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 July 30-August 4.</p>

<p>As noted by <a target="_blank" href="https://www.macrumors.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">MacRumors</a>, Apple has updated its online store to indicate that AirPods are now estimated to ship in four weeks in the United States, Europe, and many other regions, down from a six-week estimate listed since launching in December. </p>

<p>The Apple Watch Series 3 — expected in September — will be able to connect directly to cellular networks, a move designed to reduce reliance on the iPhone, according to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-08-04/apple-said-to-ready-cellular-capable-watch-to-break-iphone-ties" rel="noopener noreferrer">Bloomberg,</a> quoting unnamed “people familiar with the matter.”</p>

<p>Apple is experimenting with various types of augmented reality (AR) glasses, according to the <em><a target="_blank" href="https://www.ft.com/content/e0d19656-78f4-11e7-90c0-90a9d1bc9691" rel="noopener noreferrer">Financial Time</a>s</em> (which requires a subscription). Some use their own integrated display; others work with an iPhone.</p>

<p>1.3 million pounds (approximately US$1.7 million) worth of fake Apple goods have been seized by West Sussex Trading Standards of the West Sussex County Council, reports <a target="_blank" href="http://www.itv.com/news/meridian/2017-08-04/1-3m-worth-of-fake-apple-goods-seized-by-trading-standards/)." rel="noopener noreferrer">ITV News</a>. It’s the biggest in its history.</p>

<p>Taiwan-based contract electronics maker Wistron Corp. is preparing to expand of its production base in India to produce the next-generation iPhone SE, reports <a target="_blank" href="http://focustaiwan.tw/news/aeco/201708040018.aspx" rel="noopener noreferrer">Focus Taiwan</a>, quoit unnamed “sources in the South Asian country.”</p>

<p>Apple’s retail stores are turning into the new mall anchor store, a role once held by department stores, because they draw lots of foot traffic, which also benefits the smaller stores.</p>

<p>According to the Korean news site, <a target="_blank" href="http://english.etnews.com/20170804200003" rel="noopener noreferrer">etnews</a>, Samsung Display will operate seven of its sixth generation flexible OLED lines on full scale this month to prepare for the “iPhone 8.” The next gen phone is expected to debut in September, although supplies will probably (and as usual) be constrained.</p>

<p>A 2016 Apple filling with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) showed that the company is urging the FCC should “recognize solutions such as the MFi [Made for iPhone] hearing aid platform as alternatives for hearing aid compatibility compliance.” And the tech company apparently has other plans along these lines, having filed for a patent (number 2017022341) for “remotely updating a hearing aid profile.”</p>

<p>It’s not for everyone, but <a target="_blank" href="http://www.dejal.com/simon/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Dejal Systems' Simo</a>n is a useful server monitoring tool for macOS that lets you checks web pages, FTP and DNS servers, local or remote ports or volumes, and many other kinds of services for changes or failures. </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>Larger screens lead to higher iPhone sales, according to a new report from <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cirpllc.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">Consumer Intelligence Research Partners</a>. The research firm estimates that Apple’s domestic installed base has 141 million units as of this quarter; that’s up from 124 million in the year-ago quarter.</p>

<p>According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics, <a target="_blank" href="http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.strategyanalytics.com%2Fwde-published.html&esheet=51625138&newsitemid=20170802006620&lan=en-US&anchor=global+wearables+shipments+reached+22+million+units&index=1&md5=7209c324ed4223396b240741b4c898d2" rel="noopener noreferrer">global wearables shipments reached 22 million units</a> in the second quarter of 2017. China-based Xiaomi captured 17 percent marketshare and became the world’s largest wearables vendor for the first time ever, overtaking Fitbit and Apple.</p>

<p>Apple has filed for a patent (number 20170221969) for “Quantum dot LED and OLED integration for high efficiency displays,” which promises quantum dot pixel displays on all its devices. The displays would offer “pure color” and use less energy.</p>

<p>Another day, another continuation of the same ol’ battle. <a target="_blank" href="http://appleinsider.com/articles/17/08/02/apple-tv-remote-app-target-of-latest-uniloc-patent-lawsuit" rel="noopener noreferrer">AppleInsider</a> reports that Uniloc, a “patent troll,” has filed yet another suit, against Apple claiming, naturally, patent infringement.</p>