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France fines Apple $27 million for slowing down iPhones

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Apple has been dogged by the suggestion that it artificially slowed the performance of older iPhones to force users to upgrade. In 2017, the company said that this was true, but claimed the intention wasn’t a cynical method of fattening its bottom line. Instead, these slowdowns were designed to reduce demand on the CPU for older devices where battery performance may be compromised. Essentially, the phones slow down to prevent premature shutdowns and jerky performance, and it was all above board.

Users, consumer groups and governments were all equally outraged, especially since Apple had never made it clear before then. In early 2018, French authorities began investigating the program, looking to see if there was truth to the idea that Apple was making functional devices appear obsolete. Apple, at the time, apologized and offered discounted battery replacements, with 11 million people paying $29 for a new one.

Since then, Apple has said that it has redeveloped the power management system of the iPhone 11 to keep the battery healthier for longer. And told France24 that it welcomed the settlement, saying that it is committed to making smartphones that last “as long as possible.” For the next month, there is also a banner on Apple France’s iPhone page, saying that Apple was found to have committed a deceptive business practice, and that it has paid a fine to settle the matter.

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The Morning After: Netflix finally ends the auto-play nightmare

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Hey, good morning! You look fabulous.

About five years ago, Netflix revamped its streaming apps and rolled out the worst feature it’s ever developed. Even if you like it, you know which one I’m talking about — bringing video playback “forward” to make things more like cable TV. At first, pulling up a show or movie and pausing for a moment too long would cause it to start playing. Then, simply highlighting a selection while scrolling meant it would start playing the trailer, or worse, playing a section of the movie backed by some random stock music Netflix pulled from somewhere.

It made casually browsing the service’s catalog a nightmare, but for whatever reason — I assume there was some analytical data showing it increased viewing — Netflix refused to change it. Since then, competitors like Disney+ and HBO Max have highlighted the “feature” as something they chose not to copy, and now, at long last, Netflix is providing a way to turn it off. You’ll need to pull up the Manage Settings page in your browser and disable AutoPlay Preview, but by pressing that one button, things can go back to the way they should’ve been all along. Was that really so hard, Netflix?

— Richard



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Sling TV offers anniversary discounts to new and existing customers

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Sling TV describes itself as an “easy-to-use solution for first-time cord-cutters.” You can pay for a basic plan — Sling TV Orange or Blue — and then customize your choices by paying for extra channels. If you’re a new or a returning customer, you can get the first month of Blue or Orange for $5, or for $25 less than their original price. You can only stream on one device at a time with Orange, but you can stream on up to three with Blue. What makes it hard to choose between the two is that they have different channels, so there’s also the option to get both. If you choose to sign up for the Blue + Orange service within the promo period, you can get the first month for $20 instead of $45.

In case you don’t have devices that support Sling TV or just want ones made especially for the service, you can also check out the Cord Cutter Bundle promos. You can get Sling TV’s AirTV 2 media box, AirTV Mini streaming dongle and an indoor OTA antenna for $5, or $94 less than its original price. However, you’ll have to prepay for three months of Sling TV Orange or Blue at full price. If you don’t mind paying for three months of service up front, you can also get the two-room Cord Cutter Bundle option with an AirTV 2, two AirTV minis and an indoor OTA antenna for $55 instead of $149.

But what if you’re a current customer? You can’t take advantage of those deeply discounted deals for new subscribers, but Sling TV hasn’t forgotten you. You can access five Extras (or channel bundles) for free for five days: Comedy Extra (originally $5), Kids Extra (originally $5), Lifestyle Extra (originally $5), News Extra (originally $5) and Sports Extra (originally $10).

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Ancestry lays off 100 employees as DNA test demand dwindles

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Ancestry chief Margo Georgiadis touched upon one of the reasons for the company’s shrinking sales in her blog post: most early adopters have already entered the category. Another possible reason is that people are becoming more concerned about the privacy implications of taking DNA tests and then sharing their genetic information.

Authorities have started using DNA testing services to solve cold cases in recent years, and interest in the method grew even further after it led to the arrest of the Golden State Killer. It’s worth noting, though, that Ancestry tries to protect its customers’ privacy — it even fought a police DNA database search warrant last year and won.

Whatever the reason for the company’s sales decline is, Ancestry must now think of new ways to stay in business. As Georgiadis said in her post:

“Future growth will require a continued focus on building consumer trust and innovative new offerings that deliver even greater value to people. Ancestry is well positioned to lead that innovation to inspire additional discoveries in both Family History and Health.”

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Motorola Razr’s hinge ‘broke’ after 27,000 folds in durability test

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Last year, CNET conducted the same test on the Samsung Galaxy Fold, which lasted for 14 hours (119,380 folds) on the machine. The Foldbot was actually designed to test Samsung’s device, but the publication had it modified for the Razr, with the goal of reaching 100,000 folds. However, the hosts of the livestream had to cut the testing short when the phone’s hinge started making noises and showing resistance after almost four hours. It also looked uneven and out of alignment when the phone is closed.

