Dennis Sellers

<p class="">Earlier today the <em>Economic Daily News</em> <a href="https://appleworld.dreamhosters.com/blog/2020/12/21/no-we-wont-see-an-apple-car-in-2021" target="_blank" rel="noopener">claimed </a>the long-rumored “Apple Car” is running at least two years ahead of schedule and will be released in the third quarter of 2021. Now <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSL1N2IX1RZ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reuters</a> — referencing two unnamed “people familiar with the matter” — makes the more feasible prediction that the tech giant plans to begin production on an Apple-branded self-driving vehicle starting in 2024.</p>

<p class="">In a note to clients — as noted by <a href="https://appleinsider.com/articles/20/12/21/apples-mac-gained-market-share-in-growing-pc-market" target="_blank" rel="noopener">AppleInsider</a> — Goldman Sachs analyst Rod Hall says Apple’s Mac revenues rose 50% year-over-year in the third quarter of 2020 as global PC (as in “personal computer,” not just Windows systems) unit shipments increased 18%.</p>

<p class="">The iPhone 12 was the world’s best-selling 5G smartphone model in October despite a delayed launch, which resulted in only two weeks of sales during the month, according to Counterpoint Research.</p>

<p class="">I don’t buy it, but the <a href="https://j3onakwrnmmdhlpoecrnirxutq-adwhj77lcyoafdy-money-udn-com.translate.goog/money/story/5612/5108191" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Economic Daily News</a> claims the long-rumored “Apple Car” is running at least two years ahead of schedule and will be released in the third quarter of 2021. The article cites “unnamed executives at Taiwanese manufacturers.”</p>

<p class="">Apple has placed its Taiwan-based supplier Wistron on probation following rioting at its plant in southern India, reports <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/apple-india-idUSKBN28T0DW" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reuters</a>. The tech giant said it won’t award the contract manufacturer new business until it addressed the way workers were treated at its southern India plant.</p>

<p class="">Here’s a good reason to add a protective case to your iPhone:<strong> </strong>Americans who have dropped their smartphones on the sidewalk or into a swimming pool are far from alone. A new survey by Allstate Protection Plans found that 140 million Americans have damaged a smartphone at some point in their lives, with 87 million having a mishap in the past 12 months.</p>

<p class="">On a regular basis, Apple World Today 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, Google, Microsoft, and Mozilla, have banned today a root certificate that was being used by the Kazakhstan government to intercept and decrypt HTTPS traffic for residents in the country's capital, the city of Nur-Sultan (formerly Astana), reports <a href="https://www.zdnet.com/article/apple-google-microsoft-and-mozilla-ban-kazakhstans-mitm-https-certificate" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ZDNet</a>.</p>

<p class="">Apple is temporarily closing its retail locations in the Los Angeles area due to a rising number of COVID-19 cases in Southern California, reports <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-12-18/apple-to-temporarily-close-la-stores-as-virus-cases-jump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bloomberg</a>. The article says this is the first time in months that the tech giant has shut retail locations in the area.</p>

<p class="">Apple has filed for a patent (number 20200393881) for “structural thermal solutions for display devices” that shows it wants the rumored “Apple Glasses” — an augmented reality/virtual reality head-mounted display (HMD) to be comfortable and cool when worn.</p>