Dennis Sellers

<p class="">Apple and Alphabet’s Google will ban the data broker X-Mode Social from collecting any location information drawn from mobile devices running their operating systems following revelations about the company’s national-security work, reports the <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/apple-and-google-to-stop-x-mode-from-collecting-location-data-from-users-phones-11607549061" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wall Street Journal</a>.</p>

<p class="">In the third quarter of 2020, Apple remained the market leader in the smartwatch industry, increasing its share by 2 percentage points compared to the previous year., according to a <a href="https://www.counterpointresearch.com/global-smartwatch-shipments-q3-2020/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">new report</a> from Counterpoint Research.</p>

<p class="">A new <a href="https://www.appannie.com/en/insights/market-data/2020-mobile-recap-how-to-succeed-in-2021/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> from App Annie says that total spending in mobile apps and games set a new annual record. And 65 cents of every dollar went to the Apple App Store.</p>

<p class="">Let the Apple Car rumors roll on. I’m skeptical, but <a href="http://www.digitimes.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">DigiTimes </a>reports that Apple is working with TSMC on self-driving auto chips and that the tech giant may open factories in the U.S. to build an “Apple Car.”</p>

<p class="">Microsoft has <a href="https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2020/12/09/xbox-expands-cloud-gaming-to-more-devices-2021/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> that Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, its cloud-based gaming subscription service, is coming to iOS devices in spring 2021.</p>

<p class="">Apple is teaming with “Venom” producer Matt Tolmach on a series based on Blake Crouch's bestselling novel Dark Matter, which the author himself will adapt for the streamer and Sony Pictures Television, reports <a href="https://collider.com/dark-matter-apple-tv-show-blake-crouch/">Collider</a>.</p>

<p class="">New <a href="https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=3005484-1&h=3239386679&u=http%3A%2F%2Fparksassociates.com%2Fservices%2Fott-tracker&a=Parks+Associates+research">Parks Associates' research</a> finds the overall annual “churn rate” for OTT services, representing those subscribers who have cancelled a service as a percentage of the current subscriber base, dropped from 46% in quarter three of 2019 to 38% in the third quarter of 2020.</p>

<p class="">EyeQue, which specializes in smartphone vision testing, has announced <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/eyeque/eyeque-visioncheck-2-smartphone-vision-test" target="_blank" rel="noopener">EyeQue VisionCheck 2</a>, a refraction device available for consumers to test their own vision and order new glasses with the results.</p>

<p class="">Accessibility features in iPad OS 14 now include Headphone Accommodations, which amplifies soft sounds and tunes audio to help music, movies, phone calls, and podcasts sound crisper and clearer, and sign language detection in Group FaceTime, which makes the person signing more prominent in a video call.</p>

<p class=""><a href="http://ec2-52-26-194-35.us-west-2.compute.amazonaws.com/x/d?c=10155052&l=534f5e2b-0696-4024-b9d6-0682d2cefa74&r=6060754b-6d0d-42b2-a54c-af72b3f1e684" target="_blank" rel="noopener">JustWatch</a> an international streaming guide, says that Netflix is responsible for 45% of the overall content spending since 2010.</p>

<p class="">OWC has announced <a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/owc-copy-that/id1536830655" target="_blank" rel="noopener">OWC Copy That,</a> an app that lets you copy photos and videos from your iPhone or iPad directly to external storage devices.</p>

<p class="">The third "forgotten" co-founder of Apple, Ronald G. Wayne, has announced signed replicas of the original Apple Computer Company contract, Apple-1 Operation Manual, the early "Newton" Apple Computer Company logo, and Ron's autobiography "Adventures of an Apple Founder" are now available for purchase on his <a href="https://www.ronaldgwayne.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">official website</a>.</p>

<p class="">Apple is on its fourth round of developer betas for its various operating systems. New release candidate builds of iOS 14.3, iPadOS 14.3, tvOS 14.3, and watchOS 7.2 available for testing.</p>

<p class="">While an U.S. $35 audio cable is suggested by Apple for use with its new <a href="https://steven-sande.squarespace.com/config/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">AirPods Max</a>, the <a href="https://www.twelvesouth.com/products/airfly?variant=31242622566457" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twelve South AirFly Pro </a>is a $55 adapter that solves the missing link between wireless headphones and wired headphone jacks.</p>

<p class="">The new <a href="http://www.macvoices.com/macvoices-20273-macvoices-holiday-gift-guide-4-1/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MacVoices Live!</a> has Joe Kissell, Wally Cherwinski, Mark Fuccio, and host Chuck Joiner offering more holiday gift ideas. With all the gift guides over the years, you would think that no more “firsts” could happen, but they do and on a regular basis. Find out what surprises happened this time around.</p>