Techmeme
February 25, 2016, 9:05 PM

Top News

Wall Street Journal:
Sources: Alphabet, Facebook, Microsoft, and at least one more tech firm to file joint amicus brief supporting Apple; Twitter to also back Apple in FBI fight  —  Tech Companies to Unite in Support of Apple  —  Google, Facebook and Microsoft among the companies that will back Apple in its iPhone fight with the U.S. government
The Seattle Times:
Microsoft President Brad Smith says the company “wholeheartedly” supports Apple in FBI case, will file amicus brief next week  —  Microsoft takes Apple's side in iPhone dispute with FBI  —  Microsoft is “wholeheartedly” siding with Apple in its battle with the FBI over unlocking a terrorist's iPhone.
Matthew Panzarino / TechCrunch:
New York Times:
Mark Gurman / 9to5Mac:
Apple to launch 9.7-inch iPad Pro, not Air 3; Smart Keyboard & Apple Pencil support likely  —  Apple will further differentiate the next-generation 9.7-inch iPad from its predecessor by making it part of the new iPad Pro line, according to sources.  Much like the MacBook Pro comes in 13-inch …
Mary Jo Foley / ZDNet:
Microsoft cancels Project Astoria for porting Android apps to Windows 10, still working on tools for porting iOS and Win32 apps  —  Microsoft: Our Android Windows 10 bridge is dead, but iOS, Win32 ones moving ahead  —  Microsoft's iOS bridge will be the only Microsoft toolkit …
Josh Constine / TechCrunch:
Facebook Officially Launches Canvas Ads That Load Full-Screen Rich Media Pages In-App  —  Instant Articles, meet Instant Ads.  Facebook wants to give advertisers an immersive way to reach people without making them leave the social network.  So today it officially launched its ad Canvas for all advertisers.
Kristen V. Brown / Fusion:
Airbnb admits it removed roughly 1,500 NYC listings controlled by commercial operators before releasing data to regulators  —  Airbnb admits that it purged 1,500 unflattering New York listings right before data release  —  In a pair of letters sent to state legislators and Airbnb users in New York …
Jim Acosta / CNN:
Apple, Twitter, Snapchat, Facebook, and MTV executives offered advice on how to combat ISIS online in a meeting at the Justice Department on Wednesday  —  First on CNN: Government enlists tech giants to fight ISIS messaging  —  Apple CEO: Complying with FBI a ‘dangerous precedent’
Jason Koebler / Motherboard:
Wikimedia Foundation Executive Director Lila Tretikov resigns amid concerns foundation wasn't transparent about plans for a search engine  —  Wikimedia Foundation Executive Director Resigns Amid a Community Revolt  —  Many Wikipedia editors finally got what they wanted Thursday.
Amanda Conway / YouTube Creator Blog:
YouTube launches tool that allows creators to blur any moving object in their videos  —  Blur moving objects in your video with the new Custom blurring tool on YouTube  —  In 2012, we launched the ability for creators to blur all faces in their video as a first step toward providing visual anonymity tools on YouTube.
Megumi Fujikawa / Wall Street Journal:
Toshiba scraps Wearvue TG-01 smart glasses a week before launch  —  Toshiba Scraps Wearable Device a Week Before Launch  —  Now you see it, now you don't.  Toshiba Corp. has scrapped the sale of a glasses-type wearable device just six weeks after announcing it, and a week before the products were scheduled for shipment.
Wall Street Journal:
Sharp accepts Foxconn's takeover offer, but Foxconn says it won't yet sign deal, sources say due to about $3B in previously undisclosed contingent liabilities  —  Foxconn's Deal for Sharp Now in Question  —  Taiwanese assembler of iPhones said it is delaying the signing of takeover agreement

Sponsor Posts

Google:
Try Gemini 3 Pro  —  Google's newest and most intelligent AI model that helps you bring any idea to life
Shopify:
Shopify's new AI commerce stack  —  Their VP of Product digs into just-launched products to help entrepreneurs and developers build with the latest AI and tech.
Zoho:
Connecting, collaborating, and growing: Zoho Mail 2025 wrap-up  —  Your inbox has been home to a lot this year—quick updates, long threads, approvals, reminders, and the occasional late-night draft you weren't sure about.
IDrive:
Protecting your Cloud Applications Data  —  Backing up Office 365, Google Workspace, Dropbox & Box data is critical to preventing data loss or corruption, complying with laws and avoiding critical downtime in case of a disaster.

Featured Podcasts

BG2 Pod:
AI Enterprise - Databricks & Glean
Open-source podcast on all things tech, markets, investing, and capitalism, hosted by Brad Gerstner.
Subscribe to BG2 Pod.
Great Chat:
The stories we told ourselves in 2025
A podcast mostly about tech. Brought to you weekly by Angela Du, Sally Shin, Mac Bohannon, Helen Min, and Ashley Mayer.
Subscribe to Great Chat.
Grit:
How Brands Stay Visible When AI Decides | Profound CEO James Cadwallader
Grit explores what it takes to create, build and scale world-class organizations.
Subscribe to Grit.
Lenny's Podcast:
The coming AI security crisis (and what to do about it) | Sander Schulhoff
Interviews with world-class product leaders and growth experts to uncover actionable advice to help you build, launch, and grow your own product.
Subscribe to Lenny's Podcast.
Big Technology Podcast:
OpenAI's Potential, Google's Speedy Model, Copilot Hits Turbulence
The Big Technology Podcast takes you behind the scenes in the tech world featuring interviews with plugged-in insiders and outside agitators.
Subscribe to Big Technology Podcast.
Tools and Weapons with Brad Smith:
Ted Sarandos: Netflix and how tech changed storytelling
Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith speaks with leaders in government, business, and culture to explore the most critical challenges at the intersection of technology and society.
Subscribe to Tools and Weapons with Brad Smith.
 

About This Page

This is a Techmeme archive page. It shows how the site appeared at 9:05 PM ET, February 25, 2016.

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

Nick Statt / The Verge:
Ben Dummett / Wall Street Journal:

Earlier Picks

Mark Gurman / 9to5Mac:
Joseph Cox / Motherboard: