Technology

One year ago yesterday, I wrote how MagSafe could be the biggest reason to buy an iPhone 12. I believed it, too. It looked like Apple had cracked the code to effortlessly accessorize the iPhone and even add modular new capabilities. The company showed its pricey new MagSafe cases and wallets seemingly snapping into place, plus faster wireless charging. The future looked bright. But if you became an early adopter like me, you might have wound up disappointed. As Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman points out, two of Apple’s first overpriced MagSafe accessories are already out of date. First, we just learned Friday that Apple’s $129 MagSafe Duo Charger can’t fast-charge an Apple Watch Series 7. Second, Apple has already replaced the $59 MagSafe Leather Wallet with a better version that you supports Find...

We’re just a few days away from Google’s October 19th launch event for the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, but if you want an early look at what to expect, you might want to check out this big thread of leaked images from prolific leaker Evan Blass. The thread includes what appear to be official renders of both phones, images of cases, and some photos of people using the phones — and it’s that last category of images that were the most interesting to me. Ever since early rumored renders of the Pixel 6 lineup hit the web, I wondered exactly why Google decided to make the massive camera bar across the back of both phones. It never really appealed to me, and since the bar isn’t flush with the back of the phones, I’ve been worried it’s going to make them wobble when laid on a desk. Check out those ca...

The U.S. has now overtaken China as the largest miner of Bitcoin, according to new data from the Cambridge Center for Alternative Finance. According to the Cambridge Bitcoin Electricity Consumption Index (CBECI), the U.S.’ average monthly hashrate share — or computational power required to mine Bitcoin — as of July represented 35.4% of global Bitcoin mining efforts. Kazakhstan was second in average monthly hashrate share with 18.1% as of July, followed by Russia with 11.2% and Canada with 9.5%. China previously represented the largest average monthly hashrate share at 34.2% in May of this year, according to CBECI. However, the government has steadily been cracking down on Bitcoin mining, effectively banning all cryptocurrency mining and trading in September. “Virtual currency-related busin...

Apple on Friday opened up orders for its Apple Watch Series 7, the latest edition in its wearable lineup. The Series 7 offers a larger 41mm display, and with it, a new keyboard option and customized watch faces, in addition to faster charging and greater durability. The biggest update to the watch is an advanced display with more screen area, thinner borders and a refractive edge that allows the screen to appear as though its wrapping around the watch. This is particularly noticeable with the new Contour watch face — a delightful Dali-esque design that enhances the watch’s contoured screen. The display is also always-on, making it truer to watch form, and is now up to 70% brighter indoors for easier viewing. The UI of the watch has been updated to take full advantage of the larger screen, ...

A Saudi human rights activist has filed a lawsuit against Twitter, alleging that the company hired two people who spied on behalf of the government of Saudi Arabia and accessed his personal information. Ali Al-Ahmed, head of the human rights advocacy organization Institute for Gulf Affairs, has frequently been critical of the Saudi government. Twitter, Al-Ahmed claims, did not have the right to disclose or share his private information under its own privacy policy and should have done more to protect his information. He names two men in the suit who were indicted last year (.pdf) by federal prosecutors for working as agents of the Saudi government while working for Twitter several years ago. Al-Ahmed also claims in the lawsuit that his Twitter account was suspended in 2018 without explanat...

McDonald’s new plant-based burger, aptly named the McPlant, is coming to eight restaurants across the US (via CNBC). The fast-food chain teamed up with Beyond Meat to make the meatless option. This comes about a year after McDonald’s ended its P.L.T. pilot, another Beyond Meat branded burger. It’s still unclear what the differences are between the McPlant and the P.L.T., other than the name. A post on McDonald’s website says that the McPlant patty will contain peas, rice, and potatoes and will also be topped with tomatoes, lettuce, onions, pickles, mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, and American cheese. That sounds a lot like the P.L.T., but we won’t really know until the start of its test on November 3rd. It’s also important to note that the McPlant will be cooked on the same grill as beef bur...

