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Former Instagram CEO: Policing social media is important to the future of the world
Instagram co-founder and former CEO Kevin Systrom said it is important for the future of the world that social media companies be policed well and seriously address the issues of misinformation and harassment on their services. “You start to realize … how important it’s going to be for the future of the world that we police these things well, that we take it very seriously and put real resources against solving the problems now that you’re at this scale,” said Systrom, speaking Tuesday evening at the WSJ Tech D.LIVE conference in Laguna Beach, California.
A matter of volume: threat from ascendant Chinese phones hangs over Apple
A raft of profit warnings from Apple Inc suppliers this week has fueled investor concerns that iPhone sales, in terms of volume, have hit a wall that could spell trouble for the company’s plans to make services its main pillar of growth. For the past year, investors had largely been willing to overlook stagnating unit sales of the iPhone because average selling prices kept rising. But it now faces fierce competition from mid-priced phones from makers such as Xiaomi Corp. Apple has often stated its plan to increase its revenue from paid services, such as Apple Music and iCloud. That, at least in part, requires a growing base of device owners driven by its iPhone, which analysts believe accounts for about two-thirds of the 1.3 billion Apple devices in use around the world. Wall Street analysts have expressed concerns that slower overall smartphone sales will make it harder for Apple to hold smartphone market share as people put off buying its generally more expensive phones. That, in turn, could hurt the growth of Apple’s services revenue, said Bernstein’s Toni Sacconaghi.
Leaked photos show Apple’s next-gen AirPods for the first time ever
Well, Apple fans, it looks like your favorite gadget maker has one more surprise up its sleeve ahead of the holidays this year. Earlier this week, one of the most prolific leakers who covers mobile tech said that Apple “definitely” still plans to release next-generation AirPods this year. The leaker in question typically focuses his efforts on Samsung products, but he has been known to set his sights on Apple gear every now and then. His information is almost always accurate these days, so Apple fans had plenty to be excited about following his revelation. If you were among the people who got excited when you first learned that Apple will launch its long-awaited second-generation true wireless earbuds before the end of the year, then we have even more good news for you on Wednesday: A new leak appears to confirm the news, leaving precious little doubt that Apple’s new cord-free “AirPods 2” earbuds will hit store shelves in the coming weeks.
Mozilla ranks dozens of popular ‘smart’ gift ideas on creepiness and security
If you’re planning on picking up some cool new smart device for a loved one this holiday season, it might be worth your while to check whether it’s one of the good ones or not. Not just in the quality of the camera or step tracking, but the security and privacy practices of the companies that will collect (and sell) the data it produces. Mozilla has produced a handy resource ranking 70 of the latest items, from Amazon Echos to smart teddy bears.
‘Astroneer’ brings space exploration to Xbox and PC on February 6th
If you aren’t one of the two million players to take a crack at the early stages version of Astroneer, here’s what to expect: The interplanetary survival sandbox game is a sort of mix of Minecraft and fellow space exploration game No Man’s Sky. In Astroneer, you play as a space explorer trying to survive and thrive in the treacherous terrain. As you travel through the solar system’s unique and uncharted planets, you’ll find resources that can be used to craft vehicles, build bases and conduct research. Astroneer will support crossplay between Xbox One and PC adventurers and will offer dedicated servers that will allow players to build and explore asynchronously.
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes gets killed in ‘Fortnite’ by someone wearing his jersey
Well, that didn’t take long. Just days after “Fortnite” players became able to dress their on-screen characters in NFL jerseys, a star player in real life was killed by someone wearing his jersey in the video game. Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes shared the tragic tale Tuesday on Twitter. “Yesterday i played fortnite for the first time in a while and someone killed me with my jersey on.. don’t know how i feel about it…,” he tweeted.
The US Army wants to attract more soldiers by fielding a Fortnite team
In an attempt better connect with America’s youth, the U.S. Army is starting up an esports team. The effort comes during a period in which the Army is having difficulty meeting its recruitment targets. As first reported by Stars And Stripes, an independent news organization which operates from within the Department of Defense, the Army esports team is currently accepting applications from active duty personnel, reservists and veterans. An online form indicates that there is interest in fielding teams for Fortnite, Call of Duty, Tekken, League of Legends, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, Overwatch, FIFA, the Madden series and the NBA 2K franchise.