Dennis Sellers

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Apple has released macOS Catalina 10.15.3.  You can install it by going to System Preferences then Software Update. </p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Apple has released iOS 13.3.1 and iPadOS 13.3.1. You can download them on your iPhone or iPad by going to Settings > General > Software Update. </p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;"><a href="https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.curve.app%2Fen%2Fsignup&esheet=52164444&newsitemid=20200128005315&lan=en-US&anchor=Curve&index=1&md5=f260cd126e81fa00f2da79d87270e075" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Curve</a>, an “over-the-top" banking platform that consolidates multiple cards and accounts into one smart card and app, has added support for Apple Pay, Apple’s mobile payment service.</p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Worldwide sales of smartphones to end users are on track to reach 1.57 billion units in 2020, an increase of 3% year over year, according to <a href="http://www.gartner.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Gartner, Inc</a>. The research group says that strong demand for 5G phones in general, together with expectations of Apple’s first 5G iPhone, will bolster demand for smartphones, particularly in Asia/Pacific and Greater China.</p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">With the 2016 MacBook Pro line, Apple ditched the beloved MagSafe connector, which disengaged with the slightest amount of pressure. The connector saved many Mac laptops from a disastrous plummet when someone accidentally snagged the power cable. However, a new patent filing (number 10,547,151) for a “magnetic adapter” hints that it could return.</p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">iPhones and iPads may one day be able to dock to Mac laptops, as evidenced by a newly granted Apple patent (number 10,545,542) for an “electronic accessory device.”</p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Apple and A24 have scooped up the global rights to “Boys State,” a political documentary and coming-of-age tale following a group of politically active 17-year-old boys from Texas, according to <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/apple-a24-nab-hot-doc-boys-state-10m-sundance-1273684" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Hollywood Reporter</a>. It will stream on (at least I presume so), the Apple TV+ streaming service.</p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">MGM has reportedly been courting Apple and Netflix over a potential acquisition deal, going so far as to hold preliminary talks reports <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/01/24/mgm-leads-2020-media-acquisition-targets.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">CNBC</a>.</p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Arthur Levinson, chairman of Apple's Board of Directors, is a recipient of a 2020 Franklin Institute Award from the <a href="https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=2703235-1&h=1641358964&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.fi.edu%2F&a=The+Franklin+Institute+in+Philadelphia" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia</a>.</p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;"><a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/dana/id1437123008" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">DANA E-Wallet</a> is now available as a payment method for Apple services in Indonesia. It’s the country’s digital wallet (e-Wallet) that enables users to do all sorts of cashless and card-less transactions.</p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;"><a href="http://www.sifive.com/"><span style="text-decoration:underline">SiFive</span></a>, a provider of commercial RISC-V processor IP and silicon solutions, ha announced that Chris Lattner, a Silicon Valley software engineer and former Apple exec, has joined the company to lead SiFive Platform Engineering as senior vice president.</p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Consumers in the U.S. spent more than $4.6 billion in the top 100 non-game mobile apps offering subscriptions during 2019, new research based on Sensor Tower <a href="https://sensortower.com/solutions/store-intelligence" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Store Intelligence</a> data shows. This figure represents 21% year-over-year growth from the $3.8 billion generated by the top 100 subscription apps in the U.S. during 2018.</p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Earlier this month Intel teased its new <a href="https://www.pcworld.com/article/3512376/intel-outs-radical-new-ghost-canyon-nuc-teases-5ghz-comet-lake-h-processors.html"><span style="text-decoration:underline">”Comet Lake H” series 10th-generation processors</span></a>. I expect to see one in an updated 16-inch MacBook Pro later this year. Or perhaps even a Tiger Lake processor.</p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">I admit that, in all my years of reviewing products, there have been few from WaterField Designs that haven’t impressed me. That hasn’t changed with the new handcrafted <a href="https://www.sfbags.com/collections/laptop-backpacks/products/mezzo-laptop-backpack" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Mezzo Laptop Backpack</a>. </p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Apple has filed for a patent (number 10,542,520) for “efficient paging and idle mode wakeup for wireless devices supporting coverage enhanced mode” involving the Apple Watch.</p>