Dennis Sellers

<p>iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch, heal thyself. Apple has filed for a patent (number 20170086321) for “self-energizing sealing mechanisms.” It involves electronic devices with a sealing mechanism to prevent ingress of water into the interior cavity. </p>

<p>The overall wearables market is expected to return to strong growth after a brief slowdown in 2016 that resulted from delayed launches of major platforms and notable vendors struggling to maintain pace, according to the IDC research group. </p>

<p>Apple has been granted a patent (number 9,602,929) for “techniques for presenting sound effects on a portable media player.” The sound effects can be output as audio sounds to an internal speaker, an external speaker, or both. </p>

<p>Yesterday wasn't a good day for Internet privacy regulation. The Senate voted to make it easier for ISPs like Verizon, Comcast and AT&T to track and share sensitive information about their customers without permission. This puts people at risk of increased identity theft, data breach, and financial fraud. Here's what you can do to protect yourself:</p>

<p>T-Mobile has began rolling out Scam ID and Scam Block to customers to safeguard them from scam calls. With Scam ID, customers are automatically alerted when an incoming call is likely a scam. </p>

<p>There have been rumors of an iMac with Retina 8K display. It’s probably coming, but don’t look for it until 2020. And if it came out now, most of us couldn’t afford it. </p>

<p>Apple is “pressing” Hollywood studios for earlier access to movies, reports <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-12-07/apple-said-in-talks-with-film-studios-for-earlier-movie-rentals" rel="noopener noreferrer">Bloomberg</a>, quoting unnamed “people with knowledge of the matter.” If such a deal reaches fruition, first run movies might be available for rental on iTunes for $30.</p>

<p>Apple has issued a statement to <a target="_blank" href="https://techcrunch.com/2017/03/23/apple-says-recent-wikileaks-cia-docs-detail-old-fixed-iphone-and-mac-exploits/" rel="noopener noreferrer">TechCrunch</a> in response to Thursday's WikiLeaks release of CIA-gathered iPhone and Mac exploits, saying a preliminary assessment reveals the vulnerabilities to be years old and long since patched. </p>

<p>Apple has applied for a patent (number 20170082649) dubbed “detecting controllers in vehicles using wearable devices” that would merge Apple Watch and CarPlay functionality. Compatible with iPhone 5 and later models, CarPlay provides a simplified way to use your iPhone interface on a car’s touch screen, giving users access to Siri voice controls, as well as Apple Maps, Apple Music, Phone, Messages, and a variety of third party apps.</p>

<p>Apple has acquired <a target="_blank" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/workflow-powerful-automation/id915249334?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4" rel="noopener noreferrer">Workflow</a>, an iOS tool that lets you hook together apps and functions within apps in strings of commands to automate tasks. Could the utility come to macOS?</p>

<p>On March 23 <a target="_blank" href="https://appleworld.dreamhosters.com/blog/2017/3/23/patent-report-apple-accessory-device-could-turn-an-iphone-or-ipad-into-a-laptop" rel="noopener noreferrer">I reported</a> that Apple had filed for a patent (number 2017003048) dubbed “electronic accessory device” that would turn an iPhone or iPad into a full-fledged laptop. However, I like an idea I proposed over a year ago better: an “Apple Pod” with an Apple Display/Dock.</p>

<p>Apple’s online store is offline until 8:01 a.m. (Pacific), when the(PRODUCT)RED iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus <a target="_blank" href="https://appleworld.dreamhosters.com/blog/2017/3/21/apple-debuts-iphone-7-and-iphone-7-plus-productred-special-edition" rel="noopener noreferrer">announced earlier</a> this week goes on sale in more than 40 countries and regions around the world. </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 folks behind <a target="_blank" href="https://www.dashlane.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">Dashlane</a>, a free tool for managing your passwords, support for the MacBook Pro with Touch Bar. The upgrade provides one-touch log-in for logging into the app or creating a new account.</p>

<p>Apple ranks highest in overall satisfaction in the smartphone full-service carrier segment with a score of 840 (out of 1000), followed closely by Samsung (839). Apple ranks highest overall in performance and features dimensions, according to the <em>J.D. Power 2017 Full-Service Smartphone Satisfaction Study, </em>which was released today. Customer satisfaction is much higher among smartphone owners who use their device to operate other connected home services such as smart thermostats and smart appliances, notes the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.jdpower.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">research group</a>.</p>