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Welcome to the Inside Tech newsletter! Here are today's top headlines: - Apple is set to pay out claims in "batterygate" settlement.
- Tesla launches more affordable Model S, X in U.S.
- Amazon's devices chief is leaving after 13+ years.
If you find this newsletter useful, please share it with your friends and colleagues. Thank you! Beth
p/beth-duckett | |
| 1 | | A court has cleared the way for Apple to pay around $65 each to millions of iPhone users as part of the company's 2020 "batterygate" settlement. The payments are tied to a 2017 class-action lawsuit that accused Apple of secretly throttling the performance of older iPhones to conserve battery life. The deadline to submit claims was in October 2020. Background: - Prior to 2018, some iPhone users observed that their phones would randomly shut down.
- To address the issue, Apple releases an iOS update, which throttled the performance of older iPhones once iOS detected that their batteries had degraded, preventing the phones from shutting down.
- However, Apple didn't disclose the change introduced in the update until users noticed it themselves, which led some to buy new phones. Apple was accused of "planned obsolescence."
What's new: - In 2020, Apple agreed to pay up to $500M to settle the suit.
- Since then, payments toward iPhone owners have been delayed after two iPhone owners objected to certain settlement terms.
- Last week, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed those claims, allowing the payments to proceed.
- According to SiliconValley.com, there were around 3 million claims, amounting to about $65 a person.
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| 2 | | As tech giants like Zoom and Amazon impose return-to-office mandates, a recent Envoy study reveals that a significant 80% of bosses express regret over their initial approach to office returns, which have faced pushback in the remote-heavy Tech sector. 
Details: The study of more than 1,000 U.S. company executives and managers found that 80% regret their initial return-to-office decisions, admitting they would have approached it differently with a better understanding of things like employee attendance and office usage. Larry Gadea, Envoy's CEO, said companies are realizing the importance of a more careful approach rather than boldly relying on executives' opinions over those of employees. By the numbers: July statistics from WFH Research indicate that 59% of full-time workers are fully on-site, 29% are in hybrid work setups, and 12% are fully remote, resulting in offices being about half of their pre-pandemic capacities. WFH Research also identified the tech, finance, and professional and business services sectors as those where remote work is most prevalent. | | | |
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| 3 | | On Monday, Tesla launched more affordable "Standard Range" versions of the Model S and Model X in the U.S. The new versions have shorter ranges and slightly slower acceleration times. More: - The lower-cost vehicles are both $10,000 less than the regular models, according to Tesla.
- The Model S Standard Range costs $78,490, while the standard Model X is priced at $88,490, before potential tax credits.
- Deliveries are expected between September and October in the U.S.
Zoom out: - Tesla has focused on market share and sales over profit margins. In the recent June quarter earnings, the company reported a 9.6% operating margin, the lowest since Q1 2021.
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| 4 | | YouTube announced a new policy to further combat medical misinformation, with an initial focus on false cancer claims. The company will now remove videos that promote harmful or ineffective treatments and discourage professional medical care. YouTube said it aims to strike a balance between preventing harm and allowing open discussion. More: - The new policies for health content target videos suggesting unproven remedies or guaranteeing cures in place of approved treatments.
- YouTube said the rules fall under three categories: prevent, treatment, and denial misinformation.
- The company will start by removing videos about cancer that violate the rules.
- It will also take down content that denies certain conditions, including COVID-19.
Zoom out: - In a U.S. survey, 34% of adults blamed initial posters for the spread of COVID disinformation on social media, while 27% pointed to social media companies.
- The update comes more than three years after YouTube collaborated with major tech platforms to combat COVID misinformation during the height of the pandemic, though studies later showed that false information remained a problem on the platform.
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| 5 | Amazon's devices chief, Dave Limp, is stepping down from the role after more than 13 years. A member of Amazon's senior leadership "S" team, Limp has overseen the rollout of products like the Kindle, Echo smart speakers, and Alexa. More: - Limp, 56, joined Amazon in 2010 after working at Apple and Palm.
- He spearheaded the development of the company's consumer electronic devices and often announced new products at Amazon hardware events.
- His division was affected by Amazon's decision to lay off around 10,000 workers last year due to cost-cutting efforts.
- Despite selling 500 million Alexa devices, the division encountered yearly losses exceeding $5B.
- Limp's exit is part of the series of departures among Amazon executives since Andy Jassy became CEO two years ago, which includes Amazon Consumer CEO Dave Clark.
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| 6 | | An Iowa school board is using AI software to flag books that could potentially be banned from school libraries. The move by the Mason City board is in response to a new state law requiring books at schools to be "age appropriate" and without "descriptions or visual depictions of a sex act." More: - According to the district, they initially compile a "master list" from various sources, considering past reports of sexual content complaints.
- AI software then scans these books for inappropriate content, with 19 titles already identified for removal, including works by Margaret Atwood and John Green.
- The district didn't specify what AI software it is using.
- In a statement, Bridgette Exman, the assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction at Mason City Community School District, said that reading and filtering every book for the new state criteria is "simply not feasible."
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 | AI and technology writer | | Beth is the curator and writer of the AI and Tech newsletters at Inside. With a career in journalism and editing that began in 2007, she has written for publications including USA Today, The Arizona Republic, Arizona Business Gazette, and more. You can reach her at Beth.Duckett@yahoo.com. | | This newsletter was edited by NO ACCOUNT ASSOCIATED WITH THE EDITOR | |
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