Epic tells The Verge that it’s “open to games that support cryptocurrency or blockchain-based assets” on its game store, unlike its competitor Valve which has banned games that feature blockchain technology or NFTs from Steam. When we asked about allowing games that featured NFTs, Epic told us there’d be some limitations, but that it’s willing to work with “early developers” in the “new field.” Epic says that the games would have to comply with financial laws, make it clear how the blockchain is used, and have appropriate age ratings. It also says that developers won’t be able to use Epic’s payment service to accept crypto; they would have to use their own payment systems instead. Epic will clarify its rules in the future Epic’s CEO Tim Sweeney has said that the company isn’t interested in...

The ransomware business is booming this year and could be bringing in billions for some of its top players, according to a report released by the US Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, or FinCEN (via The Record). The report analyzed the massive growth in ransomware payments in the first half of 2021 by looking at suspicious activity reports from financial institutions and was even able to estimate how much some hacking groups were making by analyzing blockchain transactions linked to their wallets. The report found that reports of suspicious ransomware-related transactions totaled around $590 million from January 2021 to June 2021. One of the most shocking numbers in the report is that the top 10 hacking groups have trafficked around $5.2 billion worth of Bitcoin over the past...

The Google Pixel 6 phones will ditch Snapdragon chips for an in-house design, and Qualcomm is clearly feeling a little hurt about it. Qualcomm couldn’t help but throw some shade at Google — in the form of a red flag meme on Twitter (via 9to5Google). In August, Google revealed its Tensor chip, which will make a proper debut at the Pixel 6 event on Tuesday. This marks the end of an era where Pixel phones — and most of Google’s earlier Nexus line — relied on Snapdragon SoCs. The red flag meme started as a way to identify silly “warning signs” when dating but has since evolved to the point where it can apply to almost anything. Qualcomm came up with this questionable take on the meme, implying that Google’s choice to swap out the Snapdragon for the Tensor was a poor decision. “We’v...

Apple has removed Quran Majeed, a popular app for reading and listening to the Quran, from the App Store in China, the BBC reports. The company reportedly removed the app at the request of government officials, a somewhat surprising move given Islam is a protected religion in the People’s Republic of China. Quran Majeed is available for free and “recognized by 25 million Muslim users around the world” according to the app’s developer Pakistan Data Management Services. The app’s removal apparently had nothing to do with its religious content, “according to Apple, our app Quran Majeed has been removed from the China App Store because it includes content that is illegal,” the developer told the BBC. The developer says it’s now attempting to resolve the issue with China’s Cyberspace Administra...

Games that use blockchain technology or let users exchange NFTs or cryptocurrencies won’t be allowed on Steam, according to a rule added to Valve’s “What you shouldn’t publish on Steam” list. The change was pointed out by SpacePirate, a developer working on an NFT-based game, who said that the change was because the company doesn’t allow game items that could have real-world value. But Steam could also be avoiding controversy with the move. Looking at a Wayback Machine capture of the rule page from late August, there are only 12 rules and no mention of cryptocurrencies or NFTs. The new rule is also missing from other documents — it currently doesn’t show up on the Joining the Steamworks Distribution Program page. Steam’s point of view is that items have value and they don’t all...

Netflix has fired a leader of the trans employee resource group who was organizing the upcoming October 20th walkout. The employee, who is Black and currently pregnant, asked not to be named for fear of online harassment. They have been encouraging trans employees and allies to walk out of work in protest of Netflix’s handling of the Dave Chappelle special The Closer. “All these white people are going around talking to the press and speaking publicly on Twitter and the only person who gets fired is the Black person who was quiet the entire time,” says a former employee in an interview with The Verge. “That’s absurd, and just further shows that Black trans people are the ones being targeted in this conversation.” The employee was terminated on suspicion of leaking metrics to the press relat...