Dennis Sellers

<p>Apple CEO Tim Cook and Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams place fourth and 17th, respectively, on <a target="_blank" href="http://time.com/4759416/most-influential-people-tech/" rel="noopener noreferrer">"The 20 Most Influential People in Tech Right Now”</a> list by TIME magazine.</p>

<p>Apple is planning a worldwide overnight “refresh” of its older retail stores on the night of May 16, according to <a target="_blank" href="https://9to5mac.com/2017/05/09/apple-store-redesign-refresh-older-stores/" rel="noopener noreferrer">9to5Mac</a>. The refresh is “specifically for older and smaller stores that aren’t suitable for the full redesign we’ve seen in flagship stores,” the article adds.</p>

<p>FileMaker, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Apple, has released the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.filemaker.com/r/16" rel="noopener noreferrer">FileMaker 16 Platform</a>, the latest version of its custom app platform that includes everything needed to create, share, and run custom apps for business teams. </p>

<p>In late 2016, WhatsApp decided to quietly improve the security of its iCloud backups, where messages and contacts are uploaded to Apple servers. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2017/05/08/whatsapp-enhances-icloud-encryption/#7f0070f812a8" rel="noopener noreferrer">According to Forbes</a>, it added a unique encryption key created by the WhatsApp app, rather than just relying on the iCloud Drive to protect customer data.</p>

<p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.protectstar.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">ProtectStar</a> has introduced Camera Guard Professional 2017, a new safety software product for macOS. </p>

<p>Apple has been granted two new patents that show the company is at least considering head-mounted displays for augmented reality (AR). Patents 9,646,574 and are for a “head-mounted display apparatus for retaining a portable electronic device with display.”</p>

<p>The Calendar app in macOS Sierra includes maps, weather, and travel time to make setting up and sharing your events easy. It’s also easy to create a new calendar.</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>Workflow <a href="https://workflow.is/whatsnew">has been updated</a> to version 1.7.4, re-introducing features that were removed when Apple acquired the software, as well as adding new Apple Music actions. For example, it restores the Google Chrome and Pocket actions.</p>

<p>Apple could purchase half of a city block in downtown Reno, Nevada for a 30,000 square-foot facility, according to <a target="_blank" href="http://mynews4.com/news/local/apple-could-buy-facility-in-downtown-reno)" rel="noopener noreferrer">MyNews 4</a>. The Reno City Council has listed an agenda item for its Wednesday meeting to allow Apple to buy property at 6th Street and Evans Avenue.</p>

<p>Apple has launched a new three-year service policy for the Smart Keyboard for both the 9.7-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro, according to an internal memo distributed to Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers last week, as noticed by <a target="_blank" href="http://www.macrumors.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">MacRumors</a>. </p>

<p>It's time for Apple to renew its efforts in the education market: <em>EdWeek Market Brief</em> today released an exclusive report that takes stock of educator perceptions of four giants in the technology world, and how they stack up against each other and versus four major education-focused companies. The report—<em><a target="_blank" href="http://www.edweek.org/go/TechTitansK12" rel="noopener noreferrer">Amazon, Apple, Google, and Microsoft: How 4 Tech Titans Are Reshaping the Ed-Tech Landscape</a></em>—finds that Google consistently earns top marks from K-12 teachers and administrators asked to rate the companies’ devices, productivity tools, and ability to improve student achievement.</p>

<p>The <a target="_blank" href="https://appleworld.dreamhosters.com/blog/2017/5/1/heres-a-round-up-of-the-rumors-about-apples-amazon-echo-competitor?rq=Siri%20speaker" rel="noopener noreferrer">rumor mill says</a> that Apple is working on a Siri-based competitor to the Amazon Echo “smart speaker,” which could debut at next month’s Worldwide Developer Conference. If so, the company could have perfect timing. </p>

<p>Apple will unveil its next generation iPhone — probably to be dubbed the “iPhone 8” in September with it going on sale in October, according to the Chinese-language <em>Economic Daily News</em> — as noted by <a target="_blank" href="https://www.macrumors.com/2017/05/08/iphone-8-production-on-schedule-september/" rel="noopener noreferrer">MacRumor</a>s. Which, by the way, is what the Sellers Research Firm (that’s me) <a target="_blank" href="https://appleworld.dreamhosters.com/blog/2017/4/5/rumor-iphone-8-might-not-launch-until-october-or-november-instead-of-september?rq=Sellers%20Research%20Firm" rel="noopener noreferrer">has been predicting</a>.</p>

<p>Apple continues to look into ways to make its products waterproof. The company has been granted a patent (number 20170127163) for a hydrophobic mesh cover that would resist the entry of liquid into an acoustic module into a device and a hydrophilic portion to aid in the removal of liquid from an acoustic chamber is described. </p>