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 August 14-18.</p>

<p>The AWT News Update is on hiatus while my compadre, Steve, takes 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>Movie studios such as Warner Bros. and Universal Pictures are “pressing on” in discussions with Apple and Comcast Corp. on ways to offer digital rentals of films mere weeks after they appear in theaters, reports <em><a target="_blank" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-08-18/hollywood-apple-are-said-to-mull-rental-plan-defying-theaters" rel="noopener noreferrer">Bloomberg</a></em>, quoting unnamed “people familiar with the matter.” Naturally, owners of theater chains aren’t happy about this.</p>

<p>According to filings with the Santa Clara County [California] Recorder’s Office, Apple <a target="_blank" href="http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/08/17/apple-leases-big-santa-clara-buildings-launches-construction/" rel="noopener noreferrer">is renovating</a> two buildings near the southeast corner of Kifer Road and Uranium Drive, reports <em>The Mercury News</em> reports. </p>

<p>Apple has urged a California state judge to toss a proposed class action alleging it puts profits over public safety by not installing lockout devices on iPhones that prevent texting while driving, saying courts have consistently held that distracted drivers are responsible for accidents, not phone manufacturers, reports <a target="_blank" href="https://www.law360.com/technology/articles/955332/apple-says-drivers-not-phones-cause-texting-crashes?nl_pk=ade0cf2b-ea3f-464b-bc93-d8e19277ac63&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=technology" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Law360</em></a>.</p>

<p>Quoting unnamed “sources in the supply chain,” <em><a target="_blank" href="http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20170817PD208.html" rel="noopener noreferrer">Digitimes</a></em> predicts that Apple will ship 4.5 million Apple Watches in the fourth quarter,  bringing the total number of units shipping in 2017 to 15 million. The suppliers expect Watch shipments to rise an additional 5 million next year for a total of 20 million.</p>

<p>Worm Animation says their debut title, point-and-click music adventure, <a target="_blank" href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/543100/Beat_The_Game/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Beat the Game</a>, will launch Sept. 7 on Steam for Mac, PC, and Linux systems.</p>

<p>Apple has been granted two patents that hint at future features of its CarPlay tech and Maps app. Compatible with iPhone 5 and later models, CarPlay provides a simplified way to use your iPhone interface on a car’s touch screen, giving users access to Siri voice controls, as well as Apple Maps, Apple Music, Phone, Messages, and a variety of third party apps.</p>

<p>When you think of air pollution, you probably think of <em>outdoor</em> pollution. However, there are several sources of <em>indoor</em> air pollution (paint, escaping gas, wet or damp carpet, poor ventilation, etc.). The $99 <a target="_blank" href="https://getawair.com/pages/awair-glow" rel="noopener noreferrer">Awair: Glow</a>, which works with iOS 8 or later, can help you keep track of — and deal with — such pollutants.</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>A class action suit over Apple store workers' unpaid time spent in bag checks may soon be headed to the California Supreme Court, reports <a target="_blank" href="http://appleinsider.com/articles/17/08/17/lawsuit-over-apple-retail-workers-unpaid-bag-checks-may-go-to-california-supreme-court" rel="noopener noreferrer">AppleInsider</a>. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals the state's Supreme Court to decide whether bag checks are "compensable as 'hours worked' within the meaning of California Industrial Welfare Commission Wage Order No. 7," even when people could technically avoid the checks by leaving purses, backpacks, and other bags at home.</p>

<p>FreneticGamez has launched Asteroid: Space Defense 1.0 for the Mac. It’s a retro arcade space shooter in which you control your space ship to avoid asteroids and other enemies in this retro shooter. </p>

<p>Apple co-founder Steve "Woz" Wozniak has joined hologram emoji startup <a target="_blank" href="http://mojiit.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">Mojiit</a> as an advisor. He’ll help assemble an engineering team, in addition to bringing investors and partnerships to the newly launched startup. </p>

<p>Helpshift, a customer support industry firm, has announced the results of a survey conducted by Radius Global Market Research June 12-13, among adults ages 18-plus that explored Americans’ feelings about email, messaging and proactive customer support.</p>

<p>Two newly granted Apple patents (numbers 20170238091and 20170238091) hint at features in future HomePods. The patents are for a “rotationally symmetric speaker array” that could sense when you’re in the room and adjust the audio accordingly.</p>