Dennis Sellers

<p>Apple set a new quarterly shipment record in in the fourth quarter of 2016, contributing to total smartwatch shipments exceeding nine million units, according to <a target="_blank" href="http://www.canalys.co" rel="noopener noreferrer">Canalys</a>. This global market figure was largely driven by Apple’s six million shipments, representing year-on-year growth of 12%. </p>

<p>Apple has released a second public beta of iOS 10.3. If you're not already signed up for the public beta program, <a href="https://beta.apple.com/sp/betaprogram/">you can do so here</a>. The public beta program is free, but remember: beta software is unfinished software so use with care.</p>

<p>Apple has released a second developer beta of macOS Sierra 10.12.4. It can be be downloaded from the Apple Developer Center — if you’re a registered developer, that is.</p>

<p>Apple Maps for macOS, iOS and watchOS now provides real-time traffic conditions to Argentina customers, according to Apple’s refreshed <a target="_blank" href="http://www.apple.com/ios/feature-availability/#maps-traffic" rel="noopener noreferrer">iOS Feature Availability webpage</a>.</p>

<p>Apple Pay has the largest percentage of supporting U.S. merchants with 36% accepting Apple’s mobile payment service, according to new data from <a target="_blank" href="https://bostonretailpartners.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Boston Retail Partners</a> (BRP) That’s up from 16% in 2016.</p>

<p>Apple blog <a href="https://pikeralpha.wordpress.com/2017/02/07/new-kaby-lake-based-hardware-models/"><em>Pike's Universum</em></a> hash uncovered three motherboard identifiers that hint at updated MacBook Pros with Kaby Lake processors. Since the latest version of the laptops only arrived, four months ago, I wouldn’t expect to see hardware updates for the line until September.</p>

<p>Steve (“Woz”) Wozniak, co-founder of Apple and Silicon Valley idol, will be speaking at the <a target="_blank" href="http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.startupworldcup.io%2Fgrand-finale&esheet=51505260&newsitemid=20170207005110&lan=en-US&anchor=Startup+World+Cup%C2%A0Grand+Finale&index=1&md5=75f12b6cba895ab2cada28fcc3494ea4" rel="noopener noreferrer">Startup World Cup Grand Finale</a> in San Francisco on March 24 at the Marriott Marquis. Startup World Cup is a global conference and competition organized by <a target="_blank" href="http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fenoxvc.com%2F&esheet=51505260&newsitemid=20170207005110&lan=en-US&anchor=Fenox+Venture+Capital&index=2&md5=ae9b80bec5d4823b5e18596015a02a71" rel="noopener noreferrer">Fenox Venture Capital</a> to bridge startup ecosystems worldwide.</p>

<p>Apple’s “spaceship campus” is a “futuristic campus built with astonishing attention to detail,” according to <a target="_blank" href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-apple-campus-idUSKBN15M0CM?utm_campaign=trueAnthem:+Trending+Content&utm_content=589971a204d30137b69d4f74&utm_medium=trueAnthem&t=9" rel="noopener noreferrer">Reuters</a>. The price tag for the project is estimated at $5 billion with more than $1 billion allocated for the interior of the building alone (though Apple hasn’t confirmed these figures).</p>

<p>A future Apple headphone may double as a portable speaker, hints a new patent. That would be something from the Beats line, not a future AirPod (though, admittedly, that would be impressive).</p>

<p>According to the latest <em>IDC Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker </em>from the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.idc.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">IDC research group</a><em>, </em>the smartphone market in China saw 19% year-over-year (YoY) growth and 17% quarter-over-quarter (QoQ)_ growth in the fourth quarter of 2016. It was the first time that Apple has seen a YoY decline in the People’s Republic of China market.</p>

<p>AR/VR evangelist Robert Scoble has tweaked his predictions about an Apple partnership with Carl Zeiss on a pair of smart glasses, and is predicting an announcement of the technology possibly as early as the middle of 2017, <a target="_blank" href="http://appleinsider.com/articles/17/02/06/vr-evangelist-doubles-down-on-rumor-that-apple-ar-headset-is-inbound-moves-date-up-to-2017" rel="noopener noreferrer">reports AppleInsider.</a></p>

<p style="margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px">Apple is launching its annual Back to School promotion on Macs and iPads this week in <a target="_blank" href="http://www.apple.com/nz-hed/shop" rel="noopener noreferrer">New Zealand </a>and <a target="_blank" href="http://www.apple.com/au-hed/shop" rel="noopener noreferrer">Australia</a>. The “Back to Uni” promotion runs throughMarch 16.</p>

<p>Apple <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-02-06/apple-hits-out-at-australian-banks-over-apple-pay-boycott-motive" rel="noopener noreferrer">continues to blast Australian banks</a> for attempting to stop or delay the roll-out of Apple Pay in the country. In its latest submission to the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission, the Cupertino, California-based company said it was concerned banks are seeking to “delay the expansion of Apple Pay,” hurting both consumers and smaller card issuers who could use the technology “as a means of securing a digital presence in competition with the big banks.”</p>

<p>Apple has once again requested to sell used iPhones in India as it negotiates with the government for concessions to start production in the country, reports <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-02-06/apple-said-to-revive-efforts-to-sell-used-iphones-in-india-iytyu64w?cmpid=socialflow-twitter-business&utm_content=business&utm_campaign=socialflow-organic&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social" rel="noopener noreferrer">Bloomberg</a>, quoting an unnamed “person familiar with the matter.”</p>

<p>The legal battle is intensifying over President Trump's immigration order, with further court filings expected today from both the government and Department of Justice. Seventy-five tech companies, including Apple, U.S. tech companies have <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2017/02/05/twitter-airbnb-and-others-to-file-opposition-to-trumps-immigration-order/">filed</a> an amicus brief opposing the travel ban, saying it "inflicts significant harm on American businesses.”</p>