Techmeme
September 22, 2021, 1:20 PM

Top News

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.
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.
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.
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:
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 …
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.
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.
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 …
Simon Sharwood / The Register:
VMware urges customers to immediately patch a critical arbitrary file upload vulnerability in its flagship vCenter and vSphere products  —  File upload vuln lets miscreants hijack vCenter Server  —  VMware has disclosed a critical bug in its flagship vSphere and vCenter products and urged users to drop everything and patch it.
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 …
Catalin Cimpanu / The Record:
Microsoft uncovers a massive phishing operation offering “Phishing-as-a-Service” subscriptions or one-time tools based on over 120 templates for $80-$100  —  Microsoft's security team said today that it uncovered a massive operation that provides phishing services to cybercrime gangs using …
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.
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
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.
New York Times:
Sources: last month, Mark Zuckerberg agreed to show users positive stories about Facebook via News Feed; Facebook says it ran a small test with labeled posts  —  Mark Zuckerberg, the chief executive, has signed off on an effort to show users pro-Facebook stories and to distance himself from scandals.
Ari Notis / Kotaku:
Blizzard's chief legal officer Claire Hart leaves Activision Blizzard amid a series of high-level departures  —  Claire Hart, who had been the company's top lawyer for three years, resigned Friday  —  Blizzard Entertainment's chief legal officer, Claire Hart, has resigned from the embattled company.
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.
Leah Nylen / Politico:
Facebook shareholders allege Facebook conditioned its $5B Cambridge Analytica settlement on the FTC dropping plans to sue and depose Mark Zuckerberg  —  Facebook conditioned its $5 billion payment to the Federal Trade Commission to resolve the Cambridge Analytica data leak probe …
Mary Ann Azevedo / TechCrunch:
Kavak, a Mexico-based marketplace for used cars, raises $700M Series E led by General Catalyst, doubling its valuation from April to $8.7B  —  Kavak, a Mexico City-based startup that operates a pre-owned car marketplace in Latin America, announced today that it has raised a massive $700 million …
More: PYMNTS.com
ProPublica:
Investigation details how safeguards for Facebook's Marketplace, which has 1B MAUs, can fail to protect buyers and sells from scams, fake accounts, and more  —  The Social Machine  —  How Facebook Plays by Its Own Set of Rules … For years, Carman Alfonsi relied upon Facebook Marketplace …

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Tory Newmyer / Washington Post:
Sergiu Gatlan / BleepingComputer: