Dennis Sellers

<p class="">You can now ask Google Assistant on Google Nest and other Assistant-enabled smart speakers and displays to play Apple Music.</p>

<p class="">Apple may use components made by Samsung for its folded zoom camera on iPhones launching in 2022, reports <a href="http://www.thelec.net/news/articleView.html?idxno=1977" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TheElec,</a> quoting unnamed “people familiar with the matter.”</p>

<p class="">The new <a href="http://www.macvoices.com/macvoices-20272-macvoices-live-where-do-you-hang-out-online-and-why-2/"><span style="text-decoration:underline">MacVoices Live!</span></a> has David Ginsburg, Frank Petrie, Kelly Guimont, Guy Serle, Andrew Orr, Mark Fuccio, Brittany Smith, and host Chuck Joiner discussing “Where do you hang out online…and why?”</p>

<p class="">Apple has released version 14.2.1 of its software for the HomePod and the <a href="https://www.macrumors.com/roundup/homepod-mini/">HomePod mini</a>. No details on what it involves, but I suspect it’s the usual bug fixes and performance tweaks.</p>

<p class="">Apple Pay, with 227 million users worldwide is estimated to be the leading digital wallet, up from 140 million users in 2018, according to <a href="http://www.univdatos.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">UnivDatos Market Insights</a>. In 2020, Samsung Pay and Google Pay are projected to both cross 100 million users globally, the research group adds.</p>

<p class="">Apple leaker @L0vetodream has <a href="https://twitter.com/L0vetodream/status/1335983581324169216" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tweeted</a> that Apple’s “Christmas surprise” for tomorrow could be an updated Apple TV set-top box.</p>

<p class="">Apple Music is available in 167 countries around the globe. However, what users pay for an Apple Music subscription varies widely from country to country – especially when you take the national average salary into account.</p>

<p class="">Apple plans a series of new M1 Mac processors for introduction as early as 2021 that are aimed at outperforming Intel’s fastest, reports <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-12-07/apple-preps-next-mac-chips-with-aim-to-outclass-highest-end-pcs?sref=MRDu5QV3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bloomberg</a>. They’ll be used in updated MacBook Pros, iMacs, and a new Mac Pro workstation.</p>

<p class="">Apple has been granted a patent (number 10,852,553) for an electronic device with a “tunable lens.” It involves the rumored “Apple Glasses,” an augmented reality/virtual reality/mixed reality head-mounted display.</p>

<p class="">An Apple One services bundle? iPhone Upgrade Program. The analysts at Loup Ventures thinks this is just the beginning and that Apple will offer a “360° bundle” <a href="https://loupventures.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hardware subscription offering</a>. The research group says you should “think of this as paying a monthly fee to Apple for most of your tech needs.”</p>

<p class="">When it comes to Apple’s <a href="https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MHXF3AM/A/magsafe-duo-charger" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MagSafe Duo Charger,</a> the design, as you might expect from Apple, is elegant. It easily folds, which makes it great for taking on the road. If you own an iPhone 12 model and an Apple Watch, that convenience might make this a good purchase for you. Otherwise, this product is too pricey for what you get.</p>

<p class="">Apple has posted <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SKzCQicwsc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a singalong video </a>promoting its Apple TV+ animated series, “Stillwater.”</p>

<p class="">A second season of Apple TV+’s “Tehran” series is in the planning stages, Julien Leroux, CEO and founder of Paper Entertainment, told <a href="https://variety.com/2020/streaming/news/apple-tv-plus-tehran-season-two-1234844164/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Variety</a>. However, he adds that “it’s not been officially green lit, but we are working on it, so hopefully we’ll have some good news by the end of the year.”</p>

<p class="">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 this week’s picks.</p>

<p class="">Apple TV+ has ordered a new six-part documentary series from Box to Box Films and the World Surf League (WSL) that will provide a behind-the-scenes look at the aspirations, failures and accomplishments of the world’s best surfers as they battle for the WSL Title and struggle to remain on the elite WSL Championship Tour (CT).</p>