Dennis Sellers

<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.chinalaborwatch.org/upfile/2016_08_23/Pegatron-report%20FlAug.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer">A new report</a> from China Labor Watch, a labor rights watchdog and advocacy organization, says there are are continued workers’ rights violations at factories owned by Pegatron. Pegatron is an electronics manufacturing company that develops mainly computing, communications and consumer electronics to branded vendors, including Apple.</p>

<p>Overall satisfaction with paid streaming video service is highest among cord stackers—customers who subscribe to a traditional cable/satellite service in addition to streaming video service—according to the J.D. Power <em>2016 Streaming Video Satisfaction Study</em>.</p>

<p>Apple has posted iOS 9.3.5, an “important security update” that’s recommend for all users.</p>

<p>Android developers update apps about twice as often as their iOS counterparts, but it's iPhone users who may be more receptive, according to <a target="_blank" href="http://competitionpolicy.ac.uk/documents/8158338/8368036/15-4+CCP+Working+Paper+complete.pdf/87901320-3374-4cd5-ac30-78057b7109fe" rel="noopener noreferrer">a report</a> the University di Udine (Italy), as noted by <a target="_blank" href="http://www.fiercewireless.com/developer/report-android-devs-update-apps-nearly-twice-as-often-as-ios-devs" rel="noopener noreferrer">FierceWireless</a>. “Updates Management in Mobile Applications. iTunes vs Google Play” based on research looking across the top 1,000 apps across both app stores.</p>

<p>I’m highly skeptical of this study, but, according to the <a href="http://info.blancco.com/state-of-mobile-device-performance-and-health-trend-report-q2-2016.html">Q2 2016 State of Mobile Device Performance and Health report</a> from <a href="https://www.blancco.com/">Blancco Technology Group</a>, a provider of mobile device diagnostics and secure data erasure solutions, Apple has lost its usual “leader” position to Android in the smartphone performance battle. </p>

<p>Global tablet shipments will bounce back 16.3% sequentially to reach nearly 47 million units in the third quarter, but the volume will still be down over 10% compared to the same quarter a year ago, according to <a target="_blank" href="http://www.digitimes.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">DigiTimes Research.</a></p>

<p>Accesources Pty has introduced Assets Generator Plus 1.0, an icon generation tool developed exclusively for the Mac. It allows developers to create icon asset catalogs for iOS, OS X or Android apps.</p>

<p>Rumors of an “Apple Car” continue unabated. Whether or not we see a full-fledged Apple-branded vehicle, the company is working on automotive technology. The company has been granted a patent (number 20160148897) for a “head unit” with auser-programmable button (physical or virtual) that would interact with an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.</p>

<p>Apple is developing a video sharing and editing app for iOS devices, according to <a target="_blank" href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-08-25/apple-weighs-iphone-video-editing-app-in-renewed-push-on-social-isa5rhlu" rel="noopener noreferrer">Bloomberg</a>, quoting unnamed “people familiar with the matter.” The plans are reportedly part of a new focus to integrate social networking applications.</p>

<p>Apple’s Apple Music Festival will return to London's legendary Roundhouse this September for a 10th anniversary celebration of live music, curated exclusively by Apple Music for fans around the world.</p>

<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.juniperresearch.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">Juniper Research</a> says the mobile Augmented Reality (AR) market, is set to increase dramatically from 60 million unique users in 2013 to nearly 200 million in 2018. If Apple plans to get into the market, now is an opportune time.</p>

<p>iHome's <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ihomeaudio.com/SD63/" rel="noopener noreferrer">SD63 retro-style, hi-fidelity stereo headphones</a> are cool looking, but didn't sit on my noggin especially well and lacked some oomph in the bass department. </p>

<p>The U.S. Treasury Department has issued a special white paper and is threatening to "consider potential responses" should the European Commission demand that Ireland collect billions of euros in back taxes from Apple., reports <a target="_blank" href="http://tinyurl.com/j42s5rm" rel="noopener noreferrer">the Financial Times</a> (as noted by <a target="_blank" href="http://appleinsider.com/articles/16/08/24/us-treasury-takes-last-stab-at-deterring-tax-judgment-against-apple-ireland" rel="noopener noreferrer">AppleInsider</a>).</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>Here’s an opportunity for Apple to sell more TV shows and movies on iTunes (if they can figure out a good sales pitch): according to <a href="http://www.gfk.com/en-us/insights/infographic/home-technology-physical-vs-digital-video/">a new GfK study</a> (as noted by <a target="_blank" href="http://variety.com/2016/digital/news/gfk-study-70-percent-never-bought-digital-videos-1201843250/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Variety</a>) a majority of consumers has never rented or bought a digital copy of a movie or TV show. What’s more, the average digital media collection is much smaller than physical disc collections or even VHS collections have been on average.</p>