Dennis Sellers

<p>The Federal Trade Commission has filed a <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/cases/170117qualcomm_redacted_complaint.pdf">complaint in federal district court charging Qualcomm Inc. with using anticompetitive tactics</a> to maintain its monopoly in the supply of a key semiconductor device used in cell phones and other consumer products.</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 has released a supplemental security update for Mac OS X El Capitan (the predecessor to macOS Sierra. <a href="https://support.apple.com/kb/DL1908?locale=en_US">According to Apple</a>, it “fixes a kernel issue that may cause your Mac to occasionally become unresponsive.”</p>

<p>Well, this just makes you wonder about the the old cliche that 99% of all statistics are made up. Earlier this month <a target="_blank" href="https://appleworld.dreamhosters.com/blog/2017/1/11/apples-airpods-on-their-way-to-dominating-the-wireless-headphone-market?rq=Slice%20Intelligence" rel="noopener noreferrer">Slice Intelligence</a> said that Apple’s AirPods captured a 26% share of the wireless headphone market within a short time of going on sale. Together with a Beats share of around 15%, that put Apple at a combined total of 40%.</p>

<p>Future iOS devices such as iPhone and iPads may have knobs on their screens. Not physical knobs, but virtual ones. Apple has been granted a patent (number 9547,428) for a “system and method for touchscreen knob control.”</p>

<p>Apple is rising the prices for apps and in-app purchases at its app stores in some countries following changes to exchange rates and taxation policy. <a target="_blank" href="https://9to5mac.com/2017/01/17/app-store-app-prices-to-rise-in-the-uk-by-25-following-brexit-exchange-rate-fluctuations/" rel="noopener noreferrer">9to5Mac</a> reports that customers in India, Turkey and the United Kingdom will see price increases.</p>

<p>Yesterday <a target="_blank" href="https://appleworld.dreamhosters.com/blog/2017/1/16/analyst-apple-will-product-a-macbook-pro-with-32gb-of-memory-in-the-third-quarter" rel="noopener noreferrer">KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted</a> that Apple will offer a high-end MacBook Pro model this year with up to 32GB of —potentially desktop-class —RAM, while bumping 12-inch MacBook to 16GB of RAM. Now analysts from the supply chain are predicting that sales of Mac laptops will exceed 15 million in 2017.</p>

<p>Stellar Data Recovery's <a target="_blank" href="https://www.stellarinfo.com/mac-software/speed-up-mac.php" rel="noopener noreferrer">SpeedUp Mac</a> is a recommended performance optimization tool for macOS 10.11 and higher.</p>

<p>When you open a folder in the Finder (the default application for browsing your Mac’s files), the folder’s contents usually replace the current contents of the window. However, you can open a folder in a new tab or window, if you wish. To set folders to open in tabs or windows:</p>

<p>In a note to clients — as noted by <a target="_blank" href="http://appleinsider.com/articles/17/01/16/apple-to-offer-32gb-of-desktop-ram-in-top-end-2017-macbook-pro-16gb-for-12-macbook" rel="noopener noreferrer">AppleInsider</a> — KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicts that Apple will offer a high-end MacBook Pro model this year with up to 32GB of —potentially desktop-class —RAM, while bumping 12-inch MacBook to 16GB of RAM.</p>

<p>Element Case has debuted Katana, an iPhone case that’s the latest addition to the company’s Machine Series of cases that are precision-machined and hand-finished.</p>

<p>Fellowes Brands has introduced the <a href="http://www.fellowes.com/us/en/Products/Pages/product-listing.aspx?cat=OFFICE-WELL-BEING&subcat=SIT_STAND_SOLUTIONS&tercat=SIT_STANDS">Lotus Sit-Stand Workstation</a>, featuring Smooth Lift Technology designed to keep your workstation stable and make it easy to change positions from sitting to standing effortless. </p>

<p>The benchmark specialists at AnTuTu have compiled a chart — as noted by <a target="_blank" href="http://www.cultofmac.com/462661/iphone-7-tops-2016-smartphone-performance-chart/?utm_campaign=iphone-7-tops-2016-smartphone-performance-chart&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitter" rel="noopener noreferrer">Cult of Mac</a> — that highlights 2016’s top performing smartphones. The iPhone 7 Plus and the iPhone 7 take the number one and two spots.</p>

<p>Apple has honored Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with a <a href="http://www.apple.com/">full-page tribute</a> on its website. It has a photo of the civil rights leader and the following quote:</p>

<p>Another day, another lawsuit. Apple is being sued for, as usual, patent infringement by a company called Seatoun Media. In a lawsuit filed in the lawsuit-friendly Texas Eastern District Court, the company claims Apple’s iMessage service/app violates a 15-year-old patent for recording and playing back voice messages over a network, reports <a target="_blank" href="http://appleinsider.com/articles/17/01/16/lawsuit-accuses-apples-imessages-of-violating-2002-point-of-sale-patent" rel="noopener noreferrer">AppleInsider</a>.</p>