Dennis Sellers

<p>Lisa Jackson — Apple’s Vice President of Environment, Policy, and Social Initiatives — has been named to a new advisory committee of the U.S. Department of Transportation to unify and regulate the introduction of automated vehicles to U.S. highways, reports <a target="_blank" href="http://appleinsider.com/articles/17/01/12/apple-svp-lisa-jackson-named-as-member-of-new-us-dot-automated-vehicle-committee" rel="noopener noreferrer">AppleInsider</a>.</p>

<p>Synology has launched the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.synology.com/products/RT2600ac" rel="noopener noreferrer">RT2600ac</a>, a high-speed, security-focused router designed for multiple users. In addition, VPN Plus has been released so users of the Synology router can implement an on-premises VPN solution.</p>

<p>Future AirPods might track your heart rate and more, then transmit the data to an Apple Watch or iPhone. Apple has been granted a patent (number 20170010858) for a “sports monitoring system for headphones, earbuds, and/or headsets.” </p>

<p>Apple plans to build a significant new business in original television shows and movies, the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/apple-sets-its-sights-on-hollywood-with-plans-for-original-content-1484217007" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Wall Street Journal reports</em></a>, in a move that could make it a bigger player in Hollywood and offset slowing sales of iPhones and iPads.</p>

<p>Analyst Horace Dediu says <a target="_blank" href="http://www.asymco.com/2017/01/11/the-first-trillion-dollars-is-always-the-hardest/" rel="noopener noreferrer">in a blog post</a> that Apple’s iOS hardware ecosystem and related services is on schedule to generate U.S.$1 trillion next year.</p>

<p>In a <a target="_blank" href="https://appleworld.dreamhosters.com/blog/2016/12/20/lg-ultrafine-4k-is-an-okay-display-for-new-macbook-pros-but-id-wait-for-the-5k-model?rq=UltraFine%204K" rel="noopener noreferrer">previous review,</a> I mentioned that I wasn’t overly impressed with the LG UltraFine 4K, one of the monitors LG co-developed with Apple for use with the 2016 MacBook Pros. Thankfully, the UltraFine 5K addresses some of its smaller siblings’ shortcomings (which it should since it’s more expensive).</p>

<p>It’s easy to get lost and not know where you are or what directory you’re growing using the macOS Finder. There’s a little known feature called Path Bar that can make your life easier. </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>Worldwide shipments of traditional PCs (desktops, notebooks, and workstations) totaled 70.2 million units in the fourth quarter of 2016 (4Q16), posting a year-on-year decline of 1.5%, according to the International Data Corporation (<a href="http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.idc.com%2F&esheet=51492755&newsitemid=20170111006082&lan=en-US&anchor=IDC&index=1&md5=23ce7459f5a94ae80f5709686d99af54">IDC</a>) <a href="http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.idc.com%2Ftracker%2Fshowproductinfo.jsp%3Fprod_id%3D1&esheet=51492755&newsitemid=20170111006082&lan=en-US&anchor=Worldwide+Quarterly+Personal+Computing+Device+Tracker&index=2&md5=0f761db10bbd30784cde3659e751c071">Worldwide Quarterly Personal Computing Device Tracker</a>. The Mac pretty much stayed even in the global market for the quarter, but saw its market share dip when the entire year of 2016 is considered.</p>

<p>Akitio has announced the upcoming release of the US$329 <a href="http://globalmessaging1.prnewswire.com/clickthrough/servlet/clickthrough?msg_id=8396821&adr_order=1410&url=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYWtpdGlvLmNvbS9wb3J0YWJsZS1zdG9yYWdlL2FraXRpby10aHVuZGVyMy1x%0AdWFkLW1pbmk%3D">Akitio Thunder3 Quad Mini</a>. The company says it’s the first 4-bay, 2.5-inch, Thunderbolt 3 storage device designed for use with the new 2016 Apple MacBook Pro lineup (macOS), as well as Thunderbolt 3 Windows PCs.  </p>

<p>The “long-awaited” AirPods release capped the the year that headphone buyers cut the cord, as wireless models comprised half of all online headphone sales in 2016, according to a new report from <a target="_blank" href="https://intelligence.slice.com/wireless-accounted-for-75-percent-of-headphones-sales-this-december/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Slice Intelligence</a>.</p>

<p>Apple has partnered with security firm Tresorit to offer developers using Apple's CareKit platform increased privacy options, helping reach HIPAA compliance, reports <a target="_blank" href="http://mashable.com/2017/01/11/apple-zerokit-security-carekit/#UUQ0Y63Ko5q6" rel="noopener noreferrer">Mashable</a>.</p>

<p><a target="_blank" href="https://appleworld.dreamhosters.com/blog/2017/1/10/brainchild-behind-swift-leaving-apple?rq=Chris%20Later" rel="noopener noreferrer">Chris Lattner</a> isn’t the only Apple exec who departed for Tesla. <em><a target="_blank" href="https://9to5mac.com/2017/01/11/matt-casebolt-touchbar-macbook/" rel="noopener noreferrer">9to5Ma</a>c</em> has reports that Matt Casebolt, a “high profile” Senior Director of Design for Apple’s Mac lineup left the company in December for a role at Tesla as Sr. Director Engineering, Closures & Mechanisms.</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 employee Chris Lattner, the senior director of Apple's Developer Tools Department, <a href="https://lists.swift.org/pipermail/swift-evolution/Week-of-Mon-20170109/030063.html">shared</a> today that he’s leaving the company after more than a decade. He was the leading figure behind Apple’s Swift programming language.</p>