theverge--2020-05-12--LG is reportedly developing a dual-screen handset with a swivelling display

LG has a new dual-screen phone on the way , with a main display that swivels sideways to reveal a secondary screen underneath , the Korean Herald reports .
The phone , which ETNews reports is codenamed “ Wing , ” will reportedly have a main 6.8-inch display alongside a smaller 4-inch screen with a 1:1 aspect ratio .
It ’ s expected to cost a bit more than the new Velvet phone when it arrives later this year .
This wouldn ’ t be the first swivel phone that LG has released .
Over a decade ago it released @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the LB1500 and LU1400 .
In addition to their rotating displays , the other major selling point of these “ DMB phones ” was that they had the hardware to receive digital TV broadcasts .
Unsurprisingly the hardware was basic by modern standards .
Their main , non-touchscreen displays were tiny , and when they swiveled they tended to reveal a T9 keypad rather than a second screen .
According to ETNews , the Wing handset will use its second screen for multitasking .
You might use the primary display to view a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the second screen free to access editing controls .
That sounds a little different from LG ’ s current dual-screen devices like the G8X and V60 , whose secondary screens are mainly useful for letting you use two different apps at once .
Beyond its swivelling screen , LG ’ s upcoming device is said to support 5G , will run on a Snapdragon 7-series processor , and will feature a triple-rear camera array with a 64-megapixel main sensor .
ETNews says the phone is planned for release in the second half of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that it could cost 1 million won ( around $ 817 ) .

LG has a new dual-screen phone on the way, with a main display that swivels sideways to reveal a secondary screen underneath, the Korean Herald reports. The phone, which ETNews reports is codenamed “Wing,” will reportedly have a main 6.8-inch display alongside a smaller 4-inch screen with a 1:1 aspect ratio. It’s expected to cost a bit more than the new Velvet phone when it arrives later this year.
This wouldn’t be the first swivel phone that LG has released. Over a decade ago it released several phones using this form-factor, including the LB1500 and LU1400. In addition to their rotating displays, the other major selling point of these “DMB phones” was that they had the hardware to receive digital TV broadcasts. Unsurprisingly the hardware was basic by modern standards. Their main, non-touchscreen displays were tiny, and when they swiveled they tended to reveal a T9 keypad rather than a second screen.
A secondary display for multitasking
According to ETNews, the Wing handset will use its second screen for multitasking. You might use the primary display to view a photo, for example, while leaving the second screen free to access editing controls. That sounds a little different from LG’s current dual-screen devices like the G8X and V60, whose secondary screens are mainly useful for letting you use two different apps at once.
Beyond its swivelling screen, LG’s upcoming device is said to support 5G, will run on a Snapdragon 7-series processor, and will feature a triple-rear camera array with a 64-megapixel main sensor.


theverge--2020-05-12--Hackers are impersonating Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet for phishing scams

Hackers have registered domains posing as Zoom , Microsoft Teams , and Google Meet-related URLs , according to a new report from Check Point Research .
As significantly more people are using these videoconferencing services during the COVID-19 pandemic , the domains could be used to pose as official links , potentially tricking people into downloading malware or accidentally giving a bad actor access to personal information .
In just the last three weeks , for example , 2,449 Zoom-related domains have been registered , and Check Point Research determined that 32 of those domains are malicious and 320 are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of attempted phishing , hackers sent an email that looks like an official email from Microsoft Teams , but a button in the email to “ open ” Teams was actually a malicious URL that downloaded malware to the user ’ s computer .
Hackers are also sending phishing emails posing as the World Health Organization Hackers are also sending phishing emails posing as the World Health Organization with an attached file that downloads malware when clicked , Check Point Research said .
The report also included the text of two emails soliciting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nations , but requesting that the donations be sent to “ several known compromised ” bitcoin wallets .
Google has observed donation scams in emails impersonating organizations like the WHO as well , and said in mid-April that it saw more than 18 million daily malware and phishing emails related to COVID-19 in just a week .
The issue is prevalent enough that the WHO has an entire page dedicated to information about COVID-19 hackers and scammers .

Hackers have registered domains posing as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet-related URLs, according to a new report from Check Point Research. As significantly more people are using these videoconferencing services during the COVID-19 pandemic, the domains could be used to pose as official links, potentially tricking people into downloading malware or accidentally giving a bad actor access to personal information.
