Techmeme
September 22, 2021, 6:05 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.
Kurt Wagner / Bloomberg:
Facebook CTO Mike Schroepfer says he will step down next year and shift into a part-time adviser role; Andrew Bosworth will become CTO  —  - Veteran executive ‘Schrep’ will shift to senior fellow role  — Hardware boss Andrew Bosworth will be promoted to CTO role
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:
Zoe Schiffer / The Verge:
Leaked email: Tim Cook says recent leakers of info about Apple products and internal meetings “do not belong here” and the company is tracking them down  —  The CEO says the company is doing everything in its power to track down workers  —  Tim Cook sent an email …
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.
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.
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 …
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.
David Pierce / Protocol:
Read-later apps, pioneered by Instapaper and Pocket, are having a resurgence led by Matter, Upnext, and others, which improve discoverability and other features  —  The internet, as a reading experience, is mostly terrible.  The heavy pages riddled with ads and trackers, the unexpected pop-ups …
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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 …

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