Steve Sande

<p>Do you watch a lot of streaming video or torrent video online? We have a way to streamline your video watching with five apps that let you legally boost your media library. It's called the <strong><a target="_blank" href="https://deals.appleworld.today/sales/master-pay-what-you-want-pirate-bundle-vpnsecure-1-yr?utm_source=appleworld.today&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=master-pay-what-you-want-pirate-bundle-vpnsecure-1-yr_121417&utm_term=scsf-266881&utm_content=a0x1a000003ammY&scsonar=1" rel="noopener noreferrer">Pay What You Want Watch Anything, Anywhere Bundle</a></strong>, and you can indeed pay what you want!</p>

<p>Smaller chips, an updated app, and popular cameras are in our news today:</p><ul><li>More efficient 7nm process chips may only be used by Apple and Samsung in 2018</li><li>The Iconfactory updates its classic Twitterrific app, with a change that uses less power on the iPhone X</li><li>Once again, the iPhone is the most-used camera brand on Flickr</li></ul>

<p>We know that a lot of Apple World Today readers are techies who love drones, so this news will be of importance to you. As of yesterday, legislation was signed by President Trump that reverses an earlier court ruling and brings back the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) registration requirement for UAS -- unmanned aerial systems, AKA drones. </p>

<p>There are plenty of solutions for creating virtual Windows machines on your Mac for running Windows apps or games, but all of them -- Parallels Desktop, VMware Fusion, Boot Camp and VirtualBox -- require that you shell out money for a Windows license. <strong><a target="_blank" href="https://deals.appleworld.today/sales/crossover-17-for-mac?utm_source=appleworld.today&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=crossover-17-for-mac_121317&utm_term=scsf-266882&utm_content=a0x1a000003ammi&scsonar=1" rel="noopener noreferrer">CrossOver 17 from CodeWeavers</a></strong> (just $19 with our deal) is a way to buy many popular Windows apps and run them on your Mac as native programs -- there's no reason to buy that Windows license.</p>

<p>Our top news stories for Apple fans today:</p><ul><li>The new iMac Pro is coming on December 14, and it features a piece of custom hardware called the Apple T2 chip</li><li>Chicago Public Schools and City Colleges of Chicago will be expanding Apple's Everyone Can Code curriculum</li><li>Have a drone you fly with your iPhone or iPad? If it meets certain conditions, it will need to be registered with the FAA under new legislation</li></ul>

<p>Although I'm not a fan of crowdfunding projects right now (I've got well over $700 invested in two campaigns that may never ship...), I saw one today that caught my attention because it's inexpensive and it has to do with my fascination with 360° spherical VR photography and videography. It has the fun name "<strong><a target="_blank" href="https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/fishball-world-s-first-360-lens-for-iphone-vr-accessories#/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Fishball 360</a></strong>" and it's at 107 percent of its funding goal on Indiegogo with 11 days to go.</p>

<p>Zoolz has been named the top business cloud storage service by TopTen Reviews, so you're going to love this deal. Imagine getting a lifetime 1TB of Instant Vault storage (immediately available) and 1TB of Cold Storage (retrieve archived files within 3 to 5 hours) for just $49.99. That's what you'll get with this limited-time deal for <strong><a target="_blank" href="https://deals.appleworld.today/sales/zoolz-cloud-storage-lifetime-subscription-2tb?utm_source=appleworld.today&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=zoolz-cloud-storage-lifetime-subscription-2tb_121217&utm_term=scsf-266886&utm_content=a0x1a000003amnH&scsonar=1" rel="noopener noreferrer">Zoolz Cloud Storage</a></strong>. </p>

<p>A light news day today after the big stories about Shazam, macOS 11.3.3 beta, and so on.</p><ul><li>Three US airlines are banning "smart luggage", luggage with lithium-ion battery packs built-in</li><li>A fake cryptocurrency app was removed from the App Store after the operators of a legitimate Ethereum wallet service complained to Apple about the fake</li><li>Beginning in April of 2018, US and Canadian citizens will no longer need to sign for purchases made with American Express, MasterCard or Discover debit and credit cards...or Apple Pay payments made with those cards</li></ul>

