Dennis Sellers

<p class="">It's been expected due to the coronavirus outbreak, but now it’s official. Apple says it will host its annual Worldwide Developers Conference in June in a new online format “packed with content for consumers, press and developers alike.” The exact date hasn't been announced.</p>

<p class="">The worldwide market for wearable devices grew 82.3% in the fourth quarter of 2019 (4Q19), reaching a new high of 118.9 million devices shipped according to new data from the International Data Corporation (IDC) <a href="https://www.idc.com/tracker/showproductinfo.jsp?prod_id=962" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Worldwide Quarterly Wearable Device Tracker</a>.</p>

<p class="">Apple has confirmed that all 42 of its stores in mainland China will have re-opened today (local time), says <a href="https://twitter.com/markgurman/status/1238231719884382208" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Bloomberg's Mark Gurman</a>. They were all closed in early February due to the coronavirus outbreak.</p>

<p class="">In June 2005, user interface experts at one of the world's top design houses said Mac OS X 10.4 ("Tiger") was the beginning of the end for the Mac Finder and that the era of organizing files in nested folders was over, reported <em>Wired</em> (the article is no longer online).</p>

<p class="">Future Apple Watches may change their look and functions even more than they do presently depending on their orientation. Apple has been granted a patent (number 20200081536) for “gravity-induced position offset tracking for dynamic management of haptic module mechanical offset.”</p>

<p class="">Patrick Gates — an Apple senior director of engineering who led development of iCloud, FaceTime, and iMessage during nearly 14 years at the the tech giant — left Apple to join a stealth startup founded by two other former Apple employees, Bethany Bongiorno and Imran Chaudhri. Now the founders have <a href="https://hu.ma.ne/news/20200612.html">announced</a> that another Apple engineer has come aboard: Rubén Caballero (pictured) has joined as technical advisor.</p>

<p class="">France’s competition watchdog will fine Apple next week over anti-competitive behavior in its distribution and sales network, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-apple-competition-france/french-watchdog-to-fine-apple-over-anti-competitive-behaviour-sources-say-idUSKBN20Z33R" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Reuters</a> reports, quoting two unnamed “sources close to the matter.”</p>

<p class="">Apple has secured new deals for songs from major record labels including Universal Music, Sony Music, and Warner Music for the Apple Music streaming service, reports the<em> </em><a href="https://www.ft.com/content/2b57fc8c-ef3b-40f5-83a5-2373ff203bfb" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Financial Times</a> (a subscription is required to read the entire article).</p>

<p class="">Apple TV+’s drama series The Morning Show will be going on a two-week hiatus due to fear over the coronavirus outbreak, reports <a href="https://deadline.com/2020/03/apple-the-morning-show-hiatus-coronavirus-1202881192/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Deadline</a>. The series was preparing to film season two.</p>

<p class="">Let the Apple Car rumors roll on. Apple has filed for a patent (number 20200082638) for an augmented virtual display (VR) for an automobile that would implement methods that address problems with vehicles in motion that may result in motion sickness for passengers.</p>

<p class="">A California federal judge appears open to tossing Apple investors' putative class claims alleging the tech giant misrepresented its sales in China and intentionally hid wrongdoing relating to its sluggish iPhones, saying that despite the length of the 190-page complaint, "it's still somewhat amorphous,” reports <a href="https://www.law360.com/technology/articles/1252329/apple-might-beat-investors-amorphous-iphone-sales-suit?nl_pk=ade0cf2b-ea3f-464b-bc93-d8e19277ac63&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=technology" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Law360 </a>(a subscription is required to read the entire article).</p>

<p class="">Imagine this: an iMac with a giant iPad for a display that could be attached and carried with you. Unlikely? Probably, but Apple has filed for a patent (number 20200084902) for a "magnetic attachment mechanism with safely latch for a desktop display.” </p>

<p class="">Future Mac laptops with Touch Bars may one day be able to detect touchless gestures. Apple has filed for a patent (number 2020081485) for an “electronic device with sensing strip.</p>

<p class="">Future iMacs — and perhaps new Apple displays besides the Pro Display XDR -- could sport built-in projectors and gaze detection features, as hinted by a new patent filing (number 202200081492) by the tech giant.</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 will release new MacBook Pro and MacBook Air models with scissor keyboards (such as that found in the 16-inch MacBook Pro) in the second quarter of the year.</p>