Dennis Sellers

<p>Electric car company<a target="_blank" href="https://electrek.co/2016/08/16/david-erhart-tesla-apple-reliability/" rel="noopener noreferrer"> Tesla has hired</a> David Erhart, Apple’s (former) director of Reliability Engineering, to lead its own liability team. His new title? Senior director of Reliability and Test at Tesla.</p>

<p>At the company’s IDF Developer Conference in San Francisco, Intel pushed for mobile devices to ditch analog audio and embrace digital headsets using USB-C. Yep. USB-C, not Lightning.</p>

<p>Let me say upfront that, in all my years of reviewing products, there have been few from WaterField Designs that haven’t impressed me. That hasn’t changed with the <a href="http://www.sfbags.com/products/bolt-briefcase#product-tabs1">WaterField Designs Bolt Briefcase</a>.</p>

<p>The TiVo Roamio (love the name) OTA 1TB is a great gadget to watchlive, recorded, on-demand and over-the-top television. Perhaps Apple should be "inspired" by some of its features and include them in an high end version of its Apple TV set-top box. </p>

<p>Apple has added 37 new banks and credit unions to the the list of financial institutions supporting Apple Pay. You can find the list here (<a href="https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204916">https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204916</a>).</p>

<p>TunesKit Studio has debuted <a target="_blank" href="http://www.tuneskit.com/apple-music-converter-for-mac.html" rel="noopener noreferrer">TunesKit Apple Music Converter</a>, a new DRM removal product for Mac OS X and Windows. It allows you to remove DRM from any Apple Music track and old iTunes M4P songs.</p>

<p>AppYogi Software has introduced One Chat 1.0, their new social networking app developed for Mac OS X. It’s designed to combine chat and messaging services into one simple app.</p>

<p>Apple has entered into an agreement with Cash Money Records — whose artists include Drake, Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj, Young Money and Birdman — to create a documentary about Cash Money and Birdman, which will air exclusively on Apple Music, reports <a target="_blank" href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-08-17/apple-is-going-to-make-a-documentary-with-drake-s-record-label" rel="noopener noreferrer">Bloomberg</a>. However, the deal is NOT an agreement to secure all of Cash Money's new albums exclusively, the article adds, quoting unnamed “people familiar with the deal.”</p>

<p>As noted by <a target="_blank" href="https://9to5mac.com/2016/08/17/apple-store-vienna-austria/" rel="noopener noreferrer">9to5Mac</a>, Austrian newspaper <a href="http://derstandard.at/2000042922257-375/Kaerntner-Strasse-hofft-auf-Apple"><em>derStandard</em></a> is reporting that Apple is close to finalizing contracts to open its first Apple Store in the country. It will be located on the upmarket shopping street Kärntner Straße in Vienna, but no opening date is mentioned in the article.</p>

<p>Despite earlier rumors, the upcoming iPhone upgrade will simply be dubbed the “iPhone 7” and “iPhone 7 Plus.” There won’t be an “iPhone 7 Pro,” according to a <em>Macotakara</em> <a href="http://www.macotakara.jp/blog/rumor/entry-30511.html">report </a>— as noted by <a target="_blank" href="http://appleinsider.com/articles/16/08/17/iphone-7-expected-to-continue-apples-normal-naming-conventions-no-pro-model" rel="noopener noreferrer">AppleInsider</a>.</p>

<p>Apple has announced a “significant commitment” by major supplier Lens Technology to run its Apple operations on entirely renewable energy. This unprecedented commitment, combined with zero waste compliance from all final assembly sites, furthers Apple’s efforts to help manufacturers lower their carbon footprint and reduce waste in China, helping to advance China’s transition to a new green economy, according to Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice president of Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives.</p>

<p>Intel <a target="_blank" href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-08-16/intel-licenses-arm-technology-in-move-to-boost-foundry-business" rel="noopener noreferrer">has announced</a> a licensing technology deal with rival ARM Holdings. The two chipmakers, whose designs and technology dominate in computing and mobile, unveiled the agreement Tuesday at the Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco.</p>

<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.mobipicker.com/imac-2016-specs-release-date-rumors-expected-feature-intel-kaby-lake-amd-zen-processor/" rel="noopener noreferrer">A new rumor </a>says a new iMac will launch in the last quarter of the year with either the latest Intel chipset, Kaby Lake, or AMD’s Zen processor, as well as AMD’s Polaris Graphics set.</p>

<p>Now here's a technology that sounds like a fun addition to an iMac and a replacement for the Thunderbolt Display (and on an Apple-branded HDTV, should the company reconsider plans for such a device): <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ultra-d.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ultra-D</a>. It's 3D without the glasses.</p>

<p><a target="_blank" href="https://learnfinalcut.wordpress.com/2016/08/16/indicators-point-to-an-update-to-final-cut-pro-in-october/" rel="noopener noreferrer">There are rumors</a> of a big Final Cut Pro upgrade coming in October. The rumor mill also suggests (hopes?) that a revamped Mac Pro might debut at the same time.</p>