Dennis Sellers

<p>Remember the language translators in <em>Star Trek</em>? Apple wants to give your iPhone, iPad, and perhaps your Apple Watch such capabilities. The company has filed for a patent (number 9,535,906) for a “mobile device having human translation capability with positional feedback.”</p>

<p>Apple's third-generation Apple Watch is expected to be unveiled in the third quarter of 2017 and will focus on improving battery life and overall performance, but will sport no major redesign, according to the Chinese-language Economic Daily News (EDN) — as noted by <a target="_blank" href="http://www.macrumors.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">MacRumors</a>.</p>

<p>If you want the Touch Bar experience that comes on some models of the 2016 MacBook Pro but can’t afford the new laptop, you can experience it on your current Mac with he Duet Display app.</p>

<p>According to the latest market share survey from <a target="_blank" href="http://netmarkeshare.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">NetMarketShare</a>, the market share for iOS rose, but that for macOS dipped in December.</p>

<p>Ahead of Apple Music in the list were Facebook, FaceBook Messenger, YouTube, Google Maps, Google Search, Google Play, Gmail, and Instagram. In the 10th spot, behind Apple Music, was the Amazon App.</p>

<p>I've stared into my crystal ball and this is what I see happening in regards to Apple in 2017. Here’s what I’m predicting for the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Apple TV.</p>

<p style="margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px">I've stared into my crystal ball and this is what I see happening in regards to Apple in the 2017. First, let’s look at the Mac line-up, which was sorely neglected this year. </p>

<p>If you have a new MacBook Pro and, like me, don’t want all your info stored only “in the cloud,” the <a target="_blank" href="https://eshop.macsales.com/shop/external-drives/owc-mercury-elite-pro-dual/mini" rel="noopener noreferrer">OWC Mercury Elite Pro Dual mini RAID</a> is a great solution for expanding your available local storage.</p>

<p>Apple CEO Tim Cook has called the AirPods a “runaway success,” and maybe he’s not exaggerating. Apple is seeing strong demand for the wireless earpieces during the year-end holidays and its strong sales are expected to benefit the device's manufacturer Inventec, according to a Chinese-language <em>Economic Daily News</em> (<em>EDN</em>) report (as noted by <a target="_blank" href="http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20161230PB200.html?mod=3&q=AIRPODS" rel="noopener noreferrer">DigiTimes</a>). </p>

<p>A family grieving the death of their daughter wants Apple held accountable for encouraging distracted driving with its FaceTime app, in a <a href="http://courthousenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/FaceTime.pdf">lawsuit</a> filed Friday in Santa Clara County Superior Court. FaceTime is a videoconferencing app that Apple includes with its iOS and Mac devices. </p>

<p>According to <a target="_blank" href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/apple-plans-to-make-iphones-in-bengaluru-from-april/articleshow/56246016.cms" rel="noopener noreferrer">Times of India</a>, Apple plans to make iPhones for the Indian market in Bengaluru, the home of India’s startup scene. Wistron, a Taiwanese original equipment manufacturer (OEM) maker for the Cupertino, California-based company, is setting up a facility in Peenya, the city's industrial hub, to manufacture the iPhones. </p>

<p>A 5.5-inch iPhone 7 Plus not big enough for you? No problem-o. The 2017 Apple smartphones will have at least one model with a 5.8-inch screen, according to a <a target="_blank" href="http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20161229PD200.html" rel="noopener noreferrer">DigiTimes report</a>. </p>

<p>Kanex will use CES 2017 (running Jan. 5-8 in Las Vegas, Nevada) to introduce the two newest members to its growing line of <a target="_blank" href="http://www.kanex.com/gopowerwatch" rel="noopener noreferrer">GoPower Apple Watch accessories.</a> The products are the GoPower Watch Stand, a magnetic charging stand, and the GoPower Watch Mini, a portable keychain battery. </p>

<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.mujjo.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">Mujjo’s</a> full-grain leather sleeves are now available for the new 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pros. They sport a combination of full grain vegetable-tanned leather and felt.</p>

<p>AirPods remain in short supply. A Wednesday afternoon inventory check by Barron’s <a href="http://www.barrons.com/articles/apples-tim-cook-calls-airpods-runaway-success-1482946340">showed</a> only one store in the country — in Bridgewater, N.J. — that currently has the wireless earphones in stock, while Apple.com displayed a six-week wait for delivery.</p>