Dennis Sellers

<p class="">Apple has announced <a href="https://www.apple.com/airpods-max/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">AirPods Max</a>, wireless headphones that the company says “brings the magic of AirPods to an over-ear design with high-fidelity sound.” However, at US$549, they’re about $150 more than most pundits predicted.</p>

Let the Apple Car rumors roll on. Apple has been granted a patent for “barrier detection” for a self-driving vehicle...

<p class="">A newly granted Apple patent (number 10,861,210) shows that future Apple devices may offer audio and video features based on a user’s face and voice.</p>

<p class="">Apple TV+ is in final negotiations for “Carrie & Me,” a new film adapted from “Carrie and Me: A Mother-Daughter Love Story,” Carol Burnett’s bestselling memoir about her daughter Carrie Hamilton, reports <a href="https://deadline.com/2020/12/apple-carol-burnett-biopic-tina-fey-wander-darklys-tara-miele-directing-1234651772/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Deadline</a>.</p>

<p class="">“Mariah Carey’s Magical Christmas Special,” which debuted on Friday, Dec. 4, topped Apple TV+ charts in 100 countries, according to <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/rambling-reporter/mariah-careys-magical-christmas-special-tops-apple-tv-charts-in-100-countries" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Hollywood Reporter</a>. Apple doesn’t release stats on its streaming service, but the industry publication based its report on unnamed “sources close to the streaming platform.”</p>

<p class="">Another day, another lawsuit. Medical device company AliveCor is suing Apple for patent infringement, says the Apple Watch electrocardiogram feature infringes three of its patents, reports <a href="https://appleinsider.com/articles/20/12/07/mobile-ecg-device-firm-alivecor-sues-apple-for-alleged-patent-infringement"><span style="text-decoration:underline">AppleInsider</span></a>.</p>

<p class="">With funding from Apple, <a href="https://malala.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Malala Fund </a>is conducting research to look at the impacts of climate change on girls and young women, and education's role in building resilience to future crises.</p>

<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>