Techmeme
June 26, 2020, 11:40 AM

Top News

Todd Haselton / CNBC:
Microsoft says it will permanently close all Microsoft Store retail locations and focus on its online store instead  —  - Microsoft on Friday announced it will permanently close its Microsoft Store retail locations.  — In the past decade or so, Microsoft began to expand its retail presence …
CNBC:
Amazon has signed an agreement to acquire self-driving car startup Zoox, reportedly for $1.2B+; Zoox was valued at over $3B in 2018  —  - Zoox was valued at over $3 billion in 2018, but has struggled with management turnover in its efforts to develop a self-driving car.
Megan Graham / CNBC:
Verizon joins the boycott of Facebook ads, pulling them until Facebook has “an acceptable solution that makes us comfortable”, the largest advertiser so far  —  - Verizon said on Thursday it is pulling advertising on Facebook and Instagram.  — On Thursday, the Anti-Defamation …
Suzanne Vranica / Wall Street Journal:
Sources: facing growing ad boycott, Facebook told advertisers it will “not make policy changes tied to revenue pressure” but will invest more in tackling hate  —  Social network tells advertisers it takes civil-rights groups' concerns seriously, but won't ‘make policy changes tied to revenue pressure’
Tom Warren / The Verge:
Leaked Microsoft document hints at a cheaper and less powerful Xbox console, designed to provide key improvements in Xbox Series X at a lower price point  —  The document mentions multiple Project Scarlett consoles  —  Microsoft has been planning a second, cheaper and less power next-gen Xbox console.
Laurence Dodds / Telegraph:
TikTok says it will stop clipboard snooping after iOS 14 reveals when apps attempt to read the clipboard; TikTok claims it was used to identify spammy behavior  —  A security patch from Apple has suddenly exposed just how many smartphone apps are reading users' clipboards every time they are on screen
Andrew J. Hawkins / The Verge:
Volvo to integrate Waymo's autonomous driving technology in its future fleet of electric robotaxis, the fourth automaker to commit to using Waymo's AV tech  —  Waymo says it is an ‘exclusive’ supplier of Level 4 technology to Volvo  —  Waymo is the “exclusive global L4 partner” …
Abner Li / 9to5Google:
Report: Alphabet said to be close to buying Canadian smart glasses maker North for ~$180M; sales of North's first generation Focals were said to be minuscule  —  While Glass lives on as an enterprise product, it never came close to reaching Google's wildly ambitious vision of replacing the smartphone.
Dan Seifert / The Verge:
Google launches group calling support for Assistant-powered smart displays, like Nest Hub Max, in Google Meet for up to 100 users and in Duo for up to 32 people  —  Chat with up to either 32 or 100 right from your Nest Hub Max  —  Google is expanding the ways you can make video calls …
Jack Koloskus / Input:
Apple's new visual language in macOS 11 highlights a trend towards neumorphism, an iteration of skeuomorphic design that focuses on light moving within 3D space  —  If you watched Apple's annual WWDC event this week, or have been even casually observing some of the announcements the company made …
Bloomberg:
In email to staff, Uber CEO says it will “deprioritize” its finance-related projects, including Uber Money, as the head of its financial products quits  —  Uber Technologies Inc.'s financial services leader Peter Hazlehurst is calling it quits as the ride-hailing giant focuses …
Bloomberg:
Tencent is launching Trovo, a Twitch-like streaming service, in the US, and plans to entice creators with a $30M partnership program starting in July  —  - Trovo is a close analog to Twitch and already live online  — Preparing official launch with $30 million recruitment budget

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Chaim Gartenberg / The Verge: