Dennis Sellers

<p>The global smartphone installed base will grow from four billion in 2016 to more than six billion smartphones in use by 2020, according to new analysis released today by <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ihsmarkit.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">IHS Markit</a>. </p>

<p>IBM and Bell Canada are joining forces to offer IBM MobileFirst for iOS market-ready enterprise applications for the iPad, iPhone or Apple Watch.</p>

<p>In 2016, less than 5% of organizations used smartphones to enable access to offices and other premises. By 2020, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.gartner.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">Gartner, Inc</a>. predicts that 20% of organizations will use smartphones in place of traditional physical access cards.</p>

<p>Apple has <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/apple-sues-qualcomm-over-licensing-practices-1484944919">filed a lawsuit</a> against Qualcomm, the world’s dominant supplier of baseband processors, alleging the chip supplier demanded unfair terms for its technology. Earlier this week Federal Trade Commission filed a <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/cases/170117qualcomm_redacted_complaint.pdf">complaint in federal district court charging Qualcomm Inc. with using anticompetitive tactics</a> to maintain its monopoly in the supply of a key semiconductor device used in cell phones and other consumer products.</p>

<p>Apple “sits in the sweet spot generating the second largest amount of streaming revenue with a per stream rate .00735,” nearly double what Spotify is paying, according to <a target="_blank" href="https://thetrichordist.com/2017/01/16/updated-streaming-price-bible-w-2016-rates-spotify-apple-music-youtube-tidal-amazon-pandora-etc/" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Trichoridist</a>, an artists rights website. In other words, Apple Music plays more cash per stream to artists.</p>

<p>Apple is the top company that meets customer expectations in almost all markets that it operates according to the Brand Keys 22nd annual 2017 Customer Loyalty Engagement Index. The tech giant leads the field in brand engagement and customer loyalty, according to <a target="_blank" href="http://brandkeys.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">Brand Keys</a>, a the New York-based brand engagement and customer loyalty research consultancy.</p>

<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.lifeproof.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">LifeProof</a> has introduced iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus versions of its NUUD case. They feature a transparent back so you can show off your Apple smartphone and enhanced audio to keep calls and music crystal clear, according to LifeProof CEO Jim Parke.</p>

<p>Simply Mac, an Apple Authorized Reseller and Service Provider owned by GameStop, is shutting down some of its retail stores in the U.S. Locations in North Carolina, North Dakota, Montana, Texas, Illinois, Indiana, Utah, Idaho, Maryland, South Dakota, and more are closing this week, reports <a target="_blank" href="http://www.macrumors.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">MacRumors.</a></p>

<p>Apple has updated its pro video apps for macOS — Final Cut Pro X, Motion and Compressor —with feature tweaks, performance improvements and bug fixes. Final Cut Pro 10.3.2 changes include:</p>

<p>OFFICER solutions has introduced F<a target="_blank" href="https://www.officer.solutions" rel="noopener noreferrer">ox 1.0</a>, a new addition to their software line of royalty applications for entertainment companies. Developed specifically for artists, musicians and other right holders, Fox 1.0 for macOS (10.10 and higher) is designed to transform sales reports for content sold on the Internet into detailed royalty statements. </p>

<p>Zoho has launched <a target="_blank" href="https://www.zoho.com/notebook/notebook-for-mac.html" rel="noopener noreferrer">Notebook for Mac</a>, a new, free note-taking app. Notebook's mobile apps introduced the concept of Note Cards: dedicated note types for text, checklists, audio, photos, and sketches. </p>

<p><a href="http://mujjo.com/">Mujjo’s</a> full-grain leather sleeves are now available for the new 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pros for $60 and $65, respectively. I’ve been using one for the bigger Mac laptop and recommend that you check it out if you don’t have a sleeve or case for the computer.</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>Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP) has released analysis of the results from its research on Apple for the fiscal quarter that ended Dec. 31, 2016. The quarter includes the first full quarter of sales of the new iPhone 7 and 7 Plus models.</p>

<p>Apple may be planning to kick its Live Photos feature up a notch. The company has been granted a patent (number 20170017616) for “dynamic cinemagraph presentations.”</p>