In just the last three weeks, for example, 2,449 Zoom-related domains have been registered, and Check Point Research determined that 32 of those domains are malicious and 320 are “suspicious.” And in one instance of attempted phishing, hackers sent an email that looks like an official email from Microsoft Teams, but a button in the email to “open” Teams was actually a malicious URL that downloaded malware to the user’s computer.
Hackers are also sending phishing emails posing as the World Health Organization
Hackers are also sending phishing emails posing as the World Health Organization with an attached file that downloads malware when clicked, Check Point Research said. The report also included the text of two emails soliciting donations for the WHO and the United Nations, but requesting that the donations be sent to “several known compromised” bitcoin wallets.


theverge--2020-05-12--How the ‘Plandemic’ video hoax went viral

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began , the big social platforms have generally been quicker than usual to intervene in the spread of misinformation .
We ’ ve seen Facebook , Google , and Twitter add various labels , warnings , and links to high-quality news sources and public health organizations .
And for the most part , the dumbest theories about the novel coronavirus have not reached huge scale — unless the theory was suggested by the president of the United States , in which case , well .
But some cracks are beginning to show .
In February , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ theories began to spread on YouTube and Facebook alleging that 5G cellular networks had played a role in spreading the virus .
And last week , we saw the emergence of the first true hit conspiracy video of the COVID-19 era .
It ’ s called “ Plandemic , ” and like many conspiracy videos it asserts that a shadowy cabal of elites is using a global crisis as a cover to profiteer and entrench their power .
Here ’ s Davey Alba in the New York Times : Uploads of “ Plandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ across social platforms , with one YouTube version hitting 7.1 million views before it was removed .
That would be more than enough to place it near the top of the YouTube trending page — about as many views as this video where influencers practice apologizing ( 8.6 million ) , but still way below the three-day-old official music video for 6ix9ine ’ s “ Gooba ” ( 103 million ) .
Still , the video seems well on its way to becoming something akin to this generation ’ s Loose Change .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ as an elaborate false flag operation , generated millions of views after being distributed for free on YouTube and local Fox TV affiliates — and went on to become one of the foundational texts of the 9/11 truther movement .
I accept that on a free and open internet , some people are going to post extremely dumb and harmful things .
And “ Plandemic ” is undoubtedly harmful : among other things , it falsely tells people that wearing a mask will “ activate ” the virus .
But we ’ ve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and harmful things often benefit from algorithmic promotion .
They appear high up in search results , on trending pages , and in recommendation widgets .
Platforms are used to recruit followers for terrible causes without even being aware that they ’ re doing so .
After years of pressure , though , platforms have gotten better at detecting bad posts and videos as they begin bubbling up .
They ’ re now able to catch more bad stuff before it hits the trending page .
YouTube has a whole team that monitors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so “ Plandemic ” left me scratching my head .
How did this thing go viral ?
The ground was seeded by a book that Mikovits , the star of “ Plandemic , ” published last month .
Plague of Corruption “ frames Dr. Mikovits as a truth-teller fighting deception in science , ” Alba writes , and it won approving coverage from far-right outlets including the Epoch Times , Gateway Pundit , and Next News Network .
But it was the “ Plandemic ” clip that turned Mikovits into a star ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Twitter followers in a month . )
And the two have benefited each other : searches for Mikovits drove views of “ Plandemic , ” and viewings of “ Plandemic ” drove searches for Mikovits .
Erin Gallagher , a social media researcher who specializes in data visualizations , offers some clues .
Gallagher used CrowdTangle , a Facebook-owned tool for analyzing public posts , to investigate when “ Plandemic ” began to surge on the network .
She found that posts referencing it appeared most often in Facebook groups devoted to QAnon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in general .
“ The video spread from YouTube to Facebook thanks to highly active QAnon and conspiracy-related Facebook groups with tens of thousands of members which caused a massive cascade , ” Gallagher writes .
“ Both platforms were instrumental in spreading viral medical misinformation.
” YouTube and Facebook both ultimately removed the video , but their responses differed in notable ways .
I spoke to representatives at both companies today , and here ’ s what I learned .
At Facebook , “ Plandemic ” was demoted before it was removed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ often takes with posts that seem bad for one reason or another but are not considered actively harmful .
Maybe you posted an image in which someone is almost but not quite naked ; maybe you suggested that people commit violence without coming right out and saying it .
Since 2018 Facebook has intervened in an effort to prevent these types of posts from spreading , as part of an initiative to make it less appealing to post so-called “ borderline content.
” I don ’ t know exactly what qualified “ Plandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a spokesman noted that the video ’ s length — 26 minutes — along with the large number of claims made within it , created a lot of work for fact-checking teams .