That said, the Razr’s screen still worked and looked just fine even after its hinge started giving out. The Galaxy Fold’s screen broke by the end of its test, but then again, it lasted much longer and the machine was calibrated to fold it all the way through each time. For Razr’s test, the machine only folded the device halfway.

You can check out the highlights from CNET’s four-hour livestream below:

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Brazilian judge dismisses hacking charges against journalist Glenn Greenwald

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Last month The Intercept’s Glenn Greenwald faced criminal charges for breaking cybersecurity laws in Brazil. Now a judge has dismissed the hacking charges, linked to six people who allegedly stole information from the phones of public officials and judges. His outlet published excerpts of a group chat allegedly showing coordination between the judge and prosecutors working on a corruption investigation.

The Intercept reports that the judge’s dismissal is “for now,” with an indication that if a previous injunction by a Supreme Court minister blocking investigation of the journalist were overturned, charges could be refiled. As it stands, the other six people will still face charges of alleged hacking to obtain the messages. In a statement, Greenwald said, “this ruling, while good, is insufficient as a protection of core press freedom. We will continue reporting and will also go to the Supreme Court for an even stronger ruling.”



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Switch version of ‘The Outer Worlds’ delayed due to coronavirus outbreak

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Just a few days ago we learned the release date for a Switch port of The Outer Worlds, but now it’s delayed. The game was scheduled for release on Nintendo’s system March 6th, however the coronavirus outbreak in China has impacted Virtuous, the developer working on the port who has previously delivered versions of Dark Souls Remastered and Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age for Switch.

On LinkedIn, Virtuous CEO Gilles Langourieux writes that although all members of the team are safe and accounted for, reduced local transportation has made it difficult for them to go to work. Its studios in Chengdu and Xian have extended their holidays until next week as a result. According to publisher Private Division, there isn’t a new release date yet, but in a tweet they revealed that when the game comes out they will release a physical version on cartridge as well.



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SpaceX plans to spin off its Starlink satellite internet business

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Company president Gwynne Shotwell has revealed those plans at a meeting with investors, telling them that “Starlink is the right kind of business that we can go ahead and take public.” SpaceX has also confirmed to Quartz that it’s considering a Starlink spinoff in the coming years.

SpaceX has deployed almost 300 satellites for the Starlink constellation since it started launching them to orbit last year. By mid-2020, there could be as many as 12,000 satellites in the constellation. SpaceX hopes to begin offering satellite internet to customers as soon as this summer.

Shotwell said at the meeting that Starlink will cost “less than what you are paying now for about five to 10 times the speed you are getting.” Despite its promise of an affordable-but-speedy internet, SpaceX expects the business to make it a lot of money. Back when Musk first talked about his vision for a satellite internet network, he said the business “is intended to generate a significant amount of revenue and help fund a city on Mars.”

SpaceX might spin Starlink out, because it believes that’s how it can make the most money. It’s also possible that it wants Starlink to become its own thing, so that the spinoff can earn revenue while the main company focuses on building rockets.

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ViacomCBS is working on yet another streaming service

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After Disney+, HBO Max and Peacock, were you hoping to see another major media company launch a streaming TV service? Because according to CNBC, that’s what you’re about to get. Apparently ViacomCBS isn’t satisfied with only offering things like CBS All Access, BET+ or Nickelodeon’s multiyear partnership with Netflix, and is planning to launch some kind of mega-offering that combines its many properties.

Apparently the plan is to keep existing services operating, while marketing the larger umbrella subscription as an upgrade that doesn’t cost additional money. Similar to AT&T’s HBO Max, NBCUniversal’s Peacock or the Disney+/Hulu/ESPN+ bundle, the idea is that a combination of live sports, Paramount movies and kids programming will pull customers in — no matter how fatigued they may be.

Other content that could be a part of its includes PlutoTV, Comedy Central and MTV, with a base price of under $10 per month and options for ad-free access or the ability to tack Showtime onto the package.

The rumor indicates we’ll hear more about this around the time of its earnings call on February 20th.

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Uber expects to be profitable by the end of 2020

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In 2019, Uber lost a whopping $8.5 billion, though nearly half of that ($4.6 billion) includes stock-based compensation expenses related to the company’s IPO. Meanwhile, both trips and gross bookings increased by just over 30 percent compared to 2018, and the company’s revenue reached $14.1 billion.

Uber expects earnings in the beginning of 2020 to be similar to earnings in the final quarter of 2019. It’s later in the year that things will really take off. “Beyond Q1 we are expecting a meaningful improvement in profitability throughout the year, including in Uber Eats,” Chai said during the call.

“We recognize that the era of growth at all costs is over,” Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said in a press release. “In a world where investors increasingly demand not just growth, but profitable growth, we are well-positioned to win through continuous innovation, excellent execution, and the unrivaled scale of our global platform.”

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