Techmeme
March 18, 2021, 9:01 AM

Top News

Mark Gurman / Bloomberg:
Sources: faster iPad Pros may come as early as April with better cameras; Apple aims to use MiniLED on at least the 12.9" model and has tested using Thunderbolt  —  - Company plans updated iPad Pro line with faster processor  — Apple's iPad sales have jumped in work-from-home environment
Eddie Makuch / GameSpot:
Sony unveils PS5 VR controllers with haptic feedback, adaptive triggers, and finger touch detection  —  Sony has begun to share more details on its vision for next-gen virtual reality, today announcing and showing off the new controllers that will come with PSVR 2.0 for PS5.
Sam Altman:
AI will drive a new tech revolution, applying Moore's law to everything; to rebalance the newly created wealth, society should favor taxing capital over labor  —  My work at OpenAI reminds me every day about the magnitude of the socioeconomic change that is coming sooner than most people believe.
Lauren Feiner / CNBC:
AT&T says it will no longer exempt HBO Max from mobile data caps starting March 25, after a US court upheld CA's net neutrality law; change will apply beyond CA  —  - AT&T will no longer exempt viewing of its HBO Max streaming service from data caps after a federal court upheld California's …
Julia Alexander / The Verge:
YouTube rolls out Checks, a creator tool that scans videos ahead of uploading for copyrighted material; the system relies on YouTube's Content ID  —  Theoretically, Checks will help with demonetization issues  —  In an effort to make the process of uploading a video and receiving ad revenue easier …
Substack Blog:
Substack shares details on its Pro program after criticism, saying 30+ writers with a “diverse set of viewpoints” have signed up, none of whom are anti-trans  —  In recent days, we've heard from some people who are concerned that we might have been using Substack Pro …
Matt Day / Bloomberg:
Amazon says it will expand Amazon Care, a telehealth service piloted on its employees in Seattle, to other companies and the rest of its US employees this year  —  Amazon.com Inc. is expanding digital medical consultations to its employees across the U.S. and says it will start offering the service to other companies later this year.
Tom Warren / The Verge:
Intel hires Justin Long, who played the “I'm a Mac” role in Apple's Mac vs PC ads, to pitch Intel-based PCs and tout touchscreens and convertible form factors  —  Intel is reviving the Mac vs. PC ads  —  Intel has hired Apple's former “I'm a Mac” actor Justin Long to create new ads praising PCs.
Daniele Lepido / Bloomberg:
Ghost Data report exposes a multi-million dollar business of wholesalers using Instagram to sell fake Apple accessories such as counterfeit AirPods worldwide  —  - Report finds Chinese counterfeit Apple goods flood social site  — Apple says it urges removal of 1 million online listings
Ashley Carman / The Verge:
Facebook outlines multiple changes for Groups: probation for rule-breaking users, limiting civic and political groups' reach, and requiring more moderation  —  Ultimately culminating in a ban  —  Facebook is trying to clean up its Groups experience and limit the reach of potentially problematic users and communities.
Mary Ann Azevedo / TechCrunch:
Invstr, an 8-year-old startup with 1M+ app installs that's focused on financial education, raises $20M Series A and adds trading and banking services in the US  —  One of the biggest gripes about investing apps is that they are not acting responsibly by not educating users properly and allegedly letting them fend for themselves.
Julia Fioretti / Bloomberg:
Source says China's Tuya, which provides an Internet of Things platform for developers and consumers, is on track to raise $915M in a US IPO  —  - Tencent-backed firm's shares set to price above marketed range  — Company's cloud platform used to manage smart devices
Paul Sawers / VentureBeat:
SecurityScorecard, a provider of security ratings, raises $180M Series E, bringing its total raised to more than $290M  —  Join Transform 2021 for the most important themes in enterprise AI & Data.  Learn more.  —  SecurityScorecard, a cybersecurity rating and risk-monitoring platform …
Bloomberg:
Olo, a provider of food-ordering software for restaurants, closed up 39% in its trading debut, after raising $450M in an IPO, valuing the company at $4.93B  —  Olo Inc., the food-ordering software company whose board members include Shake Shack Inc. founder Danny Meyer …

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