Techmeme
September 22, 2021, 3:00 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 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.
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:
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.
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.
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:
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.
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 …
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 …
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.
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 …
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.
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 …
More: The VergeTweets: @epro
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
Sergiu Gatlan / BleepingComputer:
macOS is susceptible to running arbitrary code when a user opens a malicious .inetloc file, and Apple's first attempt to silently fix the issue failed  —  Security researchers disclosed today a new vulnerability in Apple's macOS Finder, which makes it possible for attackers to run arbitrary commands …
Rachel Lerman / Washington Post:
On Saturday, Square's automatic tipping screen in its app disappeared for three hours due to a bug, costing restaurant workers and others hundreds of dollars  —  Baristas across the country said Square was not bringing up a screen allowing customers to add a tip.
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.
Washington Post:
A look at the strengths and weaknesses of US and Chinese tech industries, including China's supremacy in network equipment, commercial drones, and batteries  —  Chinese and American companies are locked in a hard-fought battle for technological primacy.  Here's a look at where that competition is headed.

Sponsor Posts

Tribe AI:
Build AI products that matter  —  Tribe AI helps organizations rapidly deploy AI solutions that have real business impact.  We bring together world class AI talent and tooling to drive differentiated results.
Zoho:
How you can grow your business with Zoho One  —  Zoho One is a comprehensive business suite, giving businesses the scalability, stability, security, and features they need for smooth operations.
Hamming:
Make AI Voice Agents trustworthy  —  Hamming AI automatically tests AI voice agents and continuously monitors them in production.
Techmeme Leaderboards:
Discover the top reporters on AI, VR, policy, and much more  —  We've analyzed Techmeme's news crawl to identify the most influential and prolific writers on 48 news topics.  Download reports immediately for just $100.
Techmeme Ride Home:
Wed. 11/13 - Amazon Haul
The day's tech news, every day at 5pm ET. Fifteen minutes and you're up to date.
Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or RSS.
 

About This Page

This is a Techmeme archive page. It shows how the site appeared at 3:00 PM ET, September 22, 2021.

The most current version of the site as always is available at our home page. To view an earlier snapshot click here and then modify the date indicated.

More News

ProPublica:

Earlier Picks

Leah Nylen / Politico: