Dennis Sellers

<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.filemaker.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">FileMaker, Inc</a>., a wholly owned subsidiary of Apple, has announced that its cloud platform for managing and running custom apps, FileMaker Cloud, is now available in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). </p>

<p>The CIA faces what could potentially be the biggest ever leak of its secrets, after Wikileaks <a target="_blank" href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/new-wikileaks-documents-fuel-tension-between-intelligence-agencies-tech-sector-1488935711" rel="noopener noreferrer">published</a> thousands of documents claiming to show how the agency uses cyber espionage tactics to hack into smartphones and other devices.</p>

<p>A post on the Japanese blog <em>Mac Otakara</em> — as noted by <a target="_blank" href="http://appleinsider.com/articles/17/03/08/rumor-apples-iphone-8-might-not-feature-full-screen-oled-sans-home-button-to-launch-long-after-september-reveal" rel="noopener noreferrer">AppleInsider</a> — says Apple is <a target="_blank" href="http://www.macotakara.jp/blog/rumor/entry-32050.html" rel="noopener noreferrer">working</a> to finalize an "iPhone Edition" set to debut alongside expected "iPhone 7s" and "iPhone 7s Plus" handsets this fall. </p>

<p>Component supplier Ibiden is the first company in Japan to pledge it will power all of its Apple manufacturing with 100% renewable energy — a new milestone for Apple and Japan. The announcement marks a significant step forward in Apple’s efforts to help its manufacturing partners transition to clean power, says Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice president for Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives.</p>

<p>Apple captured 79.2% of global smartphone profits last year, according to new data from <a target="_blank" href="http://www.strategyanalytics.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">Strategy Analytics</a>, as noted by <a target="_blank" href="http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20170308000345" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Korea Herald</a>. The tech giant is estimated to have posted total operating profits of $53.7 billion last year, with Apple's operating profit standing at $44.9 billion, notes the research group.</p>

<p>You can click the yellow pill button in the upper left corner of a window to minimize an app’s window in macOS Sierra. However, if you minimize a lot of windows, the right side of the Dock quickly becomes cluttered. The solution: minimize windows into their app icons. </p>

<p>My 18-month-old granddaughter sometimes sleeps over at our house, so a night light is useful. Before Elizabeth was born, I hadn’t given night lights much thought since my own kiddos were little. Now I realize how handy they are, which is why I’m a fan of SnapPower’s <a target="_blank" href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/snappower/instantly-turn-your-lightswitch-into-an-automatic" rel="noopener noreferrer">SwitchLight</a>.</p>

<p>A new report from <a target="_blank" href="http://www.strategyanalytics.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">Strategy Analytics</a> says Amazon's Alexa (pictured) took 88% of the global intelligent home speaker market in the fourth quarter of 2016.</p>

<p><strong><em>BLACK ENTERPRIS</em>E</strong> has released its listing of “The Most Powerful Women in Business,” as featured in the publication's January/February 2017 issue. Bozoma Saint John, head of Global Marketing, Apple Music, made the cut.</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>App Camp For Girls, a non-profit organization aimed at correcting the gender imbalance in the software industry, has opened 2017 registration for its summer program that teaches girls how to make mobile apps in one week. This year, the aspiring developers will use Apple's new educational tool, Swift Playgrounds, a new app for iPad that teaches Swift code in a fun and interactive way.</p>

<p>Apple has been granted patent involving face recognition, which will fuel speculation that such a feature will be present in the upcoming “iPhone 8.” However, the technology could also apply to iPads and Macs.</p>

<p>Apple Pay is now available in Ireland with support for KBC Bank Ireland and Ulster Bank. Visa and MasterCard holders that bank with KBC and Ulster Bank can use Apple’s mobile payment service, which also works with the Boon pre-pay system.</p>

<p>You can remove all records that macOS Sierra’s Safari keeps of where you’ve browsed during a period of time you want. If your Mac and your other devices have Safari turned on in iCloud preferences, your browsing history is removed from all of them. </p>

<p>As shown by the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.jamf.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">2017 Jamf Trends Survey</a>, Apple is gaining ground in the enterprise because employees prefer devices they use in their personal lives. The survey looked at Apple in the enterprise – evaluating growth, key drivers for adoption and ease of management. </p>