Techmeme
December 8, 2021, 9:00 AM

Top News

Sami Fathi / MacRumors:
Kuo: AirPods Pro 2, the first update since 2019, will launch in Q4 2022 with a new design similar to Beats Fit Pro, improved chip, and more  —  The AirPods Pro 2, the first update to the AirPods Pro since its debut in 2019, will launch in the fourth quarter of 2022, according to Apple analyst Ming Chi-Kuo.
Sami Fathi / MacRumors:
Kuo: Apple's first AR headset, weighing 300g-400g, will enter mass production in late Q4 2022; Apple is planning a lighter second-gen headset for launch in 2024  —  Apple is already working on its second-generation AR headset, which will feature a lighter design, adopt a new battery system …
Richard Lawler / The Verge:
Amazon says it resolved the underlying issues that caused an AWS outage starting around 10:45am ET and is “working towards recovery of any impaired services”  —  Amazon says “many services have already recovered”  —  Problems with some Amazon Web Services cloud servers …
Lauren Kaori Gurley / VICE:
The AWS outage took down Amazon's Flex and Dolphin apps for logistics and time tracking, halting some deliveries  —  There's a mix of frustration and joy from workers as AWS outages cause chaos with Amazon's delivery infrastructure during its busy season.  —  Websites and online services …
Jamie Tarabay / Bloomberg:
Google sues two Russians it claims help run a botnet that has infected 1M+ devices and uses command-and-control server addresses stored on Bitcoin's blockchain  —  - Complaint says the two created a sophisticated ‘botnet’  — Glupteba sells stolen logins, credit cards, Google says
Andrew Hayward / Decrypt:
Ubisoft will add NFT items into its games, starting with Ghost Recon Breakpoint on the Tezos blockchain, becoming the first major gaming company to do so  —  In brief  — Major game publisher Ubisoft will implement in-game NFT items into its games, starting with Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Breakpoint.
Taylor Hatmaker / TechCrunch:
Twitter is testing a process for reporting harmful tweets that lets US users describe what happened and will use the data to improve its responses  —  Twitter is trying out some changes to the way that users report tweets that they believe might break Twitter's rules.
Chance Miller / 9to5Mac:
Report details the supply chain issues that forced Apple to significantly scale down its iPhone and iPad production plans  —  As Apple's ever-important holiday shopping season continues, the company is facing what a new report from Nikkei Asia describes as the “nightmare before Christmas.”
Ron Miller / TechCrunch:
Amazon launches AWS Top Secret-West, its second Top Secret Region designed for government workloads requiring Top Secret US security classification level  —  “Amazon's cloud arm, AWS, announced a new ‘top secret’ region this week, designed specifically for the U.S. government.  It is Amazon's second such region.
Zac Hall / 9to5Mac:
Twitter acquires messaging app Quill, which will shut down and delete all user data on December 11 after launching in February to challenge Slack  —  In February 9to5Mac reported on the launch of a focus-focused Slack competitor called Quill.  Today Twitter is bringing Quill under its wing …
Bloomberg:
Crypto critic Saule Omarova, who was Biden's pick to lead the OCC, withdraws her name from consideration following Senate fights over her background  —  President Joe Biden's pick to lead a key U.S. banking regulator has withdrawn her name from consideration, according to a statement from the White House.
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Meta launches a website that lets fans buy digital tokens called Stars to tip Facebook creators using Facebook Pay, avoiding app store payment commissions  —  Meta (formerly Facebook) has found a new way to avoid the app stores' commissions on in-app purchases with the launch of a new website …
Samuel Gebre / Bloomberg:
Research: African startups will raise $5B in 2021, more than the past three years combined, creating four unicorns, including Andela, Flutterwave, and OPay  —  - There's been greater interest from U.S., China investors  — African startups ecosystem has come of age, says investor
Axios:
Seventeen groups representing ~150 newspapers quietly filed antitrust lawsuits in the past year against Google and Meta for monopolizing the digital ads market  —  Newspapers all over the country have been quietly filing antitrust lawsuits against Google and Facebook for the past year …

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Bloomberg:
Financial Times:
Ryan Gallagher / Bloomberg:
Kurt Wagner / Bloomberg:
Russell Brandom / The Verge:
David McCabe / New York Times: