Dennis Sellers

<p>Last week both <a target="_blank" href="https://appleworld.dreamhosters.com/blog/2016/9/9/first-world-problems-part-two-a-big-thumbs-down-on-apples-iphone-7-pre-order-process" rel="noopener noreferrer">Steve</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://appleworld.dreamhosters.com/blog/2016/9/9/my-frustrating-attempts-to-buy-an-iphone-7-plus-and-second-gen-apple-watch" rel="noopener noreferrer">Yours Truly</a> shared our problems in trying to order an iPhone 7 using Apple’s Upgrade Program. </p>

<p>Apple has paid between an 18% and 19% cash tax rate the past four years — or about 70% of its reported tax rate, according to Chuck Jones, a wealth strategist with Northern Trust.</p>

<p>Trend Micro, an IT security company, has discovered a China-based third-party app store that has found a way to distribute repackaged iOS apps. Haima abuses the Apple Developer Enterprise Program by feigning it’s an enterprise, which allows it to bypass the App Store's rigorous security controls and distribute iOS apps without undergoing Apple’s standard vetting and certification process.</p>

<p>Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services, is one of the backers of a new, digital leadership platform dubbed <a href="https://home.gopowerforward.com/">PowerForward</a>, which was co-founded by Mike Krzyzewski, the head basketball coach if Duke University and the USA National Team, reports <a target="_blank" href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/stevenbertoni/2016/09/12/dukes-coach-krzyzewski-and-apples-eddie-cue-launch-tech-start-up-powerforward/#11aac34b79d9" rel="noopener noreferrer">Forbes</a>. </p>

<p style="margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px">Miami-based security solutions company, ProtectStar, has launched <a target="_blank" href="https://www.protectstar.com/en/camera-guard" rel="noopener noreferrer">Camera Guard Professional for Mac 2016</a>, a security solution designed to protect any Mac's webcam and microphone from being accessed by hackers, spyware or malware. </p>

<p>European Union finance ministers <a target="_blank" href="http://www.dw.com/en/eu-ministers-line-up-to-take-bite-out-of-apple/a-19542251" rel="noopener noreferrer">are reportedly lining up</a> to get a hunk of Apple's tax revenue following <a target="_blank" href="https://appleworld.dreamhosters.com/blog/2016/9/2/irelands-cabinet-joins-apple-in-eu-back-tax-brouhaha?rq=European%20Commission" rel="noopener noreferrer">a ruling</a> by the European Commission that Apple owes €13 billion (about $14.5 billion) in back taxes.</p>

<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.theinpaint.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Inpaint </a>for Mac OS X (10.7 and higher) lets you remove unwanted objects from a photo easily -- as long as you're not trying to remove complex objects.</p>

<p>Apple’s iOS might be first to support an augmented reality contact lens system currently in development at EP Global Communications, as the two companies <a target="_blank" href="//iapplestuffs.blogspot.com/2016/09/apple-is-meeting-with-augmented-reality.html" rel="noopener noreferrer">are reportedly scheduled</a> to meet next week to discuss potential platform integrations.</p>

<p>Apple is “rethinking” what it plans to do about self-driving cars, reports <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/10/technology/apple-is-said-to-be-rethinking-strategy-on-self-driving-cars.html?_r=1" rel="noopener noreferrer">The New York Times</a>. The company has shuttered parts of its “Apple Car” project and laid off dozens of employees, the article adds quoting three unnamed “people briefed on the move who were not allowed to speak about it publicly.” Keep in mind that the company has never confirmed any automotive plans beyond its CarPlay initiative.</p>

<p>Future iPhones, iPads and Apple Watches — and who knows?, perhaps Macs — may be more bendable. Apple has been granted a patent (number 20160260945) for a “flexible battery pack.”</p>

<p>I’m tired, very tired, as I write this at 8:30 a.m. (Central). I was up at 2 a.m. (Central) to order an iPhone 7 Plus and an Apple Watch Nike+. I though the process would be simple since was up and at ‘em so early. I was wrong.</p>

<p>Not everyone loves leather, and if you fall into this category, I have two words for you; ballistic nylon! That’s right, WaterField Designs has created the perfect briefcase for any on-the-go techie using this durable, nearly-indestructible material that can bounce back from any ding or nick and still look good. </p>

<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.tivo.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">TiVo</a> has released findings from a sponsored survey of pay TV and over-the-top (OTT) service subscribers in the U.S., Europe and Asia. The global study is a follow-up to Rovi’s 2015 consumer survey, delving deeper into how viewers engage with content and explore the services and devices that make up their entertainment lifestyle.</p>

<p>Macy’s CEO-designate Jeff Gennette told <a target="_blank" href="http://fortune.com/2016/09/08/macys-apple-deal/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Wall Street analysts</a> that the department store has signed a deal with Apple to open an Apple store within its one million square-foot flagship at Herald Square in New York. </p>

<p>Apple needs the iPhone 7 to be a major success because it is the main driver of growth for the whole company, according to Paul Erickson, senior analyst, Connected Home at <a href="https://technology.ihs.com/">IHS Technology</a>. Direct revenues for the iPhone represented 57% of total Apple revenue in the second calendar quarter, but the importance of the iPhone for Apple is much greater than direct revenues alone, he adds.</p>