Techmeme
April 22, 2021, 10:40 AM

Top News

Mark Gurman / Bloomberg:
Sources: iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 to include upgrades to notifications, Lock Screen, and iMessage, a redesigned iPad Home Screen, and more privacy protections  —  - New privacy tools, updates to iMessage app also planned  — Company to show software updates at June developer conference
Financial Times:
Sources: Apple plans to expand its ad business and add a second ad slot in the App Store search page even as it introduces privacy rules crippling ads by rivals  —  New privacy rules deal a huge blow to how the mobile advertising industry works  —  Apple will expand its advertising business …
Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai / VICE:
Signal's CEO says he analyzed a Cellebrite device, used to extract data from phones, that fell off a truck, and it is full of easily exploitable security flaws  —  One of the biggest encrypted chat apps in the world just showed how a device used to decrypt messages can be hacked and tampered with.
Dieter Bohn / The Verge:
Apple AirTags hands-on: work very well with a thoughtfully designed system, beautiful with a plastic body that serves as a speaker, but get scuffed easily  —  They work super well, and they're one more thing keeping you on the iPhone  —  I was starting to get really worried that I wouldn't find my friend.
Senate Judiciary Subcommittee:
Recording of the Senate Judiciary subcommittee hearing to examine competition in app stores, with testimony from Apple, Google, Spotify, Tile, and others  —  Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights.  Mr. Kyle Andeer Chief Compliance Officer Apple Cupertino …
Bloomberg:
Michael Potuck / 9to5Mac:
Chaim Gartenberg / The Verge:
Twitter rolls out the option to upload and view 4K images on Android and iOS to all users, after testing the feature earlier this year  —  Twitter finally fixes its low-res picture problem  —  Get ready for Twitter to start looking a whole lot crisper — starting today …
Juli Clover / MacRumors:
Files from REvil, which is extorting Apple supplier Quanta, appear to confirm new MacBook Pros with MagSafe, USB-C, HDMI, SD card slot, and no Touch Bar  —  Schematics stolen from Apple supplier Quanta Computer outline Apple's plans for the next-generation MacBook Pro models that are expected in 2021 …
Catalin Cimpanu / The Record:
Anthony Ha / TechCrunch:
Outlier.org, which offers affordable intro-level college courses online, raises $30M Series B led by GV, bringing its total raised to $46M  —  Outlier.org — a startup offering intro-level college courses online and at a relatively affordable price — is announcing that it has raised $30 million in Series B funding.
Ron Miller / TechCrunch:
Kandji, which offers automated tools for onboarding and updating Apple devices remotely, raises $60M Series B led by Felicis Ventures  —  During the pandemic, having an automated solution for onboarding and updating Apple devices remotely has been essential, and today Kandji …
Kyle Wiggers / VentureBeat:
Productboard, which helps product managers prioritize what to build next, raises $72M Series C led by Tiger Global, bringing its total raised to $137M+  —  Join Transform 2021 this July 12-16.  Register fo r the AI event of the year.  —  Productboard, a startup developing a DevOps orchestration system …
More: Insider
Ryan Tracy / Wall Street Journal:
FTC nominee Lina Khan appeared on track to be confirmed after she signaled support for an aggressive approach to Big Tech during her hearing  —  Sen. Cruz ‘looks forward’ to working with Lina Khan, but other Republicans question her views and experience  —  WASHINGTON— Lina Khan …
Tom Warren / The Verge:
Google announces updates to Meet, rolling out next month on desktop, including a new UI, improved presentation features, and background replacement  —  Background video, automatic light adjustment, and much more  —  Google is refreshing its Meet user interface next month for desktop and laptop users.
Cody Godwin / BBC:
UK's Met Office and Microsoft plan to build a weather forecasting supercomputer in the UK for more detailed weather models, better local forecasts, and more  —  The Met Office is working with Microsoft to build a weather forecasting supercomputer in the UK.
Nic Fildes / Financial Times:
Dish partners with AWS to build the first public cloud-based 5G network, which Dish plans to launch initially in Las Vegas in the third quarter  —  World's first public cloud-based 5G network will run on AWS in major test for global telecoms  —  Dish Network has become the first telecoms company …
Bloomberg:
Sources: Google's Ethical AI group was in turmoil long before the ouster of Gebru and Mitchell, after friction over handling of harassment and bias allegations  —  The ouster of lead researchers Gebru, Mitchell followed years of friction over how Google handled allegations of harassment and bias

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