( A lie can get halfway around the world before the truth can tie its shoes , etc . )
Facebook eventually decided that “ Plandemic ” had to go over its false assertion that people can “ reinfect themselves ” by wearing masks , but given the truly unfortunate confusion over mask wearing — some of it generated by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cautious .
At YouTube , the company saw several videos related to “ Plandemic ” and flagged and removed them before the 26-minute clip that became famous .
That clip was uploaded on May 4th and removed May 6th .
In the meantime , it generated 7.1 million views .
According to the company , the vast majority of those views came from external sites — people linking to it directly , rather than seeing it somewhere on YouTube .
Gallagher ’ s analysis suggests a significant number of those clicks came directly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t comment on that . )
For its part , YouTube said , it did not recommend “ Plandemic ” or surface it “ prominently ” in search results — so , not on the first page .
Search for it now and you ’ ll see a pop-up from an independent fact checker and many videos of doctors debunking its claims .
Facebook continues to see people upload other clips from “ Plandemic , ” and told me that it is sharing fact-checking information from its partners with people who share them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ distribution of these other clips — the ones that don ’ t include the mask bit — as fact checkers continue to evaluate other parts of “ Plandemic.
” People also continue to post modified versions of the original — recording it on their phones or adding commentary to it — and Facebook is hunting those down too .
There ’ s a view of all this that is heartening .
Both companies saw a bad thing , put teams of fact checkers on it , and removed it from their networks with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more than Amazon can say : Plague of Corruption is a top-10 best seller there today . )
Facebook and YouTube could have acted faster , or more completely , but it isn ’ t as if “ Plandemic ” caught them unawares .
YouTube has more than 2 billion monthly users , and Facebook has 1.73 billion users per day across its suite of apps ; at that scale , 8 million people seeing something in 48 hours just doesn ’ t look like all that much .
( And if you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the problem with these companies is their size , you may have been interested in Elizabeth Warren ’ s presidential campaign . )
But there ’ s a darker view to consider , too .
When Facebook announced it would shift its attention to building services for smaller , more private groups , critics pointed out that this was likely going to make it harder to police misinformation .
This is particularly true of WhatsApp chats , which are encrypted end-to-end .
But it ’ s also true of private Facebook groups , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” was shared actively .
It likely won ’ t be the last piece of harmful misinformation about COVID-19 that becomes a blockbuster .
And when the next one comes , I wouldn ’ t be surprised to see that the pathway to virality leads straight through Facebook groups .
Formal apology to the people of the United Kingdom On Thursday , in reference to an app being developed by the digital division of the United Kingdom ’ s National Health Service , I repeatedly used “ England ” when I should have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s somewhat confusing because there are actually four national health services within the United Kingdom , but I am told that the NHSX app will indeed be available to all .
I apologize to the people of the UK !
Today in news that could affect public perception of the big tech platforms .
Trending up : Snapchat announced a new effort to help people affected by domestic violence during the COVID-19 outbreak .
The company is providing in-app resources as part of its broader Here For You initiative .
( Ina @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jack Dorsey gave $ 10 million to Reform , a criminal justice nonprofit founded by Meek Mill , Michael Rubin , and Jay-Z .
The money go toward sending personal protective equipment to prisons across the United States .
Trending up : Twitter will add labels and warnings on tweets that contain misleading information about COVID-19 .
The labels will provide links to more information in cases where the risk of harm is not severe enough for the tweet to be removed .
( Elizabeth Culliford / Reuters ) Trending up : Amazon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to stopping the spread of COVID-19 .
The company is funding a clinical trial of blood plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients and delivering at-home coronavirus tests to health workers in the UK .
( Erin Brodwin / STAT ) Total cases in the US : More than 1,346,800 Total deaths in the US : At least 80,000 Total test results ( positive and negative ) in New York : 1,182,998 Total test results ( positive and negative ) in New Jersey : 312,447 Data from The New York Times .
Test data from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ theorists in Michigan are using private Facebook groups to encourage violence against Democratic Gov .
Gretchen Whitmer .
They ’ re also mobilizing armed rallies to protest her social distancing orders .
Here ’ s Steve Neavling at the Detroit Metro Times : ⭐ Elon Musk is reopening Tesla ’ s California car factory against Alameda County ’ s wishes .
The move violates local shelter-in-place orders .
