Dennis Sellers

<p class="">Even though Apple owns the Beats brand, which makes a line of headphones, the rumor mill says the company plans to release an Apple-branded headphone any day now. That doesn't make sense to me from a branding viewpoint, but the tech giant has filed for a new patent (number 20200145747) for “detection of headphone rotation.”</p>

<p class="">Reliable leaker Jon Prosser <a href="https://twitter.com/jon_prosser?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1258366598710206464&ref_url=https://appleinsider.com/articles/20/05/07/apple-tv-with-a12x-ready-to-go-at-any-time-claims-leaker" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">tweets t</a>hat a new Apple TV 4K set-top box is ready to go and could be released at any time.</p>

<p class="">In a note to clients -- as noted by <a href="http://www.macrumors.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">MacRumors</a> -- analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says Apple's development of mini-LED display based hardware hasn’t been significantly affected by COVID-19, but it may have delayed adoption of the technology in the short-term. He says some products may be pushed from a late 2020 release date to 2021 .</p>

<p class="">According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics, <a href="https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.strategyanalytics.com%2Faccess-services%2Fdevices%2Fwearables%2Freports&esheet=52216412&newsitemid=20200506006138&lan=en-US&anchor=global+smartwatch+shipments+grew+20+percent+annually&index=1&md5=baae89340ce380824a5bb73c8f613014" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">global smartwatch shipments grew 20% annually</a> to reach 14 million units in the first quarter of 2020. The Apple Watch maintained first position with 55% of global smartwatch marketshare, while Samsung held second place, and Garmin rose to third.</p>

<p class="">The Peabody Awards’ board of jurors has revealed its 60 nominees for the most compelling and empowering stories released in 2019 across TV, radio and digital media. Apple’s <em>Dickinson</em> series on Apple TV+ is among the nominees.</p>

<p class="">Apple says it’s awarding US$10 million from its Advanced Manufacturing Fund to COPAN Diagnostics, which specializes in sample collection kits that play a critical role in COVID-19 testing. The Advanced Manufacturing Fund comes from Apple's U.S. investment pool.</p>

<p class="">On the new <a href="http://www.macvoices.com/macvoices-20130-how-long-should-tech-last-with-charles-edge-ken-ray-and-brett-terpstra-part-2/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">MacVoices,</a> the second part of the discussion on “How Long Should Tech Last” with the panel of Charles Edge, Ken Ray, Brett Terpstra, and host Chuck Joiner gets into topics that include the costs of maintaining older hardware and software from both the end user as well as the manufacturer's perspective, backward compatibility, and how you should budget for replacement.</p>

<p class="">Another day, yet another lawsuit. <a href="https://appleinsider.com/articles/20/05/06/apple-sued-over-2016-macbook-pro-stage-lighting-issue" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">AppleInsider </a>reports that Apple is the target of a class-action lawsuit claiming the tech giant concealed the so-called "stage lighting" issue experienced by some 2016 MacBook Pro owners.</p>

<p class="">Apple keeps beefing up the staff for its Apple TV+ streaming service. The tech giant has hired BBC factual controller Alison Kirkham as its new unscripted chief in the UK, reporting to creative director of worldwide video Europe, Jay Hunt, reports <a href="https://deadline.com/2020/05/apple-hires-bbc-factual-chief-alison-kirkham-1202927372/"><em>Deadline</em></a>.</p>

<p class="">Alena Smith, the creator of Apple TV+’s Hailee Steinfeld-led series Dickinson, has signed a multi-year overall deal with Apple, reports <a href="https://www.thewrap.com/dickinson-creator-alena-smith-signs-apple-overall-deal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Wrap</a>.</p>

<p class="">Apple has new iMac and AirPods updates that are “ready to ship” although no release dates have been set, according to reliable leaker, Jon Prosser. leaker.</p>

<p class=""><a href="http://www.peacocktv.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Peacock,</a> NBCUniversal’s new streaming service, announced it will be available on Apple devices, including the iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD, when it launches nationally on July 15.</p>

<p class="">In the<a href="https://mblm.com/lab/brandintimacy-study/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> 2020 Brand Intimacy Study</a> by MBLM comes in third overall behind Amazon and Disney, but takes first place in the tech category.</p>

<p class="">Lamborghini will unveil the Huracán EVO RWD Spyder May 7 <a href="https://www.lamborghini.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">www.lamborghini.com</a> and use Apple’s AR Quick Look to show its latest V10 sports car directly to customers and fans. All you need is an iPhone or iPad with iOS/iPadOS 11 or hight an an A9 processor or later.</p>

<p class="">Australians running the Covidsafe contact tracing app on iPhones may not be recording all the data required if they don’t have the app running in the foreground or they are using an older model phone, according to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/06/covidsafe-app-is-not-working-properly-on-iphones-authorities-admit" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Guardian.</a></p>