Dennis Sellers

<p>If you have a new MacBook Pro and, like me, don’t want all your info stored only “in the cloud,” the <a target="_blank" href="https://eshop.macsales.com/shop/external-drives/owc-mercury-elite-pro-dual/mini" rel="noopener noreferrer">OWC Mercury Elite Pro Dual mini RAID</a> is a great solution for expanding your available local storage.</p>

<p>Apple CEO Tim Cook has called the AirPods a “runaway success,” and maybe he’s not exaggerating. Apple is seeing strong demand for the wireless earpieces during the year-end holidays and its strong sales are expected to benefit the device's manufacturer Inventec, according to a Chinese-language <em>Economic Daily News</em> (<em>EDN</em>) report (as noted by <a target="_blank" href="http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20161230PB200.html?mod=3&q=AIRPODS" rel="noopener noreferrer">DigiTimes</a>). </p>

<p>A family grieving the death of their daughter wants Apple held accountable for encouraging distracted driving with its FaceTime app, in a <a href="http://courthousenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/FaceTime.pdf">lawsuit</a> filed Friday in Santa Clara County Superior Court. FaceTime is a videoconferencing app that Apple includes with its iOS and Mac devices. </p>

<p>According to <a target="_blank" href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/apple-plans-to-make-iphones-in-bengaluru-from-april/articleshow/56246016.cms" rel="noopener noreferrer">Times of India</a>, Apple plans to make iPhones for the Indian market in Bengaluru, the home of India’s startup scene. Wistron, a Taiwanese original equipment manufacturer (OEM) maker for the Cupertino, California-based company, is setting up a facility in Peenya, the city's industrial hub, to manufacture the iPhones. </p>

<p>A 5.5-inch iPhone 7 Plus not big enough for you? No problem-o. The 2017 Apple smartphones will have at least one model with a 5.8-inch screen, according to a <a target="_blank" href="http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20161229PD200.html" rel="noopener noreferrer">DigiTimes report</a>. </p>

<p>Kanex will use CES 2017 (running Jan. 5-8 in Las Vegas, Nevada) to introduce the two newest members to its growing line of <a target="_blank" href="http://www.kanex.com/gopowerwatch" rel="noopener noreferrer">GoPower Apple Watch accessories.</a> The products are the GoPower Watch Stand, a magnetic charging stand, and the GoPower Watch Mini, a portable keychain battery. </p>

<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.mujjo.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">Mujjo’s</a> full-grain leather sleeves are now available for the new 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pros. They sport a combination of full grain vegetable-tanned leather and felt.</p>

<p>AirPods remain in short supply. A Wednesday afternoon inventory check by Barron’s <a href="http://www.barrons.com/articles/apples-tim-cook-calls-airpods-runaway-success-1482946340">showed</a> only one store in the country — in Bridgewater, N.J. — that currently has the wireless earphones in stock, while Apple.com displayed a six-week wait for delivery.</p>

<p>Apple’s AirPods do a great job of staying in your ears during exercise, according to most users (though my experience has not been as positive), but Apple is looking into “earphone assemblies with magnets for anchoring to a user,” according to a new patent filing (number 20160381448). Yep, that’s right. Magnets.</p>

<p>Apple wants the government of India to relax labelling rules so that it doesn't have to print product-related information directly onto devices to avoid cluttering up their minimalist design, according to <a target="_blank" href="http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/hardware/apple-seeks-relaxed-labelling-rules-doesnt-want-to-print-product-info-on-devices/articleshow/56229190.cms" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Economic Times</a>. That's one of the concessions Apple has sought after expressing its intention to start manufacturing in India, the article adds, quoting an unnamed official. </p>

<p>Distil Union’s U.S.$44.99 <a target="_blank" href="http://www.distilunion.com/collections/wally-wallet-cases" rel="noopener noreferrer">Wally Wallet case</a> combines a wallet and iPhone case in a handsome, minimal design. It’s a fine product in its class (I’ve tried the version for the iPhone 7 Plus), though I’ve still not streamlined my life enough to ditch my traditional wallet. </p>

<p>With the dates of Christmas and Chanukah synced this year, smartphones were once again predominate on everyone’s wish lists. The analytics firm of <a target="_blank" href="http://www.flurrymobile.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">Flurry Insights</a> took a look at the most gifted smartphones and tablets this holiday season, examining phone and app activation throughout the week leading up to Christmas day and the start of Chanukah.</p>

<p>Owners of the new MacBook Pros need a way to protect the (very) expensive laptops. WaterField Designs has, yet again, delivered a solution in its US$159 <a target="_blank" href="https://www.sfbags.com/products/syde-macbook-case" rel="noopener noreferrer">Syde Case</a>.</p>

<p>When we clean our rooms, what is it we are trying to do? By removing all the pollutants out of the air and by giving ourselves clearer and cleaner workspaces, you are removing these factors from the air which can be a key component in fixing a computer. If the air in a room is too thick, too humid, or too warm then the hardware itself can really become affected.</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>