Tesla started making cars over the weekend and told all of the employees that it placed on furlough to get ready to go back to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ / The Verge ) The Lincoln Project , a super PAC run by Republicans who oppose President Trump , asked Facebook to remove a warning label it attached to the group ’ s blistering “ Mourning in America ” ad .
The warning says there is partly false information within the ad , which rips Trump ’ s response to the coronavirus pandemic .
( Brian Schwartz / CNBC ) Smartphone data shows out-of-state visitors flocked to Georgia as restaurants and other businesses reopened .
The news provides some of the first hard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of others could worsen and prolong the spread of the novel coronavirus .
( Katherine Shaver / The Washington Post ) The World Health Organization is launching an app to enable people in under-resourced countries to assess whether they have COVID-19 .
The organization is also considering a Bluetooth-based contact tracing feature .
How would it even work without one ?
( Paresh Dave / Reuters ) Contact tracing apps aim to help health authorities trace COVID-19 infections and notify users who have been exposed .
But the technology is far from perfect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Street Journal ) Singapore is deploying Boston Dynamics robots in public parks to remind people to follow social distancing guidelines .
The robots broadcast a message reminding visitors that they need to stay away from other humans .
Really just insane dystopia vibes here .
( Matt Novak / Gizmodo ) Twitter pushed back on the US State Department ’ s claim that it was “ highly probable ” the Chinese government coordinated networks of accounts to push coronavirus conspiracy theories .
The company said their initial review of the accounts in question @ @ @ @ @ @ @ claims , though the probe is still ongoing .
( Jennifer Hansler , Donie O ’ Sullivan and Kylie Atwood / CNN ) Tech labor activists are organizing on Facebook and Zoom in order to avoid company surveillance .
The result is a new kind of movement , one with the DNA of traditional organizing but native to the tech era .
( Sarah Emerson / OneZero ) WeChat is closely monitoring users outside mainland China in order to censor those within the country ’ s borders .
If content is found to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to its internal blacklist so it can censor it in real time for Chinese users .
( Eva Xiao / The Wall Street Journal ) The United States still hasn ’ t repaired basic security flaws in the country ’ s election infrastructure since Russia meddled in the 2016 presidential race .
Now , months before the 2020 election , the door is open for Putin to pull the same trick again .
( Franklin Foer / The Atlantic ) Former Google engineer James Damore , who sued the company in 2018 for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has asked a court to dismiss the suit .
The written request was also joined by Google .
( Kim Lyons / The Verge ) Microsoft and Amazon exchanged dueling blog posts about the Defense Department JEDI contract .
Amazon has been fighting the DoD ’ s decision to award the contract to Microsoft .
( Ron Miller / TechCrunch ) News organizations have long hoped that tech platforms would pay them for news .
Now regulators in Australia and France are moving to make that happen .
( Ben Smith / The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ installing thermal scanners in anticipation of employees returning to work amid the coronavirus pandemic .
But the scanners aren ’ t intended for medical use , and experts warn they can ’ t really detect COVID-19 infections .
Drew Harwell at The Washington Post explains : The Silicon Valley office won ’ t be the same after the coronavirus pandemic .
Open office plans and communal lunches will likely be a thing of the past .
( Priya Anand / Bloomberg ) Apple ’ s US retail stores will begin opening back up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stores have been closed since mid-March due to the COVID-19 pandemic .
( Chris Welch / The Verge ) Shanghai Disneyland is reopening with mandatory face masks and social distancing .
The park is also limiting the number of people that can visit each day to about 30 percent of its regular capacity .
( James Vincent / The Verge ) Waymo is planning to resume testing its autonomous vehicles in Arizona on May 11th .
But some of the company ’ s backup drivers are worried that the company may be rushing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Andrew J. Hawkins / The Verge ) Workers at Amazon ’ s warehouse in Eagan , Minn. , say they are terrified to report to work after six co-workers recently tested positive for COVID-19 .
They ’ re worried the retail giant isn ’ t doing enough to protect them .
( Mukhtar M. Ibrahim / Sahan Journal ) Amazon ’ s rivals are benefiting from the company ’ s shipping delays and worker unrest .
E-commerce companies like Shopify and Warfair are showing dramatically faster growth rates than the tech giant .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ are trying to find ways to extract money from Instacart shoppers .
In one scheme , a middleman is dubiously telling workers he can change a shopper ’ s account to let them work at specific stores in exchange for thousands of dollars .
( Joseph Cox / Vice ) Hip-hop artists are leading the charge on Instagram Live as people tune in to virtual concerts from their apartments .
Rappers and producers have turned the space into a nightclub , a variety show , a history lesson , a talent show and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The New York Times ) Professional networks are moving to Zoom amid the coronavirus pandemic .
Some are thriving , others are falling flat .
( Anne Kadet / The Wall Street Journal ) A bookstore in Boston is curating peoples ’ bookshelves with hand-picked selections to display during video meetings .
Genius .
( Steve Annear / The Boston Globe ) Memers are taking over TikTok .
Famous meme brands are investing heavily in the video sharing app and amassing millions of followers .
( Taylor Lorenz / The New York Times @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now playing Animal Crossing .
She also temporarily opened her DMs to the public so any one of her 6.8 million followers could offer her an invitation to their Animal Crossing island .
( Gene Park / The Washington Post ) Eric Schmidt , former CEO of Google , is no longer an adviser to the company .
His exit ends a 19-year tenure at Google , where he was brought in to be the “ adult supervision ” to the company ’ s young founders , Larry Page and Sergey Brin .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ shut down movie theaters to stop the spread of the virus , leading to a massive shift in the Chinese entertainment industry .
Now , hundreds of millions of people are watching blockbuster movies on their phones .
( Rebecca Davis and Patrick Frater / Variety ) Facebook has finally started rolling out its redesigned desktop website to all users .
Mark Zuckerberg first announced the redesign at the F8 conference in 2019 .
( Igor Bonifacic / Engadget ) Stuff to occupy you online during the quarantine .
“ Pandecorate ” your @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rage .
Pretend you are on one of your old cross-country business trips by ordering JetBlue cheese and snack trays .
Or just read this article and donate to your local food bank , maybe .
Give your Zoom meetings a makeover , with a selection of over 100 empty sets from the BBC Archive .
Recreate your favorite bar in virtual reality , or just read about someone who did .
Watch the Hood Internet mash up 50 chart-topping pop songs from various years into rowdy three-minute bangers .
They ’ ve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the 1990s can not come soon enough for me .
Listen to me talk to Randi Zuckerberg about how the pandemic has changed perception of tech companies .
Send us tips , comments , questions , and false claims about the origin of COVID-19 : casey @ theverge.com and zoe @ theverge.com .

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, the big social platforms have generally been quicker than usual to intervene in the spread of misinformation. We’ve seen Facebook, Google, and Twitter add various labels, warnings, and links to high-quality news sources and public health organizations. And for the most part, the dumbest theories about the novel coronavirus have not reached huge scale — unless the theory was suggested by the president of the United States, in which case, well.
But some cracks are beginning to show. In February, a set of bizarre and almost incomprehensible theories began to spread on YouTube and Facebook alleging that 5G cellular networks had played a role in spreading the virus. And last week, we saw the emergence of the first true hit conspiracy video of the COVID-19 era. It’s called “Plandemic,” and like many conspiracy videos it asserts that a shadowy cabal of elites is using a global crisis as a cover to profiteer and entrench their power. Here’s Davey Alba in the New York Times:
In the 26-minute video, the woman asserted how Dr. Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and a leading voice on the coronavirus, had buried her research about how vaccines can damage people’s immune systems. It is those weakened immune systems, she declared, that have made people susceptible to illnesses like Covid-19. The video, a scene from a longer dubious documentary called “Plandemic,” was quickly seized upon by anti-vaccinators, the conspiracy group QAnon and activists from the Reopen America movement, generating more than eight million views. And it has turned the woman — Dr. Judy Mikovits, 62, a discredited scientist — into a new star of virus disinformation.
Uploads of “Plandemic” have more than 8 million views across social platforms, with one YouTube version hitting 7.1 million views before it was removed. That would be more than enough to place it near the top of the YouTube trending page — about as many views as this video where influencers practice apologizing (8.6 million), but still way below the three-day-old official music video for 6ix9ine’s “Gooba” (103 million).
Still, the video seems well on its way to becoming something akin to this generation’s Loose Change. That video, which wrongly depicted 9/11 as an elaborate false flag operation, generated millions of views after being distributed for free on YouTube and local Fox TV affiliates — and went on to become one of the foundational texts of the 9/11 truther movement.
I accept that on a free and open internet, some people are going to post extremely dumb and harmful things. And “Plandemic” is undoubtedly harmful: among other things, it falsely tells people that wearing a mask will “activate” the virus. But we’ve seen in the past that extremely dumb and harmful things often benefit from algorithmic promotion. They appear high up in search results, on trending pages, and in recommendation widgets. Platforms are used to recruit followers for terrible causes without even being aware that they’re doing so.
After years of pressure, though, platforms have gotten better at detecting bad posts and videos as they begin bubbling up. They’re now able to catch more bad stuff before it hits the trending page. YouTube has a whole team that monitors this stuff in real time. And so “Plandemic” left me scratching my head. How did this thing go viral?
The ground was seeded by a book that Mikovits, the star of “Plandemic,” published last month. Plague of Corruption “frames Dr. Mikovits as a truth-teller fighting deception in science,” Alba writes, and it won approving coverage from far-right outlets including the Epoch Times, Gateway Pundit, and Next News Network.
But it was the “Plandemic” clip that turned Mikovits into a star (she’s gained more than 130,000 Twitter followers in a month.) And the two have benefited each other: searches for Mikovits drove views of “Plandemic,” and viewings of “Plandemic” drove searches for Mikovits.
Erin Gallagher, a social media researcher who specializes in data visualizations, offers some clues. Gallagher used CrowdTangle, a Facebook-owned tool for analyzing public posts, to investigate when “Plandemic” began to surge on the network. She found that posts referencing it appeared most often in Facebook groups devoted to QAnon, anti-vaccine misinformation, and conspiracy theories in general.
“The video spread from YouTube to Facebook thanks to highly active QAnon and conspiracy-related Facebook groups with tens of thousands of members which caused a massive cascade,” Gallagher writes. “Both platforms were instrumental in spreading viral medical misinformation.”
YouTube and Facebook both ultimately removed the video, but their responses differed in notable ways. I spoke to representatives at both companies today, and here’s what I learned.
At Facebook, “Plandemic” was demoted before it was removed. Demotion is a step that Facebook often takes with posts that seem bad for one reason or another but are not considered actively harmful. Maybe you posted an image in which someone is almost but not quite naked; maybe you suggested that people commit violence without coming right out and saying it. Since 2018 Facebook has intervened in an effort to prevent these types of posts from spreading, as part of an initiative to make it less appealing to post so-called “borderline content.”
I don’t know exactly what qualified “Plandemic” as borderline content initially, but a spokesman noted that the video’s length — 26 minutes — along with the large number of claims made within it, created a lot of work for fact-checking teams. (A lie can get halfway around the world before the truth can tie its shoes, etc.) Facebook eventually decided that “Plandemic” had to go over its false assertion that people can “reinfect themselves” by wearing masks, but given the truly unfortunate confusion over mask wearing — some of it generated by public health organizations — the company was cautious.
At YouTube, the company saw several videos related to “Plandemic” and flagged and removed them before the 26-minute clip that became famous. That clip was uploaded on May 4th and removed May 6th. In the meantime, it generated 7.1 million views. According to the company, the vast majority of those views came from external sites — people linking to it directly, rather than seeing it somewhere on YouTube. Gallagher’s analysis suggests a significant number of those clicks came directly from Facebook. (YouTube wouldn’t comment on that.)
For its part, YouTube said, it did not recommend “Plandemic” or surface it “prominently” in search results — so, not on the first page. Search for it now and you’ll see a pop-up from an independent fact checker and many videos of doctors debunking its claims.
Facebook continues to see people upload other clips from “Plandemic,” and told me that it is sharing fact-checking information from its partners with people who share them. It’s temporarily reducing the distribution of these other clips — the ones that don’t include the mask bit — as fact checkers continue to evaluate other parts of “Plandemic.” People also continue to post modified versions of the original — recording it on their phones or adding commentary to it — and Facebook is hunting those down too.
There’s a view of all this that is heartening. Both companies saw a bad thing, put teams of fact checkers on it, and removed it from their networks with relative haste. (That’s more than Amazon can say: Plague of Corruption is a top-10 best seller there today.) Facebook and YouTube could have acted faster, or more completely, but it isn’t as if “Plandemic” caught them unawares. YouTube has more than 2 billion monthly users, and Facebook has 1.73 billion users per day across its suite of apps; at that scale, 8 million people seeing something in 48 hours just doesn’t look like all that much. (And if you’re thinking well huh, maybe the problem with these companies is their size, you may have been interested in Elizabeth Warren’s presidential campaign.)
But there’s a darker view to consider, too. When Facebook announced it would shift its attention to building services for smaller, more private groups, critics pointed out that this was likely going to make it harder to police misinformation. This is particularly true of WhatsApp chats, which are encrypted end-to-end. But it’s also true of private Facebook groups, where it seems likely that “Plandemic” was shared actively.
