Dennis Sellers

<p>Apple and Nike have announced that the Apple Watch Nike+ will be available on Friday, Oct. 28. It combines all the features of Apple Watch Series 2 with the new Nike+ Run Club app for motivation to go for a run, guidance from the world’s best coaches and athletes and coaching plans that adapt to your schedule and progress. </p>

<p>Apple remains the top global smartphone vendor despite a steep decline in sales. In fact, the worldwide smartwatch market saw a year-over-year decline in shipment volumes. </p>

<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.toastmade.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">Toast</a>, a company that creates laser-cut tech covers from real wood veneers, has launched their cover for the iPhone 7 line. I recently tried one with my iPhone 7 Plus, and it’s pretty cool — though I have one major reservation. </p>

<p>A couple of years ago <em>DigiTimes</em> said that Apple planned to upgrade the technologies used for printing its logo onto devices and would use laser cutting and unique embedded technologies to make the logo 3D-like and shine at the edges. That never happened. Could it be introduced with new Macs that will launch at <a target="_blank" href="https://appleworld.dreamhosters.com/blog/2016/10/19/its-official-apple-holding-a-hello-again-event-on-october-27" rel="noopener noreferrer">this week’s “hello, again” event</a>?</p>

<p>Apple and Facebook fare best in a new Amnesty International report ranking 11 tech companies that offer messaging services. Snapchat and Microsoft (Skype) are near the bottom.</p>

<p>AT&T’s interest in acquiring Time Warner has progressed quickly from "<a href="http://seekingalpha.com/news/3215408-time-warner-plus-7-percent-t-minus-2_2-percent-report-and-t-considered-taking-twx">had talks</a>" to "<a href="http://seekingalpha.com/news/3215704-time-warner-plus-7_8-percent-halted-report-and-t-deal-come-weekend-updated">advanced talks</a>" and now a deal could be set by Monday -- which <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-10-21/at-t-said-pushing-for-time-warner-deal-by-monday-to-beat-rivals">Bloomberg says</a> is due to a sped-up timetable caused by <em>Bloomberg</em>'s initial report.</p>

<p>The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus were only available for the final two weeks of the third quarter, but it accounted for 43% of Apple's U.S. iPhone sales during the period, according to a report by Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP).</p>

<p>China has hit an industry record with the highest revenue quarter the Apple App Store has ever seen, according to a report from App Annie, a analytics services and market intelligence company.</p>

<p>Satechi has unveiled its newest Metallic Series product – the Slim Aluminum Wireless Keypad. The keypad is designed to expand the functionality of a user’s existing keyboard to create a more comfortable environment when working on accounting tasks, Excel spreadsheets, and more.</p>

<p>In a note to clients, UBS analyst Steven Milunovich <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/analyst-ratings/analyst-color/16/10/8583945/checks-indicate-apple-iphone-7-sales-weaker-than-iphone-">notes</a> that devices perceived as comparable in quality and functionality to Apple's iPhone are cutting into sales of the iPhone 7 line in China. </p>

<p>Customer satisfaction is much higher among smartphone owners currently subscribing to full-service wireless carriers, compared with those purchasing service through a non-contract carrier, according to the “J.D. Power 2016 Full-Service Smartphone Satisfaction Study—Volume 2” (<a href="http://www.jdpower.com/resource/us-wireless-smartphone-satisfaction-study">http://www.jdpower.com/resource/us-wireless-smartphone-satisfaction-study</a>) and the “J.D. Power 2016 Non-Contract Smartphone Satisfaction Study.” Not surprisingly, Apple and Samsung lead smartphone rankings in the full service and non-contract segments.</p>

<p>IBM has announced the first <a href="http://www.ibm.com/mobilefirst/">IBM MobileFirst for iOS</a> education app: IBM Watson Element for Educators, which enables a new level of engagement for teachers by providing a holistic view of each student at their fingertips, including data on interests, accomplishments, academic performance, attendance, behaviors and learning activities. </p>

<p>Kansas’ Shawnee Heights School District, working with Jamf IT management solutions, has gone from 100% Microsoft to mostly Apple products in the past five years. The district buys all its products instead of leasing them despite dealing with budget constraints (as most school systems do).</p>

<p>The LaCrosse School District — which has 6,800 students — has 9,400 Apple devices in use and incorporates Jamf solutions. What’s more, Longfellow Middle School is an Apple Distinguished School. </p>

<p>As noted today at the Jamf Nation User Conference, Jacobs Medical Center at UC San Diego Health — working with Jamf IT management solutions— will open new month and deploy a first-of-its-kind (and only one of its kind, in fact) patient care solution using iPads and Apple TVs (connected to a 60-inch TV).</p>