<p>The iPhone X, iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus all have a feature that brings an extra level of convenience to charging -- they're Qi-compatible, which means that they can use any Qi charger for wireless charging. Just lay your iPhone onto the charger and it is quickly charged up, all without needing a cable. We have some great deals on wireless iPhone charging docks from JS Innovations, starting with <strong><a target="_blank" href="https://deals.appleworld.today/sales/js-tilt-dock?utm_source=appleworld.today&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=js-tilt-dock_121117&utm_term=scsf-266884&utm_content=a0x1a000003amms&scsonar=1" rel="noopener noreferrer">the popular Tilt Dock for $52.50</a></strong>. </p>

<p>We've been on hiatus this week due to an illness in the family, but we're back today with some interesting and fun news in the world of Apple:</p><ul><li>Apple's attempt to ban spam or nonfunctional apps from the App Store is hurting legitimate businesses and a CA congressman is asking them to reconsider</li><li>iMore's Rene Ritchie shared a fun little Easter egg in an Apple app</li><li>Have SiriusXM in your car or office? You can now use your subscription to stream all 200+ channels to your Apple TV</li></ul>

<p>Times change. Back when I was doing a lot of Mac consulting, I bought an inverter for my car so that I could convert the 12V power in the vehicle to 120V AC to charge my MacBook Air between appointments. It was bulky, hot, and slow. Fast-forward to 2017, when a tiny box from <a target="_blank" href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B07115BLPP/appwortod01-20/" rel="noopener noreferrer">GearMo ($22.95 from Amazon, Model GM-UCPDCARB)</a> can provide 60W of USB Type-C power to my MacBook Pro and charge one other device through another USB-A port that uses Qualcomm's Quick Charge 3.0 protocol.</p>

<p>Why carry around a bagful of dongles just to give your MacBook Pro more capability? The <strong><a target="_blank" href="https://deals.appleworld.today/sales/imempro-usb-c-hub-for-apple-macbook-pro?utm_source=appleworld.today&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=imempro-usb-c-hub-for-apple-macbook-pro_120817&utm_term=scsf-265851&utm_content=a0x1a000003ahwZ&scsonar=1" rel="noopener noreferrer">iMemPro USB-C Hub for MacBook Pro</a></strong> ($59.99) is from our buddies at ZeroLemon and this little wonder adds a tremendous amount of functionality just by plugging into the dual Type-C ports on the side of your MacBook Pro. </p>

<p>It's such a hassle to carry a battery pack with you everywhere to keep your iPhone charged. Not only do you need to carry the battery pack, but also a cable with which to connect the phone to the pack. Those days are over now for the iPhone X, iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, which utilize Qi technology for wireless charging. With the <strong><a target="_blank" href="https://deals.appleworld.today/sales/wireless-power-bank-black?utm_source=appleworld.today&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=wireless-power-bank-black_120617&utm_term=scsf-265741&utm_content=a0x1a000003afuT&scsonar=1" rel="noopener noreferrer">JS Wireless Charging Power Bank</a></strong> ($52.50) there's no need to carry tangled cables -- just place your phone onto the power bank and it begins charging!</p>

<p>A few years ago, accessory manufacturer <a target="_blank" href="http://tenonedesign.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ten One Design</a> came out with the Mountie, a small device that clamped onto the side of one device -- Mac, iPad, whatever... -- and allowed users to clamp another device like an iPhone onto the first device. While the idea is great, allowing a MacBook Pro user to use an iPad Pro as a "second screen", the original just didn't have the holding power to really make me feel confident that everything would stay attached. That problem is gone now with the advent of the new <a target="_blank" href="https://tenonedesign.com/mountieplus.php" rel="noopener noreferrer">Mountie+</a> (US$34.95).</p>

<p>Welcome to AWT TV, a weekly show featuring Steve Sande, Dennis Sellers and Marty Edwards of Apple World Today. Each week we'll discuss what's happened in the world of Apple, talk about new apps and accessories, maybe even have a demonstration or two of the latest software.  </p><p>It's December, the month in which the wonderful holiday of Christmas takes place. Since gift-giving has become a part of the holiday tradition, tonight Marty and Steve talk about some gift ideas for the tech-oriented people in your life.</p>