Dennis Sellers

<p>Apple has released an <a target="_blank" href="https://developer.apple.com/news/?id=04112017a" rel="noopener noreferrer">update to TestFlight</a>, its free iOS app testing platform that’s part of iTunes Connect. It now provides multiple build support, enhanced group capabilities, and improved tester management—making it even easier to test your apps.</p>

<p>Feral Interactive says Total War: WARHAMMER for macOS, powered by Metal, Apple’s new graphics API (application programming interface) will be released on Tuesday, April 18. The game was developed for Windows PC by Creative Assembly in partnership with Games Workshop, and published by SEGA.</p>

<p>You knew this was going to happen, didn’t you? Qualcomm has “slammed Apple with a slew of counterclaim”s in California federal court on Monday, alleging the iPhone maker is lowballing license terms for Qualcomm’s standard essential patent technology, breaching cooperation agreements and making billions of dollars off of other companies’ innovations, reports <a target="_blank" href="https://www.law360.com/technology/articles/912275/apple-hit-with-counterclaims-in-1b-qualcomm-royalty-row?nl_pk=ade0cf2b-ea3f-464b-bc93-d8e19277ac63&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=technology" rel="noopener noreferrer">Law360</a>.</p>

<p>Apple’s AirDrop feature is a great way to share files with macOS Sierra (as well as iOS). It lets you send documents, photos, webpages, map locations, and more to anyone near you, wirelessly. You can send and receive items between Mac s and iOS devices that are on the same network.</p>

<p>I’ll be taking a vacation (the first one in years) soon at the Grand Canyon, and I think I’ll take the <a target="_blank" href="https://sunnycam.co/activ-edition-video-recording-glasses/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Sunnycam Activ</a> with me. It’s basically sunglasses equipped with a 1080p/30 frames-per-second video camera built “right between the eyes.”</p>

<p>Apple’s Mac saw its worldwide market share increase in the first quarter of 2017, according to reports from the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.gartner.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">Gartner</a> and <a target="_blank" href="http://www.idc.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">IDC</a> research groups.</p>

<p>Apple’s new, free <a target="_blank" href="https://appleworld.dreamhosters.com/blog/2017/4/7/a-quick-look-at-apples-clips-for-ios-devices-and-some-helpful-hints?rq=Clips" rel="noopener noreferrer">Clips app</a> saw between 500,000 and a million downloads, according to estimates from app store analytics firm App Annie — as noted by <a target="_blank" href="https://techcrunch.com/2017/04/11/apple-clips-scored-up-to-1-million-downloads-in-its-first-4-days/" rel="noopener noreferrer">TechCrunch</a>. Sound good, right? Still, Clips hasn’t yet broken into the top 20 apps by ranking in the U.S. App Store’s Top Charts.</p>

<p>Apple has released iOS 10.3.2 public beta number two. The beta should offer under-the-hood bug fixes and security improvements.</p>

<p>Apple will open its first retail store in Taiwan in the <a target="_blank" href="http://focustaiwan.tw/news/aeco/201704110017.aspx" rel="noopener noreferrer">Taipei 101 mall</a>, reports Focus Taiwan, quoting an unnamed “industry insider.” There's no info on an opening date. The Apple store will be spread over 1,322 square meters on the ground floor and the first basement level of the mall in Taiwan's tallest skyscraper, the article adds.</p>

<p>Apple has released the second public beta of its next update (10.12.5) for macOS Sierra. It’s a minor update that focuses on bug fixes and speed improvements.</p>

<p>Western Digital Corp. has expanded its G-Technology brand G-DRIVE storage portfolio with the G-DRIVE USB-C device. The new drive provides USB-C connectivity for next-generation Mac and PC computers while simultaneously charging compatible USB-C devices like the latest MacBook and MacBook Pro computers.</p>

<p>New data from <a target="_blank" href="http://www.juniperresearch.com/CMSModules/Newsletters/CMSPages/Redirect.ashx?linkguid=0083227a-f6f2-40cb-a460-953e715784e7&email=submitnews%40applecentral.com&hash=898d7744c1fb18e3162d64eeaff77c4d3cc1a3b3101c2b7a131d8a324f3f7a58" rel="noopener noreferrer">Juniper Research</a> estimates that the number of contactless pay users, including Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, and Android Pay, will exceed 100 million for the first time during the first half of 2017, before surpassing 150 million by the end of this year. And Apple's mobile payment system is predicting to reach 86 million users this year.</p>

<p>Apple has been granted a patent (number 9,621,987) for a “tactile swath for an electronic device” that hints at wireless speakers that could work with Macs, iOS devices and Apple TVs.</p>

<p>The total production volume of all iPhone devices for the first quarter of 2017 fell by 36% compared with the previous quarter and declined by 41% versus the same period a year ago, according to new data from <a target="_blank" href="http://www.trendforce.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">TrendForce</a>. Still, these results actually showed an overall improvement in iPhone sales, according to the research group. </p>

<p>German chipmaker Dialog Semiconductor’s stock has tumbled in Frankfurt, currently down 24.5%, as private bank Bankhaus Lampe downgrades the German chipmaker to Sell on risks that it might <a target="_blank" href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-dialog-apple-idUSKBN17D0VF" rel="noopener noreferrer">lose a crucial supplier deal</a> with Apple.</p>