Friday, August 30, 2019

Apple will unveil the next iPhone on Sept 10

THE DAILY CRUNCH
FRIDAY, AUGUST 30 2019 By Anthony Ha

Apple schedules its next big press event, Uber and Lyft prepare for a political fight and Google stays silent on its latest #MeToo controversy. Here's your Daily Crunch for August 30, 2019.

1. Apple will unveil the next iPhone September 10

Apple has sent out invites confirming rumors that its next major press event will happen on September 10. The event is expected to focus on the iPhone 11, unveiling three different models — the standard 11, as well as two Pro options.

If this happens, it would mark a subtle-but-significant shift in the way Apple structures its phone lineup. With a lower-priced flagship replacing the budget XR, the company could appeal to consumers who've been turned off by the rising prices for higher-end options.

2. Uber and Lyft are putting $60M toward keeping drivers independent contractors

In the event that California's Assembly Bill 5 passes — forcing Uber and Lyft to make their drivers W-2 employees — each company is putting in $30 million to fund a 2020 ballot initiative that would enable them to keep their drivers as independent contractors.

3. Google lets David Drummond do the talking

Anyone wondering if Alphabet might reprimand its chief legal officer David Drummond for a long-ago extramarital affair with a former subordinate (which recently resurfaced in a much-discussed blog post), the answer seems to be . . . not right now.

4. 'Filmmaker Mode' will automatically turn off all the dumb motion smoothing and noise reduction on new TVs

Most new TVs come with a bunch of random junk turned on by default; things like motion smoothing that makes epic movies look like soap operas, or noise reduction that can wash out details and make an actor's skin look cyborg-y. With Filmmaker Mode, you'll be able to push a button and all that crap gets turned off.

5. Nike Huaraches get updated for the smartphone age

Slowly but surely, Nike has made its self-lacing motor technology more accessible. The next step: Bringing the tech to its Huarache line next month.

6. What is Andela, the Africa tech talent accelerator?

To put it succinctly, Andela is a startup — backed by $180 million in venture capital — that trains and connects African software developers to global companies for a fee. (Extra Crunch membership required.)

7. Marc Benioff will discuss building a socially responsible and successful startup at TechCrunch Disrupt

Benioff is coming to TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco to discuss how to build a highly successful business while giving back to the community.

Get more stories at techcrunch.com 

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Thursday, August 29, 2019

Apple changes audio review program

THE DAILY CRUNCH
THURSDAY, AUGUST 29 2019 By Anthony Ha

Apple changes its audio "grading" process, Mozilla's CEO is stepping down and a software engineer faces charges in the Capital One data breach. Here's your Daily Crunch for August 29, 2019.

1. Apple is turning Siri audio clip review off by default and bringing it in house

Following reports that contractors were reviewing customers' Siri audio samples for quality control, Apple says it has revamped the process. Moving forward, users have to opt-in to participate, and the audio samples will only be reviewed by Apple employees.

"As a result of our review, we realize we haven't been fully living up to our high ideals, and for that we apologize," the company said.

2. Mozilla CEO Chris Beard will step down at the end of the year

Mozilla is currently seeking a replacement for Beard, though he's agreed to stay on through year's end. Executive chairwoman Mitchell Baker announced in her own post that she's agreed to step into an interim role if needed.

3. Federal grand jury indicts Paige Thompson on two counts related to the Capital One data breach

Thompson allegedly created software that allowed her to see which customers of a cloud computing company (although the indictment does not name the company, it has been identified as Amazon Web Services) had misconfigured their firewalls, and as a result accessed data from Capital One and more than 30 others.

4. Juul introduces new POS standards to restrict sales to minors

The Retail Access Control Standards program, or RACS for short, automatically locks the point-of-sale system each time a Juul product is scanned until a valid, adult ID is scanned as well.

5. Apple expands access to official repair parts for third-party shops

Until today, if you were a non-authorized repair shop, you couldn't get official parts. This could result in mixed experiences for customers.

6. Spotify aims to turn podcast fans into podcast creators with 'Create podcast' test

The streaming music service is testing a new 'Create podcast' feature that shows up above a user's list of subscribed podcasts. It directs them to download Anchor, the podcast creation app that Spotify acquired in February.

7. How UK VCs are managing the risk of a 'no deal' Brexit

The prevailing view among investors about founders is that Brexit means uncertain business as usual. One response: "Resilience is the mother of entrepreneurship!" (Extra Crunch membership required.)

Get more stories at techcrunch.com 

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