Dennis Sellers

<p>Global app downloads reached nearly 25 billion downloads across iOS and Google Play in the second quarter (Q2) of 2017, according to <a target="_blank" href="http://www.appannie.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">App Annie</a>. Downloads are growing at a rate of 15% year-over-year, the analytics services and market intelligence company adds.</p>

<p>It’s time for Apple to give us a new Apple TV, hopefully one with 4K support. Roku has pulled waaaay ahead of Apple’s set-top box and leads the market in the number of connected TV users in the United States, according to <a target="_blank" href="https://techcrunch.com/2017/07/26/emarketers-2017-forecast-puts-roku-ahead-of-chromecast-fire-tv-and-apple-tv/?ncid=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Techcrunch+%28TechCrunch%29" rel="noopener noreferrer">new research</a> from eMarketer.</p>

<p>Among major corporate brands, Apple has some of the highest loyalty and satisfaction rates with the U.S. public, according to a recent study by the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.fluentco.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">Fluent </a>marketing firm.</p>

<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.cochlear.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">Cochlear Limited</a>, which specializes in implantable hearing solutions, has introduced the Cochlear Nucleus 7 Sound Processor. </p>

<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.phiaton.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Phiaton Corp.</a> has introduced the latest addition to its line of wireless headphones and earphones: the BT 390. Featuring Bluetooth 4.1 and crafted with a “minimalistic exterior and easy-to-carry design,” the new foldable headphones are available in black and white for $79 on Amazon.</p>

<p>U.S. District Judge William Conley of Wisconsin has entered a $506 million judgment against Apple for infringing a computer processor patent owned by the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF), more than double what a jury awarded the organization in damages in October 2015, reports the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.law360.com/technology/articles/947957/apple-hit-with-506m-judgment-in-u-wis-infringement-spat?nl_pk=ade0cf2b-ea3f-464b-bc93-d8e19277ac63&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=technology" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Law360</em> website</a>.</p>

<p>Apple has been granted a patent (number 9,715,584) designed to make it easier for parents to keep track of their children. The invention is for a “biometric receipt.”</p>

<p>The <a target="_blank" href="https://www.hellonomad.com/leather-case-iphone-7-rustic-brown" rel="noopener noreferrer">Nomad Leather Case</a> for the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus is a nice compromise of high quality at a reasonable price. It costs $39.95, which is $10 cheaper than Apple’s Leather Case for an iPhone 7 Plus. Apple’s case is easier to install but, once it’s in place, the Nomad is is more protective.</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>The AWT News Update is on hiatus while my compadre, Steve, deals with some family issues. 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>Apple has released the third public betas of macOS 10.13 High Sierra, iOS 11 and tvOS 11. The finished versions are due this fall.</p>

<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.kanex.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">Kanex</a> has released the $59.95 GoPlay Sidekick, a pocket-sized wireless game controller for the iPhone, iPad and Apple TV. Certified by Apple, this portable controller works with almost any controller-supported game on the Apple App Store. </p>

<p>After six consecutive quarters of growth, Chinese smartphone shipments fell 3% to 113 million in the second quarter (Q2) 2017. China-based Huawei shipped over 23 million to lead the market for the second quarter in a row, according to the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.canalys.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">Canalys</a> research firm. </p>

<p>Adobe <a target="_blank" href="https://blogs.adobe.com/conversations/2017/07/adobe-flash-update.html" rel="noopener noreferrer">has announced</a> that it will stop developing and and distributing Flash Player at the end of 2020 because “open standards like HTML5, WebGL and WebAssembly have matured over the past several years, most now provide many of the capabilities and functionalities that plugins pioneered and have become a viable alternative for content on the web.”</p>

<p>In a note to investors — as noted by <a target="_blank" href="http://www.cnbc.com/2017/07/25/iphones-8-sales-outlook-ubs-buy.html" rel="noopener noreferrer">CNBC</a> — USB said it believes the upcoming “iPhone 8” (shown in a fanciful mock-up) has the potential for huge sales because of expected upgrades from phones sold in fiscal 2015.</p>