Dennis Sellers

<p class="">Apple and Billie Eilish have announced that the documentary feature film, “Billie Eilish: The World’s A Little Blurry,” directed by award-winning filmmaker R.J. Cutler (“Belushi,” “The September Issue,” “The War Room”), will premiere in theaters and on Apple TV+ in February 2021. The documentary is from Apple Original Films, in association with Interscope Films, Darkroom, This Machine and Lighthouse Management & Media.</p>

<p class="">If your HomePod isn’t responding, you should unplug it from its power source, then plug it in again. If that doesn’t work — and ONLY if that doesn’t work — should you reset it to its factory settings.</p>

<p class="">At some point in time, most of us have probably spilled water, coffee, or a soft drink on our Mac or iPad keyboards, meaning we may have to clean them and let ‘em dry out. Apple has been granted a patent (number 10.784,062) for “ingress prevention for keyboards” for methods to make its keyboards more spill resistant.</p>

<p class=""><em>On the Rocks</em> — the upcoming Apple TV+ movie that’s getting good reviews and generated Oscar buzz for Bill Murray — is opening in key markets next weekend (Oct. 2) for a limited run followed by a debut on the AppleTV+ streaming service on Oct. 23, reports <a href="https://deadline.com/2020/09/on-the-rocks-release-date-sofia-coppola-bill-murray-movie-1234585406/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Deadline</a>.</p>

<p class="">In a deal that lands in the high $40 millions, Apple has acquired worldwide rights to Cherry, the first film directed by Anthony and Joe Russo since <em>Avengers: Endgame, </em>reports <a href="https://deadline.com/2020/09/cherry-tom-holland-apple-joe-russo-anthony-russo-major-film-deal-nico-walker-novel-cherry-ciara-bravo-oscar-season-1234585213/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Deadline</a>.</p>

<p class=""><a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/butter-royale/id1464649839?mt=12&ign-itsct=ArcadeGameSpotlight&ign-itscg=10200" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Butter</a> is this week's addition to <a href="https://www.apple.com/apple-arcade/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Apple Arcade</a>, Apple’s US$4.99/month or $49.99/year game streaming service that has over 120 games,. It's available for the the iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, and Mac.</p>

<p class="">And the battle is on: Facebook — which is one of the companies blasting Apple’s App Store policies — is seeking an option to make its Messenger app the default app for messages on iPhones, reports <a href="https://www.theinformation.com/articles/facebook-opens-new-fight-with-apple-over-messaging" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Information</a>.</p>

<p class="">Earlier this year, Apple acquired Scout FM, a startup that creates radio-like stations for podcasts, reports <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-09-24/apple-buys-startup-that-creates-radio-like-stations-for-podcasts?sref=MRDu5QV3" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Bloomberg</a>.</p>

<p class="">The espionage thriller <em>Tehran</em> premieres today on the Apple TV+ streaming service. The first three of eight episodes in the series are now available to watch and a new episode will roll out each Friday for the next five weeks.</p>

<p class="">In July, the European Union’s General Court ruled that the European Commission had failed to prove that the Irish government had given a tax advantage to the Apple. Now the Commission will now take the case to the highest court in Europe, reports <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/09/25/eu-appeals-against-apple-ruling-in-15-billion-tax-battle.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">CNBC.</a></p>

<p class="">On a <a href="http://www.macvoices.com/macvoices-20220-adam-engst-at-the-virginia-macintosh-users-group-1/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">new episode of MacVoice</a>s, Adam Angst joins host Chuck Joiner to talk about their visit with a recent online meeting of the Virginia Macintosh Users’ Group.</p>

<p class="">With Do Not Disturb in iOS, you can silence calls, alerts, and notifications that you get while your device is locked. You can also schedule Do Not Disturb and allow calls from certain people. The feature is designed to help users stay more focused while they’re behind the wheel of an automobile.</p>

<p class="">A new Apple patent filing (number 20200304619 is for a “head-mounted apparatus for retaining a portable electronic device with display.” This would back up the rumors that the Apple Glasses — an augmented reality/virtual reality/mixed reality head-mounted display — will require interaction with an iPhone to work (although other reports disagree; more on that below).</p>

<p class=""><a href="https://www.there100.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">RE100</a>, a global initiative led by international non-profit the Climate Group in partnership with <a href="http://cdp.net/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">CDP</a>, a not-for-profit charity that runs the global disclosure system for investors, companies, cities, states and regions to manage their environmental impacts, has announced the winners of the inaugural l <a href="https://www.there100.org/our-work/news/re100-leadership-awards-2020-companies-going-above-and-beyond-accelerate-clean-energy" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">RE100 Leadership Awards</a> at <a href="https://www.climateweeknyc.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Climate Week NYC</a>.</p>

<p class="">Apple has upgraded macOS Catalina to version 10.15.7 and has also released upgrades for Final Cut Pro, iMovie, Motion, and Compressor .</p>