Dennis Sellers

<p>I just witnessed an amazing month for Mac gaming. And I just had to share it with you. Because the final days of March brought so many exciting news and games to the Mac platform it's hard <strong>not</strong> to get excited.</p>

<p>Apple places number 10 among the “Happiest Technology Companies 2017” by <a target="_blank" href="http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.careerbliss.com%2F&esheet=51537895&newsitemid=20170406006284&lan=en-US&anchor=CareerBliss&index=1&md5=2be483c5f326a624cf3c9270f523d7ec" rel="noopener noreferrer">CareerBliss</a>, an online career community. The list is derived from employees who voluntarily submit reviews to CareerBliss, evaluating their company’s leadership, culture, compensations and overall work environment. </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>Several tech companies — including Twitter, Yelp, Instagram and Foursquare Labs — have agreed to pay a consolidated $5.3 million to resolve a putative class action pending in California federal court accusing them of violating user privacy through their apps that took advantage of an iOS feature that uploaded details from users' contact lists, reports <a target="_blank" href="https://www.law360.com/articles/909742" rel="noopener noreferrer">Law360</a>.</p>

<p>What is your cell phone worth? We all know how much we paid for our phones, but what is it worth today? Like cars, cell phones depreciate as soon as you buy them.</p>

<p>You can use your voice to enter text with macOS Sierra with its Dictation feature (which is different from Siri). Choose the Apple menu () > System Preferences, click Keyboard, then click Dictation. Turn on Dictation and choose from these Dictation options:</p>

<p>My Comcast/Xfinity bill recent jumped by $35 — all the hike related to cable TV. Needless to say, this didn't make me happy, so I’m looking into cutting the cord.   <em>Cut the Cord, Ditch the Dish and Take Back Control of Your TV </em>is turning out to be a valuable guide in doing this. </p>

<p>Apple has applied for a patent (number 20170095043) for a “woven display” tether that would keep you from dropping your iPhone or iPad. The tether could also display useful info and be used for an Apple Watch band.</p>

<p>Malwarebytes Labs reports that it's discovered a new scareware campaign targeting iOS users. The campaign pushes a “free” VPN app called My Mobile Secure via rogue ads on popular Torrent sites. </p>

<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.nvidia.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">Nvidia</a> has announced its $1,200 Titan Xp GPU [graphics processing unit], as well as news that new beta Pascal drivers are coming next week for the Mac. The company says it pushes more cores, faster clocks, faster memory and more TFLOPS than its predecessor, the 2016 Pascal-powered Titan X.</p>

<p>Apple has released Clips, a new app that allows iPhone and iPad users to create “expressive videos.” It lets you combine video clips, photos and music into videos to share with friends through the Messages app, or on Instagram, Facebook and other social networks.</p>

<p>Microsoft ranks highest in overall satisfaction in the J.D. Power 2017 U.S. Tablet Satisfaction Study, doing so for the first time since the study’s inception. With an overall satisfaction score among tablet owners of 855 (on a 1,000-point scale), Microsoft’s achievement is largely due to its top rankings in the features and styling & design factors, according to <a target="_blank" href="http://jdpower.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">J.D. Power</a>, a consumer insights, advisory services and data and analytics.</p>

<p>Western Digital has introduced its fastest WD brand portable drive yet: the <a target="_blank" href="http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wdc.com%2Fproducts%2Fportable-storage%2Fmy-passport-ssd.html&esheet=51537330&newsitemid=20170406005392&lan=en-US&anchor=My+Passport%E2%84%A2+SSD&index=2&md5=4686338a6f7e2f653c3f7bbc1d7dd650" rel="noopener noreferrer">My Passport SSD</a>. It boasts speeds of up to 515 MB/second and is designed for the latest generation of computers with a USB Type-C port, such as the 2016 MacBook Pros.</p>

<p>Apple is reportedly announcing the “Apple Watch 3” (shown in a fanciful mock-up by <em>Market Exclusive</em>) in the second half of 2017. When the Watch first hit the market in 2015, it was hailed as the next big thing - three years later does this excitement still hold? According to <a target="_blank" href="http://www.fluentco.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Fluent</a>, the answer is no.</p>

<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.benq.us" rel="noopener noreferrer">BenQ America</a> has launched the PD2710QC, a $599, 100% sRGB and Rec. 709 monitor that includes a USB-C Docking Station for MacBook Pro, MacBook and PC users. </p>