Techmeme
January 15, 2021, 3:40 PM

Top News

Benjamin Mayo / 9to5Mac:
Kuo: 14" and 16" MacBook Pros coming in Q3 2021 with Apple Silicon, MagSafe charging, no Touch Bar, new design with squared-off sides and more built-in IO ports  —  Reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today released some interesting details about the upcoming MacBook Pro.
Mark Gurman / Bloomberg:
Sources: Apple to launch redesigned iMacs this year with a Pro Display XDR-like design, and is working on two new Mac Pros, one of which may use Intel CPUs  —  Apple Inc. is planning the first redesign of its iMac all-in-one desktop computer since 2012, part of a shift away from Intel Corp. processors …
Mikey Campbell / AppleInsider:
Kuo: Apple is “aggressively” testing vapor chamber thermal systems to cool its upcoming iPhones  —  Noted TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo in a report on Friday said recent industry surveys indicate Apple is “aggressively” testing vapor chamber thermal systems for use in iPhone …
The Information:
Sources: Apple is discussing launching a new subscription service that would charge people to listen to podcasts  —  Apple—long considered the sleeping giant in the podcast space—is waking up.  The company, which runs the most widely used podcasting app in the industry …
Lauren Feiner / CNBC:
Twitter outlines its plans for Wednesday's Inauguration Day, including transitioning @POTUS and other handles to Biden and archiving several official accounts  —  - Less than two weeks after President Donald Trump was kicked off his personal Twitter account, the institutional White House …
Nick Statt / The Verge:
WhatsApp to delay new privacy policy by three months following widespread confusion over whether the policy would mandate data sharing with Facebook  —  The new update will now go out on May 15th  —  WhatsApp on Friday announced a three-month delay of a new privacy policy originally slated …
Mike Rogoway / Oregonian:
Sources: at an all-hands staff meeting, incoming CEO says Intel has to deliver better products for PCs than what a “lifestyle company in Cupertino” makes  —  - Competition: Intel rivals AMD and NVIDIA use TSMC's factories and have capitalized on the technical advances in Taiwan to leapfrog Intel in key segments.
Taylor Lorenz / New York Times:
As Snapchat starts competing with TikTok via its Spotlight program, some creators begin earning small fortunes and look for ways to expand  —  Top performers are raking in cash, as the company seeks to compete against TikTok and similar platforms.  —  In late November, Cam Casey …
Jason Del Rey / Vox:
Interview with Walmart's e-commerce chief Marc Lore, who is leaving the company at the end of the month to build “a city of the future”  —  Marc Lore, the founder of Jet.com, helped Walmart become the No. 2 online shopping site after Amazon.  —  Marc Lore, a serial entrepreneur …
Alex Kantrowitz / OneZero :
Smaller services like Substack, Spotify, and Clubhouse are coming under scrutiny now that the big platforms have warmed to aggressive moderation  —  Smaller services are coming under scrutiny now that the big platforms have warmed to aggressive moderation  —  Glenn Greenwald was pissed.
Sarah Emerson / OneZero :
Nick Statt / The Verge:
Amazon launches Amazon Custom Assistant, which will let car makers build their own custom AI assistants with their own wake words, custom voices, and more  —  Amazon is letting automakers tailor custom voice experiences using its AI platform  —  Amazon is giving car companies …
Mike Stone / Reuters:
The Trump admin adds Xiaomi, along with 8 other Chinese firms, to a blacklist of alleged Chinese military companies, forcing US investors to divest by Nov. 11  —  The Trump administration on Thursday added nine Chinese firms to a blacklist of alleged Chinese military companies …
Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch:
OneWeb, which to date launched 110 out of a planned constellation of 648 satellites to provide internet access, raises $1.4B with $400M from SoftBank and Hughes  —  After a troubled year that saw broadband satellite operator OneWeb file for bankruptcy, get rescue finance from the UK government and Bharti …
Abner Li / 9to5Google:
Google says it will remove the inadvertent ability for Chromium browsers to access Chrome bookmarks and other sync features when users are logged into Google  —  Besides the intended differences, web browsers based on Chromium offer an underlying experience that's mostly identical to Chrome.
Ari Levy / CNBC:
GitLab is considering going public after an employee share sale valued it at $6B; GitLab revenue crossed $150M annually after growing 74% in the latest quarter  —  - GitLab CEO Sid Sijbrandij confirmed CNBC's reporting from November of an employee share sale, which valued the company at $6 billion.
Chaim Gartenberg / The Verge:
Samsung unveils the $799 Galaxy S21, $999 Galaxy S21+, and $1,199 Galaxy S21 Ultra, available now to preorder and launching on January 29  —  Samsung's latest flagships are here: the Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21 Plus, and the Galaxy S21 Ultra.  The first two — which start at $799 and $999 …
Igor Bonifacic / Engadget:

Sponsor Posts

Google:
Reimagine your photos with a prompt  —  Our new native image generation and editing is state-of-the-art, and ranked #1 in the world.  Try it for free in the Gemini app.
Zoho:
Why the AI era demands better internships  —  Tech is reinventing the workforce.  But is it really AI, or the people behind it?  Think of it like a hamster who got tired of running in its wheel, so it automated the wheel.
Sevalla:
Sevalla - PaaS from the future  —  Deploy your app before your coffee gets cold.  It's that simple.  Application, database, object storage and free static site hosting.  Start with $50 free credit!
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:
Inside The AI Bubble: Debt, Depreciation, and Losses — With Gil Luria
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.
Hard Fork:
Data Centers in Space + A.I. Policy on the Right + A Gemini History Mystery
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.
Decoder with Nilay Patel:
The company at the heart of the AI bubble
A show from the Verge about big ideas - and other problems.
Subscribe to Decoder with Nilay Patel.
Lenny's Podcast:
"Dumbest idea I've heard" to $100M ARR: Inside the rise of Gamma | Grant Lee (CEO)
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.
Great Chat:
Turns out, there's still a line (don't mock the pope)
A podcast mostly about tech. Brought to you weekly by Angela Du, Sally Shin, Mac Bohannon, Helen Min, and Ashley Mayer.
Subscribe to Great Chat.
Uncapped with Jack Altman:
Kyle Vogt from The Bot Company
Conversations with people I admire about things I'm genuinely interested in.
Subscribe to Uncapped with Jack Altman.
 

About This Page

This is a Techmeme archive page. It shows how the site appeared at 3:40 PM ET, January 15, 2021.

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

Rebecca Klar / The Hill:

Earlier Picks

Adam Satariano / New York Times:
Kate Clark / The Information:
Catalin Cimpanu / ZDNet:
David Carnoy / CNET:
New York Times: