to another device, which can be used for backup. The company has filed for a patent (number 20150230078) with the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office for "secure ad hoc data backup to nearby friend devices."</p>

<p>Apple wants your Mac, iPhone and iPad to be able to recognize people in a photograph by facial recognition, then send them a copy of the picture. The company has filed for a patent (number 20150227782) with the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office for "systems and methods for sending digital images."</p>

<p><a target="_blank" href="http://tinyurl.com/oksh42z" rel="noopener noreferrer">TIME says its research shows</a> that computer buyers like businesspeople and students still want a traditional laptop rather than a "hybrid" device — a two-in-one gadget that works as both a laptop and tablet. Still, the magazine thinks that Apple is working on such a device. I think TIME is wrong.</p>

<p><span style="font-size:17px">Whatever happened to the post-PC era with tablets slowing replacing traditional personal computers? Tablet shipments continued to decline in the second quarter of 2015, falling 11% year on year to 42.5 million units, although Apple's iPad still dominates, according to the </span><a target="_blank" href="http://www.canalys.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">Canalys research group.</a></p>

<p><a target="_blank" href="http://tinyurl.com/o8sm8bc" rel="noopener noreferrer">Intel has announced plans</a> to release a laptop version of its Xeon processor. It's possible we'll see them pop up in the most powerful MacBook Pros ever, though Apple would have to make some compromises in regards to battery power.</p>

<p>A <a target="_blank" href="http://tinyurl.com/q3psaab" rel="noopener noreferrer">new rumor</a> says Apple will introduce an "iPhone 6c" along with an iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s Plus this year, but I don’t see it happening, especially in a four-inch form factor.</p>

<p>I store my various passwords for websites, wireless networks, certificates and more in Mac OS X Keychain. It's very handy as I found out this week when I needed to verify a password that I thought I knew (I was wrong). Here's how you can view all your passwords in Keychain.</p>

<p>Future iPad Smart Cases from Apple may have a power connector between the case and the tablet and to provide illuminated notifications. Apple has been granted a patent (number 9,104,371) by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office for an "integrated visual notification system in an accessory device."</p>

<p>We may yet see Apple products make of an alloy from Liquidmetal as evidenced by two newly published patents. Liquidmetal is the commercial name for a series of amorphous metal alloys. It's the brand name as opposed to the actual name of the material.</p>

<p>Recently, my brother was greeted by an irritating pop-up ad on his Mac. I guided him through the steps to removing it, so I'll repeat them here.</p>

<p>The TV/computer screen buzz lately is about Ultra High Def/4K displays. However, when considering new monitors (and, hey Apple, where's our 5K Thunderbolt Display?) and upcoming iMacs, perhaps Apple should think about pixel quality as well as pixel quantity.</p>

<p>Congratulations, Apple, you've held onto your tittle as the most sued U.S. company. However, you'd better watch out: Samsung is catching up quickly.</p>

<p style="margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px">Recently I noted that, for whatever reason, Messages on my Mac quit offering the option to send folks messages in any format but its native iMessage format. Since some of my friends, relatives and business associates are still heathens and don't have Macs or iPhones, I had to rejigger things so I could send simple text messages. </p><p>If you're facing the same problem, here's how you send SMS texts from OS X Messages (You'll need both your Mac and iPhone handy):</p>