Dennis Sellers

<p>There’s a lot happening in the world of Apple news this week. Following are the hottest articles for the week of Sept. 18-22.</p>

<p>The AWT News Update is on hiatus while my compadre, Steve Sande, takes a mini-road trip to celebrate his birthday (happy birthday, Steve). 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>In a <a target="_blank" href="https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201611" rel="noopener noreferrer">support document</a> Apple notes that, along with the launch of the new Apple TV with 4K, it’s extended the rental window for films rented on iTunes. </p>

<p>Darn it! Though the Apple TV with 4K offers both 4K and HDR support, you’ll only be able to steam the high-quality films, not purchase ‘em on iTunes. That’s seems contrary to what Apple indicated at its special Sept. 12 event in which the new set-top box, new iPhones, and the Apple Watch Series 3 was unveiled.</p>

<p>iOS 11 has rocketed to over 6% internet usage just two days after launch, according to independent web analytics company StatCounter. Its research arm <a target="_blank" href="http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgs.statcounter.com%2Fios-version-market-share%2Fmobile-tablet%2Fworldwide%2F%23daily-20170915-20170920&esheet=51687732&newsitemid=20170921005804&lan=en-US&anchor=StatCounter+Global+Stats&index=2&md5=49fb9d4357753a7c85778c4587a2dfef" rel="noopener noreferrer">StatCounter Global Stats</a> finds that iOS 11 reached 6.2% of all iOS versions worldwide Wednesday.</p>

<p>Apple has filed for a patent (number 20170272886) for “optimizing the performance of an audio playback system with a linked audio/video feed.” The goal is to make it easier to set up speaker systems with various iOS, macOS and tvOS devices. The patent also may refer to Apple’s upcoming HomePod speaker, based on some of the accompanying images.</p>

<p>The Apple Watch Series 3, iPhone 8, and iPhone 8 Plus go on sale globally at 8 .m. (local time) today.</p>

<p>You can use your Apple Watch and watchOS 4 to control music on your iPhone, or you can enjoy music on your Apple Watch without the smartphone.</p>

<p>ProjectWizards’ <a target="_blank" href="http://projectwizards.net/en/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Merlin Project</a> for macOS is a handy tool for planning complex projects.</p>

<p>In a <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/tim_cook/status/910969400160788480" rel="noopener noreferrer">Twitter post,</a> Apple CEO Tim Cook says the company is donating $1 million toward earthquake recovery efforts in Mexico. The company has also donated to hurricane recovery efforts in Texas and Florida.</p>

<p>OWC has announced the <a target="_blank" href="http://sable.madmimi.com/c/71191?id=2145110.7441.1.fc8c20b76619896a853e9fea340845e5" rel="noopener noreferrer">OWC USB-C Travel Dock</a>, which lets you connect its integrated USB-C cable to a Mac or PC laptop or other computer to utilize its five ports of mobile connectivity from a dock small enough to fit in a pocket.</p>

<p>Angela Ahrendts, Apple’s senior vice president of retail stores, ranks 13th on FORTUNE’s <a target="_blank" href="http://fortune.com/most-powerful-women/" rel="noopener noreferrer">"Most Powerful Women" list for 2017</a>. Last year she placed 14th on the list, which is comprised of 26 CEOs controlling $1.1 trillion in market cap, seven newcomers, one returnee, and nine women in the tech industry. </p>

<p>Affinity Photo for iPad has been optimized to make the most of the new iOS 11. It’s a photo editing app for organizing and managing files. Affinity Photo for iPad users can now simply drag and drop a chosen image, or multiple images, and start editing thanks to the new Files app in iOS 11.</p>

<p>The new Apple TV with 4K doesn’t support the Dolby Atmos surround sound format — yet. However, Apple tells <a target="_blank" href="https://www.theverge.com/2017/9/21/16341876/new-apple-tv-4k-review-2017" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>The Verge </em></a>that the lack of Atmos isn’t a hardware limitation, and that support is on the roadmap. I expect we’ll see it in an upcoming tvOS upgrade.</p>

<p>Apple has filed for a patent (number 20170269785) for “detecting backside force in a touch screen device. If it reaches fruition, it would mean iPads and iPhones with additional touch controls on their back.</p>