Dennis Sellers

<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.padandquill.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">Pad & Quill</a> has announced new Apple Watch straps. The Special Edition 60-Year Leather Lowry Cuff  is made from vintage full grain leather in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  Available with either matte black or nickel finish hardware, it matches the Apple Watch Series 1 2 perfectly. The limited edition band for costs US$249.</p>

<p style="margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px">According to preliminary results from the International Data Corporation (<a href="http://www.idc.com/">IDC</a>) <a href="http://www.idc.com/tracker/showproductinfo.jsp?prod_id=37">Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker</a>, vendors shipped a total of 362.9 million smartphones worldwide in the third quarter of 2016 (3Q16). Despite the recall of Samsung's Galaxy Note 7, volumes were up 1% compared to 3Q15 when vendors shipped 359.3 million units. </p>

<p>Although the Apple Watch Series 2 offers better battery life than the first generation smartwatch, there are steps you can take to maximize the life of your battery and the lifespan of your Apple Watch.</p>

<p>Apple will hold its “hello, again” media event today at 10 a.m. (Pacific). AppleWorld.Today will have complete coverage of the announcements, but here’s what I’m predicting.</p>

<p>Apple's new “spaceship” headquarters in Cupertino, California, won’t open until 2017, according to <a target="_blank" href="http://www.cupertino.org/index.aspx?page=1223" rel="noopener noreferrer">a construction update.</a> Street and building work was originally meant to be wrapped up in the third quarter of 2016.</p>

<p>Originally <a href="http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2016/09/07Apple-Reinvents-the-Wireless-Headphone-with-AirPods.html">set for late-October availability</a>, Apple told <a target="_blank" href="https://techcrunch.com/2016/10/26/apple-delays-airpod-rollout-dont-expect-them-in-october/" rel="noopener noreferrer">TechCrunch</a> that the product needs "a little more time" before it's ready for market.</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 working on three new <a href="http://www.macrumors.com/roundup/iphone-8/">iPhone 8</a> models (shown in fanciful mock-ups) that will launch next year, and all will sport glass-backed bodies, reports Japanese news site <a href="http://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Companies/All-three-iPhone-8-models-likely-to-have-glass-backs-source"><em>Nikkei</em></a>.</p>

<p>At tomorrow’s’ “hello, again” event, Apple will new an app that lets Apple TV users find new shows based on what they watch on the Apple set-top box.</p>

<p>Elgato has launched the $49.95 Eve Light Switch, which the company says is the world’s first light switch with HomeKit technology for light control. It transforms any single or multi-bulb setup into a Siri-enabled lighting system, so you can use your voice to control your existing bulbs regardless of their shape, size or color. </p>

<p>Apple Design Chief Jony Ive’s new creation is the iTree. Well, okay, that’s not really its name, but Ive and his buddy, Marc Newson, <a target="_blank" href="//www.claridges.co.uk/christmas/christmas-tree/" rel="noopener noreferrer">are designing</a> the 2016 Christmas tree for the Claridge hotel in London. The tree will be unveiled in Claridge’s lobby on Friday Nov. 18.</p>

<p>At the third annual <a href="http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.quickbooksconnect.com%2F&esheet=51444772&newsitemid=20161025005190&lan=en-US&anchor=QuickBooks+Connect&index=1&md5=a6c4b351232d4dcc399d3bf49ae6b3c2">QuickBooks Connect</a> conference, Intuit said it will roll out a suite of product innovations “designed to fuel the next wave of worldwide small business success.” One of those is Apple Pay integration with QuickBooks Online.</p>

<p>AdaptiveMobile, which specializes in mobile network security, claims that continued spam is being sent from North American iCloud users’ accounts, resulting in these accounts being used to send “hundreds of thousands” of spam SMS messages to China. The company is also reporting a broadening of attacks, with the initial messages offering counterfeit luxury goods now expanding to promote gambling sites.</p>

<p>You need drives to populate your Drobo 5C (<a target="_blank" href="https://appleworld.dreamhosters.com/blog/2016/10/5/the-drobo-5c-is-a-great-product-for-local-storage-and-back-up?rq=Drobo" rel="noopener noreferrer">see my review)</a>, and one of the best, all-round choices I’ve run across so far is the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00B99JU4S/appwortod01-20/" rel="noopener noreferrer">3.5-inch Barracuda 4TB drive</a>. </p>

<p>You young whipper-snappers may find it easy to read the small text on an Apple Watch screen, but some of us who are more …. seasoned … may prefer some bigger letters. Thankfully, it’s easy to change the text size on your smartwatch. Here’s how:</p>