Dennis Sellers

<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.ikmultimedia.com/products/iloud" rel="noopener noreferrer">IK Multimedia's iLoud</a> $249.99 is a convenient portable stereo speaker designed for studio monitor quality on-the-on. It packs some punch thanks to its 40W RMS of power, and it's clear at all volume levels thanks to an onboard DSP processor and a bi-amped 4-driver array of high efficient neodymium loudspeakers that provide accurate, even response across the entire frequency spectrum. </p>

<p>I must preface this review by first admitting that I am kind of a bag lady. I LOVE nice bags. Most of the time I am the one doing the admiring though, not the owning. So, when the opportunity to review both the HardCase MacBook Case and the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.sfbags.com/products/cozmo-2-laptop-bag" rel="noopener noreferrer">Cozmo 2.0 Laptop Bag</a> by WaterField Designs, this was one happy bag lady.</p>

<p>Apple CEO Tim Cook, on his <a href="http://twitter.com/tim_cook">Twitter account</a>, shared photos taken at yesterday's Titans-Vikings game and US Open proceedings using the device.</p>

<p>Last week both <a 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">Steve</a> and <a href="https://appleworld.dreamhosters.com/blog/2016/9/9/my-frustrating-attempts-to-buy-an-iphone-7-plus-and-second-gen-apple-watch">Yours Truly</a> shared our problems in trying to order an iPhone 7 using Apple’s Upgrade Program. Now Block & Leviton, a Boston-based law firm, says that it has filed a class action lawsuit against Apple on behalf of customers who signed up for the Apple iPhone Upgrade Program last year and have now been shut out of receiving the latest iPhones.</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>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>