Dennis Sellers

<p class=""><a href="https://www.vulture.com/2020/05/fraggle-rock-reboot-apple-tv.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Vulture</a> reports that, weeks after debuting a handful of pandemic-produced shorts, that Apple has struck a deal with the Jim Henson Company to produce a formal reboot of the classic kids’ show, “Fraggle Rock,” complete with full-length episodes, for its Apple TV+ streaming service.</p>

<p class="">Apple’s iPhone 11 took over the mantle as the world’s most popular smartphone from the iPhone XR in the first quarter.</p>

<p class="">Apple will reopen about 100 more retail stores in the U.S. this week in California, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Texas, and more states, according to <a href="https://9to5mac.com/2020/05/26/apple-retail-stores-reopening-us/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">9to5Mac</a>.</p>

<p class=""><a href="https://techcrunch.com/2020/05/26/apple-fixes-bug-that-stopped-ios-apps-from-opening/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">TechCrunch</a> reports that Apple has fixed a glitch that was plaguing iOS and iPadOS, causing apps to fail to launch on iPhones and iPads.</p>

<p class="">Former Apple designer Richard Stringer is raising “money to launch a product that will compete with Apple,” reports <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/90508816/ex-apple-designer-to-launch-a-product-that-competes-with-apple-itself?partner=rss&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=rss+fastcompany&utm_content=rss?cid=search" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Fast Company</a>.</p>

<p class="">The Cowichan Valley School District on southern Vancouver Island in British Columbia is getting Apple iPads with free data plans from Rogers Communications, according to <a href="https://www.iphoneincanada.ca/carriers/rogers/rogers-apple-cowichan-valley-school-district-ipads/?utm_campaign=Feed:+iphoneincanada+(iPhone+in+Canada+-+Canada%27s+#1+iPhone+Resource)&utm_medium=feed&utm_source=feedburner" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">iPhone in Canada</a>.</p>

<p class=""><a href="https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=2813257-1&h=3580127458&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sandmarc.com%2F&a=SANDMARC" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">SANDMARC</a> — a brand specializing in photography gear for iPhone, DJI and GoPro cameras — has launched a new filter system for the iPhone camera: the US$99.99 Motion Variable Filter.</p>

<p class="">The Society for Information Display has <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/society-for-information-display-unveils-2020-display-industry-award-winners-301064640.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">announced</a> the winners of its 26th Annual Display Industry Awards — and they include the Apple Pro Display XDR.</p>

<p class="">Some folks have been awaiting FaceID coming to the Mac. A newly granted Apple patent (number 10,664,048) for “user detection by a computing device” suggest that this is in the works. And not only for Macs, but even some “smart TVs.”</p>

<p class="">One of the complaints about Apple’s Magic Keyboard for the iPad Pro (see my <a href="https://appleworld.dreamhosters.com/blog/2020/4/27/apples-magic-keyboard-gets-the-ipad-pro-much-closer-to-a-laptop-alternative?rq=Magic%20Keyboard" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">review here</a>) — besides the price — is that there’s no place to stash an Apple Pencil. Apple has been granted a patent (number 10,664,012) hints that this could change in future iterations of the keyboard.</p>

<p class="">In a note to clients — as noted by <a href="http://www.macrumors.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">MacRumors</a> — Jeff Pu, an analyst at Chinese research firm GF Securities says Apple plans to release several higher-end devices with mini-LED displays in 2021, including a new 12.9-inch iPad Pro in the first quarter, a new 16-inch MacBook Pro in the second quarter, and a new 27-inch iMac in the second half of the year.</p>

<p class="">Shenzhen-based Huawei unseated Apple as China’s top tablet brand in the first quarter of 2020 with a 40.2% market share, according to the <a href="https://www.scmp.com/tech/gear/article/3086058/huawei-bucks-downward-trend-unseat-apple-and-take-lead-chinas-tablet" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">South China Morning Post</a>. The iPad’s market share dropped from 42.5% to 35.1% year-over-year.</p>

<p class="">Apple leaker and Twitter user "Fudge" <a href="https://twitter.com/choco_bit/status/1265002871487168512?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">tweets </a>that the upcoming iPhone 12 will use a Lightning port instead of USB-C, while the 2021 “iPhone 13” will replace Lightning with wireless charging and/or a Smart Connector depending on the model</p>

<p class=""><a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-tech-latvia/latvia-to-launch-google-apple-friendly-coronavirus-contact-tracing-app-idUSKBN23118I?feedType=RSS&feedName=technologyNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2FtechnologyNews+%28Reuters+Technology+News%29" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Reuters</a> reports that Latvia plans to become one of the first countries to launch a smartphone app using a new toolkit created by Apple and Alphabet’s Google to help trace coronavirus infections. The country’s Apturi Covid (Stop Covid) app is based on tech launched by the two companies last week.</p>

<p class=""><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-05-25/apple-to-start-reopening-stores-in-japan-this-week" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Bloomberg</a>'s Mark Gurman says Apple Japan retail stores in Fukuoka (pictured) and Nagoya Sakae will reopen on May 27. Reopening dates for the country's eight other Apple stores haven’t yet been posted.</p>