Techmeme
April 17, 2020, 12:30 AM

Top News

Julia Carrie Wong / The Guardian:
Facebook to notify users who liked, commented, or reacted to COVID-19 misinfo and guide them to WHO resources, as report finds debunked claims on the platform  —  Users who have liked, shared or commented on posts with false claims will be directed to WHO's ‘myth busters’ page
Sarah Krouse / Wall Street Journal:
Verizon says it will buy videoconferencing company Blue Jeans Network, source says for less than $500M  —  Acquisition comes as the coronavirus spurs unprecedented work-from-home arrangements  —  Verizon Communications Inc. has agreed to buy videoconferencing company Blue Jeans Network Inc. …
Mark Gurman / Bloomberg:
Sources: at virtual all-hands, Tim Cook reiterated Apple's strong financials when asked about job cuts, said he doesn't know when staff will return to offices  —  - Tim Cook: Apple to make ‘really significant’ R&D investments  — Company's retail staff begin preparing for store re-openings
Queenie Wong / CNET:
Facebook is no longer planning to host local events in place of its F8 developer conference and cancels physical events with 50 or more people through June 2021  —  Facebook said Thursday that it's no longer planning to host local events in place of its F8 developer conference …
Jason Snell / Six Colors:
Apple says macOS 10.15.5 will include a battery management tool for MacBooks with Thunderbolt 3 that manages battery life by analyzing the battery's temperature  —  The way MacBook batteries charge is about to change.  Apple has released a new developer preview of macOS Catalina 10.15.5 …
New York Times:
Libra scales back ambitions of launching a global currency and will now focus on creating a traditional payment network with coins tied to local currencies  —  After months of criticism, the cryptocurrency is moving ahead with significant revisions.  —  OAKLAND, Calif. …
Paresh Dave / Reuters:
Google says Gmail business and education users can now directly take video calls on Meet, with a new Zoom-like layout, noise filtering, and more coming later  —  OAKLAND, California (Reuters) - Google will allow business and education users on Gmail.com to directly take calls …
Kyle Wiggers / VentureBeat:
Amazon introduces a long-form speaking style for news and music within third-party Alexa skills, making speech sound natural by inserting conversational pauses  —  Amazon today announced a long-form speaking style for news and music content within third-party Alexa skills (i.e., voice apps).
Kevin Roose / New York Times:
Analysis of Joe Biden's YouTube, which has just 32,000 subscribers, shows his weakness against Trump's online presence, especially as campaigning goes virtual  —  The coronavirus has forced the Democrats' presumptive presidential nominee into an all-digital campaign, and he's struggling to break through.
Alex Hern / The Guardian:
Natalia Drozdiak / Bloomberg:
John Gruber / Daring Fireball:
The quadrennial iPhone SEs break from the annual upgrade cycle, arriving 2.5 years after their lookalikes as final versions of popular form factors  —  The answer: Leap years, the summer Olympics, U.S. presidential elections.  —  The question: What are things that occur every fourth year?
More: Forbes and TechaerisTweets: @reneritchie
Bloomberg:
Sources: Sony plans to limit its initial PlayStation 5 production run in its first year partly because it expects lower demand due to a higher launch price  —  - Console still on track for year-end launch despite Covid-19  — Biggest impact from virus so far seen on unveiling timeline
Sebastiaan de With / Halide:
An in-depth analysis of the 2020 iPad Pro's cameras and the mechanism behind its lidar sensor, aided by a proof of concept app to show the sensor's potential  —  Two weeks ago, Apple dropped a new iPad Pro into our lives via their website.  One of its headline features?  A brand new camera array.
More: The VergeTweets: @codinghorror
Jordan Novet / CNBC:
NBA to use Microsoft's Azure cloud to add new features to its website and apps, like showing games in fans' native languages and letting them chat during games  —  - The NBA will tap Microsoft's Azure public cloud and use its Surface devices.  — The league envisions delivering highlight reels …
Bloomberg:
Sources: Apple is developing at least two over-ear wireless headphone variants, with swappable magnetic ear cups and headbands, to augment its AirPods business  —  - Over-ear headphones customizable via magnetic attachments  — Entering a category led by own Beats brand, Bose and Sony
Matt Day / Bloomberg:
In his annual letter to shareholders, Jeff Bezos outlined the steps Amazon is taking to curb the coronavirus, including regular testing for all staff globally  —  Amazon.com Inc. Chief Executive Officer Jeff Bezos said the online retail giant is developing Covid-19 testing capabilities …
Jacob Kastrenakes / The Verge:
TikTok lets parents set restrictions on their kids' accounts like limiting screen time, disabling DMs, and restricting content, and disables DMs for under-16s  —  They can set screen time limits, disable DMs, and restrict content  —  TikTok is amping up its parental controls today …
Kirsten Korosec / TechCrunch:
Instacart launches a prescription delivery service from nearly 200 Costco locations in states including CA and NY, driven by demand during the pandemic  —  Online grocery delivery company Instacart is launching a prescription delivery service through a partnership with Costco as demand …
More: Engadget
Dana Mattioli / Wall Street Journal:
Sources: Amazon is redesigning its website to get customers to put fewer items in their carts while it contends with an immense surge in order volumes  —  Retailer cancels Mother's Day promotions, uses other tools to limit strain of order surge  —  Amazon.com Inc. is retooling its website …

Sponsor Posts

Google:
Try Gemini 3 Pro  —  Google's newest and most intelligent AI model that helps you bring any idea to life
Shopify:
Transform ML Experimentation with Tangle  —  Save months of compute time with Tangle, built by Shopify.  Try this open-source platform to simplify ML workflows, ensure reproducibility, and seamlessly share with collaborators.
Zoho:
Contract Signed.  Project Ready.  Tasks Created.  —  Every project begins with a promise; a contract that outlines the deliverables, the timelines, and the terms.  But for most businesses …
Bitrix24:
Bitrix24 powers the next generation of high-performing businesses  —  Chat, projects, CRM, and automation — all in one place.  Replace dozens of tools so your team moves faster, collaborates smarter, and grows effortlessly.
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

Big Technology Podcast:
AI Device Wars Heat Up, RIP Metaverse?, Netflix Acquires Warner Brothers
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.
Channels with Peter Kafka:
"Hollywood is Truly Freaked Out." Inside the Netflix/WBD Deal with Lucas Shaw
Media and tech aren't just intersecting - they're fully intertwined. To understand how those worlds work, Peter Kafka talks to industry leaders, upstarts and observers.
Subscribe to Channels with Peter Kafka.
Hard Fork:
OpenAI Calls a 'Code Red' + Which Model Should I Use? + The Hard Fork Review of Slop
The future is already here. Each week, journalists Kevin Roose and Casey Newton explore and make sense of the latest in the rapidly changing world of tech.
Subscribe to Hard Fork.
Access:
Is Roblox making the internet better or worse? We asked the CEO
A show about the tech industry's inside conversation, hosted by tech reporter Alex Heath and founder whisperer Ellis Hamburger.
Subscribe to Access.
Lenny's Podcast:
Why LinkedIn is turning PMs into AI-powered "full stack builders" | Tomer Cohen (LinkedIn CPO)
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.
 

About This Page

This is a Techmeme archive page. It shows how the site appeared at 12:30 AM ET, April 17, 2020.

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

CNN:
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai / VICE:

Earlier Picks

Dan Primack / Axios: