Steve Sande

<p>Some people don't have a choice; they have to use Microsoft Windows because of corporate policy. But others, especially those in a "Bring Your Own Device" environment, have the luxury of using Macs to run both Mac OS X and Windows. It's done one of two ways -- running a virtual machine under software like Parallels Desktop, VMware or Oracle VirtualBox, or setting up a dual-boot Mac using Apple's Boot Camp software. The latest version of Boot Camp is now available, and Boot Camp 6 makes it possible to run Redmond's latest operating system -- Microsoft Windows 10 -- on a variety of Macs. Here's a full list of Macs supporting Windows 10:</p>

<p>Apple is doing a targeted recall of 3rd-generation Apple TVs due to a faulty part. It's not known if the part -- which was not identified -- can cause a safety issue, which is a common reason for recalls of electronic devices.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.focusapp.io/#focus-ios">Focus</a> <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/app/focus-productivity-timer/id777233759?l=de&ls=1&mt=12">for the Mac</a> ($19.99) and <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/app/focus-productivity-timer/id975017240?mt=8&at=11lHSi">iPhone/iPad</a> ($4.99, universal with Apple Watch support) is a productivity timer with several thoughtful little touches. It fits nicely with how I like to work, and I believe several of you will like it, too.</p>

<p>One of the classic scenes of cinema is in “The Wizard of Oz,” when Dorothy — who starts the film in black and white Kansas — regains consciousness in the land of Oz, where everything is in color. Color adds life to monochrome images. We’ve all seen colorized black and white films — some made with success, others horribly botched — but up until now there hasn’t been an easy way to take a black and white photo and colorize it realistically. Codijy <a href="http://www.codijy.com/index.html">Color Magic 3 for Mac</a> ($59.95 with free trial) is an amazing app launched today that creates color masterpieces from those grayscale photos with surprising ease.</p>

<p>For making remote connections to a Mac from an iOS device, there's probably no solution out there that's better than <a target="_blank" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/parallels-access/id655527928?mt=8" rel="noopener noreferrer">Parallels Access</a>. Version 3.0 of Parallels Access has just become available -- both the iOS app and the Mac companion app -- and for those of you with Apple Watches, there's now a new Apple Watch companion app. </p>

<p>US drugstore chain <a target="_blank" href="https://www.riteaid.com/corporate/news?p_p_id=riteaidpressreleases_WAR_riteaidpressreleasesportlet&p_p_lifecycle=0&p_p_state=normal&p_p_mode=view&p_p_col_id=column-3&p_p_col_pos=2&p_p_col_count=3&_riteaidpressreleases_WAR_riteaidpressreleasesportlet_action=getNewsRoomDetail&itemNumber=1896" rel="noopener noreferrer">Rite Aid announced today</a> that on August 15, its 4,600 stores will begin accepting Apple Pay and Google Wallet payments. This is a turnaround from last year, when both Rite Aid and CVS disabled support for Apple Pay due to an exclusivity clause in an agreement with contactless pay competitor MCX. </p>

<p><a target="_blank" href="http://aja.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">AJA Video Systems</a> is a company that makes a lot of high-end video production hardware, and when you're shooting and editing 4K/UltraHD video, it's really easy to start chewing up a lot of storage quickly. Back in the TUAW days, you may remember that we used the free OS X AJA System Test app to benchmark hard disk drives. Well, the company also produces another handy and free app called AJA DataCalc (<a target="_blank" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/aja-datacalc/id343454572?mt=8" rel="noopener noreferrer">iOS Universal</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.aja.com/en/family/software" rel="noopener noreferrer">OS X</a>) that makes determining your storage needs a cinch.</p>

<p>Throughout 2015, we've been telling you about <a target="_blank" href="http://pro.mactech.com/?rid=AWT" rel="noopener noreferrer">MacTech Pro</a>, the conference series for professional Apple techs and consultants. A one-day jam-packed session in cities around the country, MacTech Pro has been a big success this year. Now there are only three more sessions planned, the first of which is next week in the Big Apple:</p>

<p>You've probably noticed something on the AWT home page today; several blocks where ads will appear. Due to slow sales of sponsorships and a need to make enough money to survive, we'll be selling ad space on Apple World Today. </p>

<p>If there's one thing that has been missing from the Apple Watch world the past few months, it's the availability of lots of accessories for the device. That freeze has been thawing lately as more manufacturers get their production under way, and the latest to unveil products is accessory manufacturer X-Doria with the new <a target="_blank" href="http://shop.x-doria.com/products/defense-edge-for-apple-watch-42-mm/437707" rel="noopener noreferrer">Defense Edge</a> shell and <a target="_blank" href="http://shop.x-doria.com/products/lux-band-for-42-mm-apple-watch/439688" rel="noopener noreferrer">LUX Band</a> for Apple Watch.</p>

<p>Almost everyone who owns an inkjet printer has run into this scenario; you're trying to get something important printed, and the printer tells you that a cartridge is out of ink. It happens frequently, and usually at the most inopportune time. Printer manufacturer <a target="_blank" href="http://epson.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">Epson</a> has taken a bold step with a new line of five new <a target="_blank" href="http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/jsp/Landing/ecotank-super-tank-printers.do?UseCookie=yes&amp;iref=us_homebanner_ecotank_pos1" rel="noopener noreferrer">EcoTank inkjet printers</a> that get rid of the pesky cartridges, replacing them with high volume ink tanks that are designed to keep your printer happy for two or more years of usage.</p>

<p>Everybody likes a deal, and <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ibotta-cash-back-app.-coupons/id559887125?mt=8">Ibotta</a> (free) is a popular iPhone app for getting cash back on just about everything you buy in a store. The Denver-based company today reported that they’ve paid out $30 million in rebates to users of the app, with $10 million of that cash making its way out to happy customers in the last four months. </p>

<p>I love Siri. I use it all the time. But there are some occasions where having that voice coming out of my phone is just <em>really</em> inconvenient. Fortunately, Apple designed Siri so that you can shut off the vocal responses and just see replies in text.</p>

<p>Those who read AWT or read TUAW in the past know that we've had a long history with <a target="_blank" href="http://dodocase.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">DODOcase</a>, the San Francisco company that took a struggling book bindery and turned it into a iPhone/iPad case powerhouse. Their book-like cases are legendary, and they've expanded into accessory bags, <a target="_blank" href="https://appleworld.dreamhosters.com/blog/2015/7/20/the-week-of-apple-watch-stands-continues-dodocase-dual-charging-dock-organizer-and-apple-watch-charging-stand" rel="noopener noreferrer">Apple Watch charging stands</a>, and more. Now, just in time for Back to School, DODOcase has teamed up with a popular San Francisco designer on the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.dodocase.com/products/dodocase-urban-backpack" rel="noopener noreferrer">DODOcase Urban Backpack</a> ($220.00).</p>

<p>Apple World Today has broached the subject of operating system fragmentation before. iOS is an example of a mobile operating system that doesn’t suffer from fragmentation, as the vast majority of the devices in the field run either iOS 8 (85 percent) or iOS 7 (13 percent). In the world of Android, only 12.4 percent of users are using the most recent versions known as “Lollipop”. Why the difference in operating system uptake? Android handset manufacturers are loath to change the loaded OS version since that will affect the “bloatware” apps that they install. Some recently discovered Android vulnerabilities are pointing out how that fragmentation could make it very difficult for Google to protect users from exploits that can “brick” smartphones and tablets with something as simple as an MMS message.</p>