Dennis Sellers

<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>

<p>At today’s Jamf Nation User Conference, Fletcher Previn, IBM vice president of Workplace as a Service, said that the company now has over 90,000 Macs deployed and that this number will pass 100,000 before the end of the year. (Last October the number was 30,000, so it’s obvious how quickly things are growing.)</p>