Dennis Sellers

<p>Seems there’s plenty of room for the Apple HomeKit market to grow. Research from <a target="_blank" href="http://192.206.112.171/clickthrough/servlet/clickthrough?msg_id=8470495&adr_order=2391&url=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5wYXJrc2Fzc29jaWF0ZXMuY29tLw%3D%3D" rel="noopener noreferrer">Parks Associates</a> shows that more than 100 million U.S. households didn’t have a smart home device at the end of 2016. </p>

<p>Apple wants to make your macOS and iOS devices even more secure. The tech giant has filed for a patent (number 9,639,673) for “protecting software through a fake crytographic layer.”</p>

<p>A now <a target="_blank" href="https://www.reddit.com/r/apple/comments/68gqw8/group_facetime_peertopeer_apple_pay_and_more/" rel="noopener noreferrer">deleted Reddit</a> post — as noted by <a target="_blank" href="http://www.iphoneinformer.com/50032-ios-11-said-to-feature-smarter-battery-mode-new-payment-system-more/" rel="noopener noreferrer">iPhone Informer</a> — says that iOS 11, which will almost certainly be unveiled at next month’s <a target="_blank" href="https://appleworld.dreamhosters.com/blog/2017/2/16/2017-apple-wwdc-to-be-held-june-5-9-in-san-jose?rq=WWDC" rel="noopener noreferrer">Apple Worldwide Developer Conference</a>, will include a smarter battery mode and a new payment system.</p>

<p>Apple and Amazon are close to reaching an agreement that would bring Amazon Prime to the Apple TV, reports <a target="_blank" href="https://www.recode.net/2017/5/5/15552954/amazon-video-apple-tv-app-jeff-bezos-tim-cook" rel="noopener noreferrer">recode</a>, quoting unnamed “people familiar with the two companies.”</p>

<p>Robert Bosch has won orders from Apple to supply the next iPhone with some of its motion sensors, a potential blow to InvenSense, which currently is the main supplier of the smartphone components, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-05-04/bosch-said-to-win-some-iphone-orders-in-blow-to-invensense" rel="noopener noreferrer">Bloomberg reports</a>, quoting an unnamed “person familiar with the deal.”</p>

<p>As noted by <a target="_blank" href="http://www.cultofmac.com/479889/exxonmobil-stations-now-accept-apple-watch-payments/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Cult of Mac</a>, ExxonMobil stations in the U.S. are now accepting Apple Watch payments via Apple Pay, Apple’s mobile payment service.</p>

<p><a target="_blank" href="http://thefly.com/news.php?symbol=NFLX" rel="noopener noreferrer">Citi lists</a> Netflix as the top target of Apple in a note to clients. The investment firm thinks a 10% repatriation tax on cash sitting overseas will entice the tech giant to make the deal.</p>

<p>With macOS Sierra you can share calendars with others who have iCloud accounts. You can also choose whether others can edit the calendar or only view it. If you also use iCloud Family Sharing, a Family calendar automatically appears in the iCloud calendar list. Everyone in your Family Sharing group can view and update the same Family calendar.</p>

<p><a target="_blank" href="http://x-mirage.com/x-mirage/" rel="noopener noreferrer">X-Mirage</a> is an useful AirPlay server for Mac and Windows systems. It allows you to wirelessly stream contents or mirror your iDevice screen to any Mac and record everything onscreen with one click.</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>According to the latest research from <a target="_blank" href="http://www.strategyanalytics.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">Strategy Analytics</a>, global wearables shipments reached 22 million units in the first quarter of 2017 (Q1 2016). Apple captured 16% marketshare and became the world’s largest wearables vendor, overtaking Fitbit, thanks to the Apple Watch.</p>

<p>Apple’s share of the $600-plus Chinese smartphone market is 80%, according to new data from <a target="_blank" href="http://www.counterpoint.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">Counterpoint Research</a>. </p>

<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-imagination-tech-apple-idUSKBN1800IB" rel="noopener noreferrer">Imagination Technologies says</a> it's started a "dispute resolution procedure" with Apple, its biggest customer, after failing to resolve a standoff over licensing between the two companies.</p>

<p>iPad sales continued to shrink in Apple's fiscal 2017 second quarter that ended April 1, 2017 (approximately 8.9 million tablets compared to 10 million in fiscal quarter 2016), but it’s not just Apple that’s seeing tablet sales decline. And there's a glimmer of good news for the iPad Pro.</p>

<p>WaterField Designs has debuted the Bolt Crossbody, a slim-profile vertical laptop bag designed for commuters, professionals and adventure seekers. Available in three sizes to fit MacBooks, iPads and other devices, each Bolt includes a built-in, padded laptop-tablet sleeve, an Apple Pencil slot and several pockets.</p>