It likely won’t be the last piece of harmful misinformation about COVID-19 that becomes a blockbuster. And when the next one comes, I wouldn’t be surprised to see that the pathway to virality leads straight through Facebook groups.
Formal apology to the people of the United Kingdom
On Thursday, in reference to an app being developed by the digital division of the United Kingdom’s National Health Service, I repeatedly used “England” when I should have referred to the entire kingdom. It’s somewhat confusing because there are actually four national health services within the United Kingdom, but I am told that the NHSX app will indeed be available to all. I apologize to the people of the UK!
The Ratio
Today in news that could affect public perception of the big tech platforms.
🔼Trending up: Snapchat announced a new effort to help people affected by domestic violence during the COVID-19 outbreak. The company is providing in-app resources as part of its broader Here For You initiative. (Ina Fried / Axios)
🔼Trending up: Jack Dorsey gave $10 million to Reform, a criminal justice nonprofit founded by Meek Mill, Michael Rubin, and Jay-Z. The money go toward sending personal protective equipment to prisons across the United States.
🔼Trending up: Twitter will add labels and warnings on tweets that contain misleading information about COVID-19. The labels will provide links to more information in cases where the risk of harm is not severe enough for the tweet to be removed. (Elizabeth Culliford / Reuters)
🔼Trending up: Amazon is funding a series of projects dedicated to stopping the spread of COVID-19. The company is funding a clinical trial of blood plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients and delivering at-home coronavirus tests to health workers in the UK. (Erin Brodwin / STAT)
Virus tracker
Total cases in the US: More than 1,346,800
Total deaths in the US: At least 80,000
Reported cases in California: 68,389
Total test results (positive and negative) in California: 955,664
Reported cases in New York: 342,317
Total test results (positive and negative) in New York: 1,182,998
Reported cases in New Jersey: 139,945
Total test results (positive and negative) in New Jersey: 312,447
Reported cases in Massachusetts: 77,793
Total test results (positive and negative) in Massachusetts: 388,389
Governing
⭐ Conspiracy theorists in Michigan are using private Facebook groups to encourage violence against Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. They’re also mobilizing armed rallies to protest her social distancing orders. Here’s Steve Neavling at the Detroit Metro Times:
The comments are especially disturbing because some of those calling for violence are planning to attend an armed rally at the Capitol building in Lansing on Thursday. On April 30, hundreds of protesters, some of them heavily armed, descended on the state Capitol during the “American Patriot Rally,” and there were armed protesters as part of “Operation Lansing” on April 15. A two-day rally is also planned for the weekend. “We could’ve taken over the capital last time if we wanted,” Chris Coffey said. “This was just a display. Next time won’t be!” “If she thinks the last protest was bad she hasn’t seen anything yet,” DonnaCookie Grady warned. “We haven’t had any bloodshed yet, but the populous is counting to three, and the other day was two,” Dave Meisenheimer wrote in Michiganders Against Excessive Quarantine, which has more than 385,000 members. “Next comes watering the tree of liberty with the blood of tyrants.”
⭐ Elon Musk is reopening Tesla’s California car factory against Alameda County’s wishes. The move violates local shelter-in-place orders. Tesla started making cars over the weekend and told all of the employees that it placed on furlough to get ready to go back to work. (Sean O’Kane / The Verge)
The Lincoln Project, a super PAC run by Republicans who oppose President Trump, asked Facebook to remove a warning label it attached to the group’s blistering “Mourning in America” ad. The warning says there is partly false information within the ad, which rips Trump’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. (Brian Schwartz / CNBC)
Smartphone data shows out-of-state visitors flocked to Georgia as restaurants and other businesses reopened. The news provides some of the first hard evidence that reopening some state economies ahead of others could worsen and prolong the spread of the novel coronavirus. (Katherine Shaver / The Washington Post)
The World Health Organization is launching an app to enable people in under-resourced countries to assess whether they have COVID-19. The organization is also considering a Bluetooth-based contact tracing feature. How would it even work without one? (Paresh Dave / Reuters)
Contact tracing apps aim to help health authorities trace COVID-19 infections and notify users who have been exposed. But the technology is far from perfect. (Joanna Stern / The Wall Street Journal)
Singapore is deploying Boston Dynamics robots in public parks to remind people to follow social distancing guidelines. The robots broadcast a message reminding visitors that they need to stay away from other humans. Really just insane dystopia vibes here. (Matt Novak / Gizmodo)
