Dennis Sellers

<p>Rhoda Alexander, director of Tablets and PCs, at the IHS Markit research group tells <a target="_blank" href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/brookecrothers/2017/02/26/apple-readies-new-2017-ipad-pro-low-cost-ipad-but-release-date-not-certain/#59b666ef939f" rel="noopener noreferrer">Forbes contributor Brooke Crothers</a> that we should expect to see a new iPad Pro design with a 10.5-inch display soon. This echoes a <a target="_blank" href="https://appleworld.dreamhosters.com/blog/2016/8/15/the-latest-ipad-pro-rumors-and-my-take-on-them?rq=Ming-Chi%20Kuo" rel="noopener noreferrer">prediction</a> made last August by KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.</p>

<p>SAP SE plans to deliver the SAP Cloud Platform SDK [software developer kit] for iOS on March 30, giving developers the tools for building enterprise apps for the iPhone and iPad. </p>

<p>Apple came in ninth on the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.thelondoneconomic.com/news/2017-superbrands-announced/27/02/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Top 20 Business Superbrands for 2017 list</a>, a survey of marketing experts and thousands of British business professionals. British Airways claimed the top spot. </p>

<p>Western Digital Corporation has increased the capacity of its line of iOS mobile flash drives with the introduction of its <a target="_blank" href="http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sandisk.com%2Fhome%2Fmobile-device-storage%2Fixpand&esheet=51516194&newsitemid=20170226005105&lan=en-US&anchor=256GB**+SanDisk%C2%AE+iXpandTM+Flash+Drive&index=1&md5=e7b66f5def0fb6c369b7ec76788e74bf" rel="noopener noreferrer">256GB SanDisk iXpand Flash Drive</a> and <a target="_blank" href="http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=https://www.sandisk.com/home/mobile-device-storage/connect-wireless-stick&esheet=51516194&newsitemid=20170226005105&lan=en-US&anchor=256GB+SanDisk+ConnectTM+Wireless+Stick&index=2&md5=ade098478ddee748219b5bf3482e99f8" rel="noopener noreferrer">256GB SanDisk Connect Wireless Stick</a>.<strong> </strong>The former is a mobile storage device designed to help people quickly and easily free up space on their iPhone and iPad.</p>

<p>Following six straight quarters of year-over-year decline, the Australian mobile phone market returned to growth as it shipped 2.93 million mobile phones in quarter four of 2016, as compared to 2.84 million the same time the previous year representing a 3.2% year-over-year growth.</p>

<p>Andrew Murphy, co-founder of the Loup Ventures a venture capital firm called Loup Ventures, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/analyst-ratings/analyst-color/17/02/9094136/and-the-oscar-goes-to-apple?utm_campaign=Feed%3A+benzinga%2Fbest-of-benzinga+%28The+Best+of+Benzinga%29&utm_medium=feed&utm_source=feedburner" rel="noopener noreferrer">predicts that Apple will win an Oscar</a> within five years for its original content. That amount of time happens to be the period it should take the company to scale its original content. </p>

<p>In macOS Sierra’s Safari web browser, you can choose where downloaded files are deposited. By default they’re located in your Downloads folder. </p>

<p>Switching from one Mac email app to another: Stellar Data Recovery's Mail Converter is an all-in-one email migration utility for macOS (10.7 and higher) that lets you migrate your emails from one platform to another.</p>

<p>Mobile app data and insights company, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.appannie.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer">App Annie</a>, and the International Data Corporation (<a target="_blank" href="http://www.idc.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer">IDC</a>) research group have uunveiled a special joint report entitled, <em>Gaming Spotlight, 2016 Review</em>. The report analyzes the mobile video games market in 2016 from several vantage points and puts it in a broader, global gaming industry context.</p>

<p>The next major iPhone release will certainly be one of the most anticipated events in the global consumer electronics market in the second half of 2017, according to <a target="_blank" href="http://www.trendforce.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">TrendForce</a>. The research group’s recent findings on the 10th anniversary iPhone release reveal that Apple’s latest refresh of the device series will include three new models, with one of them having significant hardware and design upgrades such as an AMOLED display.</p>

<p>A new <a target="_blank" href="http://www.gartner.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">Gartner</a> mobile apps survey shows that the number of consumers using messaging apps and personal assistant apps such as Apple’s Siri is continuing to grow. The survey showed that 35% of respondents said they used virtual personal assistants (VPAs) in 2016, up four percentage points from 2015. Seventy-one percent of respondents used messaging apps, a 3% increase in 2016.</p>

<p>The AWT News Update is on hiatus while my compadre, Steve, takes a trip. 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>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>Apple is expected to unveil a revamped iPad line-up soon in the sizes of 9.7 inches, 12.9 inches and a new 10.5-inch model. The tablets were expected to be unveiled at a March event (though Apple has yet to announce such an event). However, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20170223PD209.html)" rel="noopener noreferrer">DigiTimes</a> says that the two larger models won’t arrive until May or June. </p>

<p>In early 2016, Apple discovered what it believed was a potential security vulnerability in at least one data center server it purchased from Super Micro Computer, reports <a target="_blank" href="https://www.theinformation.com/apple-severed-ties-with-server-supplier-after-security-concern?shared=516084" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Information</a>, quoting a Super Micro executive and two people who were briefed about the incident at Apple. </p>