Dennis Sellers

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Apple has been granted a patent (number 10,534,452) for a “highly portable media device,” which related to similar patents dating back to 2005. The idea seems to be an Apple-developed solid state drive gadget that holds photos, songs, movies, etc., and which can be used with Macs, iPads, and iPhones with limited storage. The patent also mentions an accompanying app for such a device.</p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Apple has been granted a patent (number 10,532,428) for “interlocking flexible segments formed from a rigid material” that hints at upcoming Mac laptops (and other Apple devices) with innovation unibody designs designed to reduce weight and manufacturing costs.</p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Apple is now selling the <a href="https://www.apple.com/mac-pro/?afid=p239%7C321564&cid=aos-us-aff-ir" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">rack mountable Mac Pro</a> with pricing starting at $6499 (compared to $5,999 for the non-rackmountable model). </p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">In a note to clients -- as noted by <a href="https://www.macrumors.com/2020/01/14/iphone-12-lineup-up-to-6gb-ram/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">MacRumors</a> -- BS analysts Timothy Arcuri and Munjal Shah say Apple plans to release one 5.4-inch, one 6.7-inch, and two 6.1-inch iPhone models this year. While the analysts expect all four iPhones to be equipped with OLED displays, they believe other features like camera specifications and RAM will vary by model. </p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Lee Eisenberg, executive producer of the Little America series on Apple TV+, has signed a long-term contract with Apple and will launch a new production team for creating content exclusively for Apple’s streaming service, according to <a href="https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/little-america-lee-eisenberg-apple-overall-deal-1203466754/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Variety.</a></p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Apple is working on a 5G-enabled iPad with mmWave support, according to <a href="https://www.digitimes.com/index.asp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">DigiTimes</a> (a subscription is required to read the entire article).</p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Apple has has said “no” to a request from U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr to unlock iPhones owned by a Saudi Air Force cadet accused of killing three people at a naval base in Pensacola, Florida. The tech giant also denies the AG's claim that it has not provided "substantive assistance" in the investigation.</p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">In the past, it's been suggested by some pundits that Apple release two versions of macOS: a “standard” version and a "pro" version. I’m dubious, but there’s evidence that the tech giant is at least considering this.</p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Global Mac sales dipped either 3% or 5.3% in the fourth quarter of 2019, depending on if you believe in new data from <a href="http://www.gartner.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Gartner </a>or <a href="http://www.idc.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">IDC</a>.</p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">To “reduce electronic waste and make consumers’ life easier, members of the European Parliament want binding measures for chargers to fit all mobile phones and other portable devices, according to a <a href="https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/agenda/briefing/2020-01-13/13/call-to-introduce-common-charger-for-all-mobile-phones" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">briefing on the European Parliament website</a>.</p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">A 13-inch MacBook Pro with the Magic Keyboard introduced with the 16-inch MacBook Pro is likely arriving soon. As several blog posts have noted, a new filing for an upcoming MacBook has shown up on the Eurasian Economic Commission’s database.</p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Twelve South's <a href="https://www.twelvesouth.com/products/airsnap-pro?variant=31351705829433" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">AirSnap Pro</a> is the company’s newest addition to its AirSnap line of protective cases. It's designed and tailored to fit the AirPods Pro (see my review of the AirPods Pro <a href="https://appleworld.today/blog/2019/11/4/once-youve-used-the-airpods-pro-its-hard-to-go-back-to-the-non-pro-version?rq=AirPods%20Pro" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">here</a>).</p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">In a note to clients — as noted by <a href="https://www.macrumors.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">MacRumors </a>— analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reiterates that he expects four 5G-enabled iPhones to launch in the second half of the year. And he thinks there will be models with both sub-6GHz and mmWave support, depending on the region.</p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Oprah Winfrey has cancelled her involvement with a documentary on sexual assault and abuse in the music industry, only <a href="https://apple-tv-plus-press.apple.com/en-US/posts/2019/12/apple-announces-a-documentary-film-presented-by-oprah-winfrey-from-academy-award-nominated-filmmakers-kirby-dick-and-amy-ziering/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">one month after Apple announced it</a> would debut on Apple TV+ sometime this year.</p>

<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Apple has launched a <a href="https://support.apple.com/iphone-xs-xs-max-xr-smart-battery-case-replacement" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">battery case replacement program</a> for Smart Battery Cases designed for the iPhone XS, XS Max, and iPhone XR. </p>