Dennis Sellers

<p class="">If there's one company that’s in a great position to survive the coronavirus pandemic, it's Apple. The tech giant ended 2019 with US$247 billion in cash, securities and account receivables.</p>

<p class=""><a href="https://sensortower.com/blog/revenue-per-iphone-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">According to</a> a study by <em>Sensor Tower</em>, consumer spending per active iPhone reached a “key milestone” in the U.S. last year with the average amount spent on in-app purchases (IAP) and premium apps reaching an estimated US$100 for the first time.</p>

<p class="">Good news for the Apple Watch: the global smart watch market was valued at shipments volume of 44 million in 2018 and it is expected to reach a volume of 109 million by 2024, registering a compound annual growth rate [CAGR] of 14.5% through 2024, predicts <a href="http://www.researchandmarkets.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Research and Markets.</a> The Apple Watch is widely expected to continue its domination of the market.</p>

<p class="">iPhone assembler Wistron expects to have 50% of production outside China by 2021, according to <a href="https://www.digitimes.com/news/a20200326PD207.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Digitimes</a>.</p>

<p class="">Loup Ventures’ <a href="https://loupventures.com/fall-iphone-event-likely-to-remain-a-bedrock-for-apple/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Gene Munster says </a>he thinks Apple’s 5G iPhone will indeed launch this fall despite <a href="https://appleworld.dreamhosters.com/blog/2020/3/25/apple-reportedly-may-delay-release-of-next-iphone-by-months" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">rumors</a> that it will be delayed for “month” due to the coronavirus pandemic.</p>

<p class="">Future Mac keyboards (on laptops and standalone keyboards) may sport built-in microphones per a new Apple patent filing (number 2020097053) for a “method for porting a microphone through keyboard.”</p>

<p class="">It’s been predicted for a while, but a newly filed Apple patent (number 20200097747) hints at Face ID will eventually come to the Mac (at least to laptops). It's dubbed "light recognition module for determining a user of a computing device.”</p>

<p class="">On the new <a href="http://www.macvoices.com/macvoices-20101-briefing-five-ways-to-improve-your-videoconferencing/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">MacVoices,</a> host Chuck Joiner offers five (plus a bonus) tips on how to look and sound better when conducting video conference calls.</p>

<p class="">CEO Tim Cook <a href="https://twitter.com/tim_cook/status/1242894121372512256" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">has tweeted</a> that Apple has donated more than 10 million masks in the fight against the coronavirus.</p>

<p class="">Apple is considering delaying the release of the next gen iPhone by “months” due, of course, to the coronavirus crisis, according to <a href="https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Coronavirus/Apple-weighs-delaying-5G-iPhone-launch-by-months-sources-say" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Nikkei</a>, citing three unnamed "people familiar with the matter.”</p>

<p class="">Apple has <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1Myj674wRVXB9I4c6Hm5zA" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">posted a trailer</a> for its “Defending Jacob,” a limited drama series set to debut on ‌Apple TV‌+ on April 24.</p>

<p class="">Apple has shared a <a href="https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT210999" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">new support document</a> that says some system extensions will not be compatible with a future version of macOS (although no exact date has been set).</p>

<p class="">Strategy Analytics has recently published its latest forecast for subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) services such as Netflix and Apple TV+. The forecast took account of the expected impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, and although the longer term impact clearly remains uncertain, early evidence suggests that a boost to SVOD usage globally can be expected.</p>

<p class="">In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ad Council, White House, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that they’re partnering with leading digital and technology platforms, including Apple, Amazon, Facebook, Google, SiriusXM and Pandora, Pinterest, Snapchat, TikTok, Twitter and Verizon Media, among others, to extend the reach and impact of critical COVID-19 response messaging.</p>

<p class="">Apple has <a href="https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT211081" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">released firmware version 2.2.2</a> for the Pro Display XDR.</p>