Techmeme
March 18, 2021, 7:55 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
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 …
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.
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
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.
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 …
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.
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
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.
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.
Allison Johnson / The Verge:
Samsung updates its mid-range Galaxy lineup: 6.5" A52 and A52 5G, from ~$415, and 6.7" A72, from ~$535, with 90Hz or 120Hz displays, better cameras, and more  —  The A-series phones will also include IP67 ratings, brighter screens, and expandable microSD storage
Sohee Kim / Bloomberg:
Joseph Cox / VICE:
Document: surveillance contractor Ulysses Group marketed a tool that tracks 15B car locations using data from automakers and third parties to the US military  —  15 billion car locations.  Nearly any country on Earth.  ‘The Ulysses Group’ is pitching a powerful surveillance technology to the U.S. government.
Mike Masnick / Techdirt:
A new version of the PACT Act, a bipartisan Section 230 reform bill, remains convoluted and bloated with destructive ideas that will spawn entirely new problems  —  Last summer we wrote about the PACT Act from Senators Brian Schatz and John Thune — one of the rare bipartisan attempts to reform Section 230.

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Earlier Picks

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Sam Schechner / Wall Street Journal: