Dennis Sellers

<p>Apple has been granted yet another patent (number 201603277799) for an augmented reality (AR) display that could be used with an iPhone. The patent is for a “head-mounted display apparatus for retaining a portable electronic device with display.” Similar to patents 8,957,835 and 9,482,869, it’s for VR goggles that would connect to the smartphone (or perhaps an iPod touch) to a GoPro-ish head mount for viewing media on a private display.</p>

<p>Apple CEO Tim Cook has sent out a company-wide memo — obtained by <a target="_blank" href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/johnpaczkowski/read-tim-cooks-email-to-apple-employees-after-donald-trumps?utm_term=.wcJj8g3bz#.it4YxJEo9" rel="noopener noreferrer">BuzzFeed News</a> — addressing employee concerns about the recent, divisive U.S. Presidential race. It reads:</p>

<p>Rain Design’s <a target="_blank" href="http://www.raindesigninc.com/products.html" rel="noopener noreferrer">mStand serie</a>s was recently expanded to include stands for the iPad. They’re handy for elevating and supporting the Apple tablet and are especially convenient if you use <a target="_blank" href="https://appleworld.dreamhosters.com/blog/2016/1/29/ipad-pro-macbook-duet-display-lots-of-screen-real-estate?rq=Duet%20Display" rel="noopener noreferrer">Duet Display software</a> to use an iPad as a secondary display with your Mac.</p>

<p>The <a href="http://www.apple.com/shop/product/HKN62LL/A/lg-ultrafine-5k-display?fnode=8a">LG UltraFine 5K Display, </a>which Apple touts as the high-end external display to use with the new MacBook Pros, is “currently unavailable” for order at Apple’s online store. However, Jen Langione, a senior account exec at LG, tells <em>Apple World Today</em> that it will go on sale in early December at Apple Stores in the United States.</p>

<p>The latest smartphone OS sales data from <a target="_blank" href="http://www.kantarworldpanel.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">Kantar Worldpanel ComTech</a> shows 5.2% percentage point U.S. market share increase for iOS during the third quarter of 2016 to 34.2%. Both iOS and Android made gains across most of the EU5 countries: France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom). </p>

<p>SwitchEasy’s GLASS is a new protective case designed specifically for the jet black iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 plus. Many metal cases on the market require screws to be disassembled. However, GLASS’s patented lock-release mechanism lets you take the phone out of the case with the slide of the button.</p>

<p>Just over a month after launching Apple Pay on the web, new data from SimilarTech — as noted by <a target="_blank" href="https://9to5mac.com/2016/11/09/apple-pay-web-fifth-most-popular-payment-platform/" rel="noopener noreferrer">9to5Mac</a> — shows Apple has already made it into the top five payment technologies online. </p>

<p>The new MacBook Pro may be controversial (and that’s an understatement), but <a target="_blank" href="http://intelligence.slice.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">Slice Intelligence </a>reports that in the first five days of availability online, the latest model generated over seven times the revenue that the 12-inch MacBook did during its April 2015 launch. </p>

<p>Up to four million Australians will soon be able to use Apple Pay following a deal Cuscal has made with Apple, reports <a target="_blank" href="http://news.com.au" rel="noopener noreferrer">news.com.au</a>. Cuscal is an independent provider of payment solutions including card and acquiring products, mobile payments, fraud prevention, EFT switching and direct entry.</p>

<p>Here's some good news for Apple's iBookstore: the ebook market will more than double by 2020, according to <a target="_blank" href="http://www.strategyanalytics.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">Strategy Analytics</a>. Increasing e-reading device penetration, more readily available content, new business models, and adoption in China will see the market's revenue top $16 billion in the next eight years, the research group adds.</p>

<p>If you need to completely erase data from a hard drive, you need to check out the <a href="http://www.wiebetech.com/products/Drive_eRazer_Ultra.php">Drive eRazer Ultra</a> from <a href="http://www.cru-dataport.com/products/RAX-Wizard.php">CRU-DataPort</a>. Let me rephrase that: it’s a great device if you regularly have to erase data. It’s overkill for those who only do this occasionally — say, such as when they’re selling a Mac.</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 now selling refurbished iPhones from its U.S. online store, which is a first for the company. The refurbished phones are available at the company’s <a target="_blank" href="//www.apple.com/shop/browse/home/specialdeals" rel="noopener noreferrer">Certified Refurbished site</a> along with Macs, iPads, and iPods. </p>

<p>Apple <a target="_blank" href="http://www.apple.com/apple-pay/holiday/" rel="noopener noreferrer">has launched a website</a> with “exclusive holiday offers with Apple Pay on the web.” However, the offers regarding the mobile payment service are good in the U.S. only.</p>

<p>This week the Irish government will <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-eu-apple-taxavoidance-ireland-idUSKBN13320P">formally submit an appeal</a> against the <a href="http://www.macrumors.com/2016/08/30/apple-repay-14-5-billion-back-taxes-ec-rules/">European Commission's ruling</a> that it must collect 13 billion euros in unpaid back taxes from Apple.</p>