Techmeme
May 31, 2018, 6:00 PM

Top News

Mark Gurman / Bloomberg:
What to expect at Apple's WWDC next week: focus on digital health, ARKit 2.0, small changes to iOS, deeper Mac-iOS integration, and no Mac or iPad hardware  —  - Company will outline software roadmap for the next year  — Tech giant to more tightly integrate Mac, iPhone software
Megan Farokhmanesh / The Verge:
Pew Research study of US teen internet usage finds 85% say they use YouTube, 72% use Instagram, 69% use Snapchat, while only 51% say they use Facebook  —  And Facebook continues to fall, according to Pew Research Center  —  Teenagers are more interested than ever in YouTube, home to the world's growing influencer and vlogger base.
Swapna Krishna / Engadget:
Nonprofit USB Implementers Forum announces a new standard for Braille displays developed in cooperation with Microsoft, Apple, and others  —  Accessibility is an increasingly important issue when it comes to tech; while new technology can certainly make it easier for people with accessibility issues …
Bradley Chambers / 9to5Mac:
Telegram CEO Pavel Durov says Apple has been rejecting its app updates globally since Russia banned Telegram in April  —  The popular messaging app, Telegram, hasn't seen an App Store update since late March.  It now appears that ever since Russian authorities ruled that the app was illegal in the country …
Andrew J. Hawkins / The Verge:
Waymo announces deal with Fiat Chrysler to add 62K minivans to its upcoming robotaxi service and begins discussions on selling self-driving cars to people  —  Google spinoff orders 62,000 Chrysler Pacifica minivans  —  The size of Waymo's fleet of self-driving Chrysler Pacifica minivans just got radically bigger.
Dieter Bohn / The Verge:
Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi says that the company is in discussions to have Waymo self-driving cars added to its network  —  “It's up to them.”  —  Speaking today at the Code Conference, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi says that his company is in “discussions” to have Waymo self-driving cars added to its network.
Saheli Roy Choudhury / CNBC:
Dan Primack / Axios:
SoftBank Vision Fund will invest $2.25B into GM's Cruise self-driving program, with plans to commercialize such vehicles next year  —  General Motors on Thursday announced that SoftBank Vision Fund will invest $2.25 billion into its self-driving program, with plans to commercialize such vehicles next year.
Matt Weinberger / Business Insider:
Toronto-based smart thermostat maker Ecobee adds additional $36M to its Series C round, bringing total funding for the round to $98M  —  - Ecobee, a Toronto-based smart thermostat company, has raised $47 million CAD (about $36 million USD) in funding, bringing its Series C round to about $127 million CAD total.
More: Business Wire and CNET
Richard Lai / Engadget:
Xiaomi announces 6.21-inch Mi 8 Explorer Edition flagship with Snapdragon 845, 6GB RAM, 3D face scanner, transparent back, and dual-frequency GPS for ~$420  —  Xiaomi may have already released the Mi Mix 2S earlier this year, but it's actually kept its true 2018 flagship, the Mi 8 …
Taylor Hatmaker / TechCrunch:
Hello Alfred, which uses existing on-demand services to automate weekly chores, raises $40M Series B  —  New York-based chore wizard Hello Alfred is about expand its mission to make life easier, one to-do list at a time.  The company commands a small army of thoroughly trained home helpers …
Chris O'Brien / VentureBeat:
French startup Klaxoon, which builds SaaS tools to aid office efficiency and says it has 1M MAUs, raises $50M Series B led by Idinvest Partners  —  Klaxoon today announced a $50 million round of funding, which the French company hopes will allow it to capitalize on the rapid word-of-mouth growth it has seen over the past two years.
More: TechCrunch
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Gaming platform Roblox launches Roblox Education, offering a free curriculum to teachers and more, says it has 60M+ MAUs and paid $30M to its creators last year  —  Roblox, the massively multiplayer online game favored by the under 13 crowd, is following in Minecraft's footsteps with a move into the education market.

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