Steve Sande

<p>Anyone who has owned a Mac has run into them — those mysterious winmail.dat files. You try double-clicking on those files and nothing happens, leaving you to wonder what someone from the world of Windows was trying to send you. Fortunately, there is a solution available in the form of <strong><a target="_blank" href="http://winmail.help" rel="noopener noreferrer">Letter Opener for macOS, macOS Mail and iOS</a></strong> (free trial for macOS and iOS with in-app premium purchases).</p>

<p>Just when I thought I'd seen every iPhone case on the market, HITCASE decided to come out with a case that pretty much does everything. The <strong><a target="_blank" href="https://www.hitcase.com/pages/hitcase-pro-2" rel="noopener noreferrer">HITCASE PRO 2.0</a></strong> (pre-order, CA$99 to CA$299 depending on the accessories you pick) is waterproof to 33 feet (10m), shockproof for drops up to 16 feet (5m), and works on the iPhone 6/6s/7/7 Plus. But that's just the start of this case system, which quickly bypassed its goal of CA$50,000 on Kickstarter and is expected to start shipping later this month.</p>

<p>Sure, Apple's AirPods are great...for some people. But there are some who don't like the fit and others who don't like the dangly bits. Fortunately, there are alternatives, and now the team at <a target="_blank" href="http://crowdcreate.us" rel="noopener noreferrer">Crowdcreate</a> are launching the <a target="_blank" href="http://touchbuds.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">Touch earbuds</a> on Tuesday on Indiegogo. </p>

<p>Clouds, tips and inspiration -- that's what we have for this Friday afternoon on the AWT News Update podcast:</p><ul><li>Dropbox plans to not only offer support for the iOS 11 Files app, but extend file capabilities for Dropbox system-wide</li><li>Apple will now allow developers to build "tip boxes" into apps, as long as the company gets its 30 percent cut</li><li>Inspiring words from Apple CEO Tim Cook, who was the commencement speaker at MIT today</li></ul><p>Our thanks to <a target="_blank" href="tickspot.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">Tick</a>, the sponsor of Apple World Today this week. Tick provides straightforward time management software to improve your bottom line. </p>

<p>Apple has released two new 15-second iPad Pro videos that are a) funny, b) informative, and c) subtly poking fun at Microsoft Surface. Love the "Oooops" at the end of the first one. </p>

<p>Last year we posted about <a target="_blank" href="https://appleworld.dreamhosters.com/blog/2016/9/6/ishoes-anyone-apple-did-make-a-one-off-pair-of-sneakers-back-in-the-90s" rel="noopener noreferrer">a pair of Apple logo'd sneakers</a> that were purchased by an Alabama resident in 2011, and at the time we were all wondering how to get a pair of these rare shoes for ourselves. <a target="_blank" href="https://fineart.ha.com/itm/other-art/apple-apple-computer-sneakers-circa-early-1990s-size-9-1-2-these-sneakers-were-produced-by-apple-exclusively-for-t-total-2-items-/a/5323-77001.s?ic4=GalleryView-Thumbnail-071515" rel="noopener noreferrer">Well, Heritage Auctions is planning to have an auction this Sunday for a pair of the white leather rainbow-logo sneaks, starting at just $15,000</a>.</p>

<p>We see <em>way</em> too many iPhone cases here at Apple World Today, so it takes a lot to get excited about a press announcement. Well, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.snowlizardproducts.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">SnowLizard</a> caught our attention with the new <a target="_blank" href="http://get.snowlizard.com/slx7/" rel="noopener noreferrer">SLXtreme for iPhone 7</a> (US$149.99), which is <em>the</em> iPhone case to have protecting your precious smartphone when the zombie apocalypse happens.</p>

<p>Not everybody is in love with Apple's AirPods. They aren't noise-cancelling, nor do they fit in everyone's ears. The $159 price tag is also a bit of a turnoff for many potential buyers. We've got a deal for you that you're going to love. <strong><a target="_blank" href="https://deals.appleworld.today/sales/homespot-airbeans-x-true-wireless-earbuds?utm_source=appleworld.today&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=homespot-airbeans-x-true-wireless-earbuds_060917&utm_term=scsf-232537" rel="noopener noreferrer">HomeSpot's AirBeans X earbuds</a></strong> ($54.99) -- truly wireless unlike some other "wireless" buds chained together with a wire. </p>

<p>  It's getting beta all the time  </p><p>Today we talk about new features in tvOS 11, delve into the fees associated with using Apple Pay's upcoming person-to-person payments, an Amazon VP who wants Alexa and Siri to be BFFs, and how NFC works in iOS 11 and watchOS 4.</p><ul><li>Apple TV and AirPods are now best buddies</li><li>Debit card transactions will be free with P2P payments, but credit cards won't</li><li>Amazon and Apple seem to be cooperating more, but will Apple open up to Alexa?</li><li>NFC pairing of iPhone and Apple Watch is now possible with the new operating systems</li></ul>

<p>GarageBand for Mac was updated today with several new features that make it easier on the eyes, easier to use, and a lot more percussive! </p>

<p>Wouldn't you love to work at <a target="_blank" href="http://ifixit.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">iFixit</a>? Not only do you get the vicarious thrill of tearing apart (gently...) thousands of dollars worth of electronics each day, but whenever something new arrives on the market you're one of the first people who gets to take it apart piece by piece. The company completed its <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/iMac+Intel+21.5-Inch+Retina+4K+Display+2017+Teardown/92170" rel="noopener noreferrer">teardown of the 21.5-inch Retina 4K iMac</a> and there were some noticeable surprises that add to the repairability rating of the desktop computer.</p>

<p>WWDC17 is still going on, and we're hearing some good details of what Apple's doing to help out developers and users. Today we have some stories on new technologies that may make it to Apple products soon:</p>

<p>One of the highlights of WWDC each year is the announcement of the winners of Apple Design Awards for the best designed apps of the year. Here are this year's winners:</p>

<p>A quick tweet from a Seattle-based developer today noted that Apple's just made it a lot easier for developers or hobbyists to work on creating HomeKit-controlled devices. Victor Ilyukevich (<a target="_blank" href="http://twitter.com/yas375" rel="noopener noreferrer">@yas375</a>) just tweeted that the "HomeKit protocol spec is now open to all devs! Can build a smart device using Arduino and control it via HomeKit without getting MFi license."</p>

<p>There's been some confusion over whether or not the new 27-inch iMac will support user upgrades of RAM, with Apple reps giving us conflicting answers. So we went to the source of RAM upgrades for a lot of users, <a target="_blank" href="http://macsales.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">M</a><a target="_blank" href="http://macsales.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">acSales.com</a>, and got the definitive word -- they'll be selling OWC memory upgrade kits up to 64GB for the new 27-inch iMac with Retina 5K display.</p>