Techmeme
September 22, 2021, 1:50 PM

Top News

The Verge:
Tim Sweeney says Apple told Epic that it will not consider reinstating Epic's developer account until all legal appeals have concluded, likely years from now  —  Epic CEO Tim Sweeney revealed the conversation in a series of tweets  —  Fortnite will not be returning to the iOS App Store any time soon …
Tom Warren / The Verge:
Microsoft announces Surface Pro 8 with a 13-inch edge-to-edge 120Hz display, Thunderbolt 4, Surface Slim Pen 2, up to 32GB of RAM, and more  —  The Surface Pro we've been waiting years for  —  Microsoft is announcing the Surface Pro 8 today, the biggest upgrade to its Intel-powered Surface Pro lineup since the Surface Pro 3 in 2014.
Tom Warren / The Verge:
Microsoft unveils Surface Laptop Studio, replacing Surface Book, with 14.4" 120Hz display that can slide into new positions, Thunderbolt 4, and haptic trackpad  —  The successor to the Surface Book is here  —  Microsoft is announcing the Surface Laptop Studio today, a successor to the Surface Book line of powerful laptops.
Dieter Bohn / The Verge:
Hands-on with Surface Laptop Studio, which starts at $1,600: new hinge offers three modes, under-device pedestal is strange, and screen is very nice  —  That's one way to put something on a pedestal  —  Alongside the new Surface Pro 8, Microsoft is introducing an all-new computer: the Surface Laptop Studio.
Dan Seifert / The Verge:
Microsoft unveils Surface Duo 2 with 8.3" 90Hz dual displays, three 12MP rear cameras, Snapdragon 888, 5G, Android 11, curved screen for exterior notifications  —  5G, better cameras, and bigger screens  —  Microsoft has officially announced the new Surface Duo 2, its second attempt at an Android-powered folding phone.
Dieter Bohn / The Verge:
Sara Fischer / Axios:
Facebook says Apple's ATT changes will continue to cause headwinds in Q3 and reveals it under-reported iOS web conversions by 15% on average; stock drops 3%+  —  Facebook said Wednesday that changes to Apple's new privacy terms will continue to cause headwinds for its ads business in the third quarter.
Scott Stein / CNET:
Apple iPad mini (2021) review: A15, Pencil 2 support, better cameras, and USB-C, but no keyboard case support and the screen feels too small for some apps  —  What's the most improved product in Apple's lineup this year?  It might be the sixth-gen iPad Mini.
Caitlin McGarry / Gizmodo:
Andrius Sytas / Reuters:
Lithuanian government recommends ditching Chinese phones after finding Xiaomi devices with censorship capabilities that can be activated remotely  —  Lithuania's Defense Ministry recommended that consumers avoid buying Chinese mobile phones and advised people to throw away the ones …
Horace Dediu / Asymco:
As it passes 2B iPhones sold, Apple has avoided disruption by adding useful features nobody asked for and avoiding overshooting on performance that few need  —  Just recently, the 2 billionth iPhone was sold.  Unlike the 1 billionth, there was no announcement, no celebration.
Naman Ramachandran / Variety:
Netflix agrees to acquire the Roald Dahl Story Company, expanding on a three-year deal to make animated shows, with plans to create TV, movies, games, and more  —  Netflix has acquired the Roald Dahl Story Company and will expand their existing deal to create a universe spanning several formats.
Monica Chin / The Verge:
Teachers say many students, brought up with search features on their computers, are unfamiliar with directories and folders, forcing a rethink of lesson plans  —  Catherine Garland, an astrophysicist, started seeing the problem in 2017.  She was teaching an engineering course …
Simon Sharwood / The Register:
VMware urges customers to immediately patch a critical arbitrary file upload vulnerability in its flagship vCenter and vSphere products  —  File upload vuln lets miscreants hijack vCenter Server  —  VMware has disclosed a critical bug in its flagship vSphere and vCenter products and urged users to drop everything and patch it.
Catalin Cimpanu / The Record:
Microsoft uncovers a massive phishing operation offering “Phishing-as-a-Service” subscriptions or one-time tools based on over 120 templates for $80-$100  —  Microsoft's security team said today that it uncovered a massive operation that provides phishing services to cybercrime gangs using …
Monica Chin / The Verge:
Microsoft announces 10.5-inch Surface Go 3 with updated Intel CPUs for up to 60% better performance, Windows Hello, and more  —  Same RAM, storage, ports, and screen as the Surface Go 2  —  Microsoft's Surface Go 2 is one of the best cheap laptops you can buy, and it's gotten a sequel today: the new Surface Go 3.
Cory Doctorow:
Review of the Framework, a $999 modular 13.5" laptop that pulls off a relatively sleek design while also being easy to repair and upgrade  —  Sustainable, upgradeable, repairable and powerful.  —  The Framework laptop is the first laptop to ever score a 10/10 from Ifixit for repairability.
Wall Street Journal:
FCC says it is reviewing Zoom's proposed $15B acquisition of cloud-based call center software maker Five9, citing Zoom's ties to China  —  Justice Department-led Team Telecom is looking into whether Zoom's China ties could make its acquisition of the software company a national-security risk
New York Times:
Sources: last month, Mark Zuckerberg agreed to show users positive stories about Facebook via News Feed; Facebook says it ran a small test with labeled posts  —  Mark Zuckerberg, the chief executive, has signed off on an effort to show users pro-Facebook stories and to distance himself from scandals.
Ari Notis / Kotaku:
Blizzard's chief legal officer Claire Hart leaves Activision Blizzard amid a series of high-level departures  —  Claire Hart, who had been the company's top lawyer for three years, resigned Friday  —  Blizzard Entertainment's chief legal officer, Claire Hart, has resigned from the embattled company.
CNBC:
Robinhood says it will test crypto wallets with select users from next month, letting investors trade, send, receive, and hold digital currencies  —  - Robinhood is testing “crypto wallets” with select clients next month to allow investors to send, receive and move cryptocurrencies in and out of the Robinhood app.
Michael Crider / Android Police:
YouTube is testing letting Premium subscribers download videos from its desktop site through October 19  —  Downloading content for playback later is most useful on mobile, where your connection quality is determined by your location.  But there are plenty of us whose home connection isn't so great either …
Leah Nylen / Politico:
Facebook shareholders allege Facebook conditioned its $5B Cambridge Analytica settlement on the FTC dropping plans to sue and depose Mark Zuckerberg  —  Facebook conditioned its $5 billion payment to the Federal Trade Commission to resolve the Cambridge Analytica data leak probe …
ProPublica:
Investigation details how safeguards for Facebook's Marketplace, which has 1B MAUs, can fail to protect buyers and sells from scams, fake accounts, and more  —  The Social Machine  —  How Facebook Plays by Its Own Set of Rules … For years, Carman Alfonsi relied upon Facebook Marketplace …

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Tory Newmyer / Washington Post: