Steve Sande

<p>For a smartphone that's not even supposed to ship until at least September, the rumors about the  iPhone 8 (AKA iPhone Edition, iPhone X, iPhone Pro...) are certainly filling the blogosphere this morning. Here's a quick roundup of all we've heard in the past few days:</p>

<p>Many Mac users find that storing part or all of our data on cloud services is a great way to extend the capabilities of our computers, but sometimes it's a bit difficult to get data in and out of services like Google Drive, Box, Amazon S3, Microsoft OneDrive and even FTP or WebDAV servers. Eltima Software's <a target="_blank" href="https://cloudmounter.net" rel="noopener noreferrer">CloudMounter</a> for macOS (US$29.99) takes care of adding all of these services as mountable "drives" in the macOS Finder, and today the app was updated to provide data encryption as well as a way to ensure that only <em>your</em> instance of CloudMounter can access your data.</p>

<p>It's not April 1st, but we thought it would be fun to use a headline in French for this story. Apple Maps has added transit directions for Paris, France. The apps -- for both iOS and macOS -- gained the public transit info this weekend, including both the city's Metro subway and above-ground train lines like the RER and Transilien networks. </p>

<p>Amidst persistent stories about Apple developing an augmented reality headset of some sort and recent moves to shore up the company's standing with creative professionals, the company has recently hired a developer well-known for writing Final Cut Pro plug-ins. Tim Dashwood, best known for his <a href="https://fxfactory.com/info/360vrtoolbox/">360VR Toolbox</a> plugin, has joined Apple <a href="http://www.fcp.co/final-cut-pro/articles/1956-tim-dashwood-joins-apple-all-of-his-plugin-products-are-now-free">as reported by FCP.co</a>. </p>

<p>Not everybody has an iPad Pro, but everyone can benefit from using stylus-enabled apps on any iPad. Today's Apple World Today Deals Shop special is for a combination stylus and pen that you'll find to be a joy to use. The <strong><a target="_blank" href="https://deals.appleworld.today/sales/pinpoint-x-spring-precision-stylus-pen?utm_source=appleworld.today&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=pinpoint-x-spring-precision-stylus-pen_042417&utm_term=scsf-227124" rel="noopener noreferrer">Pinpoint X-Spring Precision Stylus & Pen from Joy Factory is available for $14.95</a></strong>, 57% off the usual price of $34.95. </p>

<p>This morning, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/23/technology/travis-kalanick-pushes-uber-and-himself-to-the-precipice.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&smid=tw-nytimes&smtyp=cur&_r=1&referer=">the New York Times published an exposé of Uber</a>, its CEO Travis Kalanick and its propensity for tracking user locations even when users aren't actively using the app. One of the more interesting bits of news served up by the Times was that Uber at one point was nearly removed from the App Store -- the distribution point that made the rideshare service such a success with iPhone users. </p>

<p>A few fun Apple-related stories to send you off on your Earth Day weekend:</p><ul><li>Documents filed with the State of California show details on how Apple will test its autonomous vehicle software and interfaces</li><li>You can get a heck of a good deal on a 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar in Apple's refurbished store</li></ul>

<p>With Earth Day 2017 coming up tomorrow, the PR department at Apple has been working overtime to tout the company's excellent record on environmental sustainability. One such announcement has to do with <a target="_blank" href="http://www.macworld.com/article/3191487/data-center/apple-will-return-heat-generated-by-data-center-to-warm-up-homes.html" rel="noopener noreferrer">a new data center in Denmark</a>. Data centers and all of the servers packed in them generate a huge amount of heat, and Apple has announced that it will capture the waste heat from the new facility and direct it to a district heating system used to warm local homes.</p>

<p>Does springtime have you feeling creative? Get a head start on all of your projects and ideas with <strong><a target="_blank" href="https://deals.appleworld.today/sales/big-creative-mac-bundle?utm_source=appleworld.today&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=big-creative-mac-bundle_042117&utm_term=scsf-227131" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Supersized Mac Creative Bundle (US$29)</a></strong>. Buying the dozen creative apps that are included and the 25 hours of instruction added to the bundle would normally cost you $1,287.35. You're getting these apps and training for less than $30!</p>

<p>Leaked eye injuries, influential people, and paying cable bills with Apple Pay are all on today's AWT News Update:</p><ul><li>A contractor leaked some documents that outline some eye injuries that might be related to testing of AR glasses or other technologies at Apple</li><li>Tim Cook wrote a nice statement about Didi Chuxing president Jean Liu, who made it to the 2017 TIME "Most Influential People" list</li><li>Time to pay your overly-expensive Comcast bill? Use Apple Pay!</li></ul>

<p>The NAB Show is kicking off on Saturday in Las Vegas, which means that the latest gear for broadcasters, videographers, and podcasters will be showcased. We're starting to hear announcements from vendors, and one -- <a target="_blank" href="https://www.owcdigital.com/nab2017" rel="noopener noreferrer">OWC</a> -- has announced that it will be demoing new products and prototypes on the show floor.</p>

<p>Apple news for the day is rather light, but we have some good stories to convey to you:</p><ul><li>The glass cube at the Apple store on 5th Avenue in NYC will be removed...at least for a while</li><li>Apple Watch users should look for the Earth Day activity challenge that will appear soon</li><li>Apple Maps gains new EV charging station and bike rental/dropoff information</li><li>Hulu is on the verge of introducing its new streaming package </li></ul>

<p>Some of our most popular course bundles in the Apple World Today Deals Shop are for would-be developers who want to get into iOS app creation. Today's bundle is perfect if you're looking for an inexpensive yet thorough development course. We have the <strong><a target="_blank" href="https://deals.appleworld.today/sales/bitfountain-master-ios-bundle?utm_source=appleworld.today&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=bitfountain-master-ios-bundle_041917&utm_term=scsf-227127" rel="noopener noreferrer">iOS Coding Mastery Bundle from Bitfountain available for just US$39</a>, </strong>83% off the regular price.</p>

<p>If you happen to do your typing on any Apple keyboard, you might want to consider a different keyboard. There’s nothing inherently wrong with Apple keyboards, mice, and trackpads except that there are alternatives that do the same things better, faster, or more elegantly (at least for me).</p>

<p>Death, taxes, rumors, taxes, more rumors, and more flaming batteries? That's what we might have today on this Tax Day, 2017:</p><ul><li>Using smartphones while driving is probably behind the first rise in motor vehicle deaths in 40 years</li><li>Bloomberg says there are multiple iPhone 8 prototypes under consideration, but we think their assertion that Apple would ship a "top of the line" iPhone without Touch ID is stupid</li><li>Will the 2017 iPhone crop come with the Lighting to 3.5mm headphone adapter? That's the important question!</li><li>iFixit found that the battery used in the new Samsung Galaxy S8+ is almost identical to those in the Galaxy Note 7 "burner phones" last year</li></ul>