Twitter pushed back on the US State Department’s claim that it was “highly probable” the Chinese government coordinated networks of accounts to push coronavirus conspiracy theories. The company said their initial review of the accounts in question did not support the government’s claims, though the probe is still ongoing. (Jennifer Hansler, Donie O’Sullivan and Kylie Atwood / CNN)
Tech labor activists are organizing on Facebook and Zoom in order to avoid company surveillance. The result is a new kind of movement, one with the DNA of traditional organizing but native to the tech era. (Sarah Emerson / OneZero)
WeChat is closely monitoring users outside mainland China in order to censor those within the country’s borders. If content is found to be sensitive, the app adds it to its internal blacklist so it can censor it in real time for Chinese users. (Eva Xiao / The Wall Street Journal)
The United States still hasn’t repaired basic security flaws in the country’s election infrastructure since Russia meddled in the 2016 presidential race. Now, months before the 2020 election, the door is open for Putin to pull the same trick again. (Franklin Foer / The Atlantic)
Former Google engineer James Damore, who sued the company in 2018 for allegedly discriminating against conservative white men, has asked a court to dismiss the suit. The written request was also joined by Google. (Kim Lyons / The Verge)
Microsoft and Amazon exchanged dueling blog posts about the Defense Department JEDI contract. Amazon has been fighting the DoD’s decision to award the contract to Microsoft. (Ron Miller / TechCrunch)
News organizations have long hoped that tech platforms would pay them for news. Now regulators in Australia and France are moving to make that happen. (Ben Smith / The New York Times)
Industry
⭐ Companies are installing thermal scanners in anticipation of employees returning to work amid the coronavirus pandemic. But the scanners aren’t intended for medical use, and experts warn they can’t really detect COVID-19 infections. Drew Harwell at The Washington Post explains:
While the systems can sense elevated skin temperatures, they aren’t precise enough to tell whether someone has a fever or something else: The warmth of a person’s skin is often quite different from their core body heat. People with heavier builds, health conditions or hot flashes can trigger the system’s alarms; so, too, can anyone just walking in from a hot car or parking lot. Many people with covid-19 infections haven’t actually had fevers: The head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said last month that as many as 25 percent of infected people don’t show any symptoms at all. The virus’ stealthy ability to not give itself away while it spreads led university researchers in February to estimate that fever scans and similar screening techniques would overlook more than half of the infected.
The Silicon Valley office won’t be the same after the coronavirus pandemic. Open office plans and communal lunches will likely be a thing of the past. (Priya Anand / Bloomberg)
Apple’s US retail stores will begin opening back up this week for limited purposes. The stores have been closed since mid-March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Chris Welch / The Verge)
Shanghai Disneyland is reopening with mandatory face masks and social distancing. The park is also limiting the number of people that can visit each day to about 30 percent of its regular capacity. (James Vincent / The Verge)
Waymo is planning to resume testing its autonomous vehicles in Arizona on May 11th. But some of the company’s backup drivers are worried that the company may be rushing back into service too quickly. ( Andrew J. Hawkins / The Verge)
Workers at Amazon’s warehouse in Eagan, Minn., say they are terrified to report to work after six co-workers recently tested positive for COVID-19. They’re worried the retail giant isn’t doing enough to protect them. (Mukhtar M. Ibrahim / Sahan Journal)
Amazon’s rivals are benefiting from the company’s shipping delays and worker unrest. E-commerce companies like Shopify and Warfair are showing dramatically faster growth rates than the tech giant. (Tae Kim / Bloomberg)
Opportunists are trying to find ways to extract money from Instacart shoppers. In one scheme, a middleman is dubiously telling workers he can change a shopper’s account to let them work at specific stores in exchange for thousands of dollars. (Joseph Cox / Vice)
Hip-hop artists are leading the charge on Instagram Live as people tune in to virtual concerts from their apartments. Rappers and producers have turned the space into a nightclub, a variety show, a history lesson, a talent show and much more. (Jon Caramanica / The New York Times)
Professional networks are moving to Zoom amid the coronavirus pandemic. Some are thriving, others are falling flat. (Anne Kadet / The Wall Street Journal)
A bookstore in Boston is curating peoples’ bookshelves with hand-picked selections to display during video meetings. Genius. (Steve Annear / The Boston Globe)
Memers are taking over TikTok. Famous meme brands are investing heavily in the video sharing app and amassing millions of followers. (Taylor Lorenz / The New York Times)
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) is now playing Animal Crossing. She also temporarily opened her DMs to the public so any one of her 6.8 million followers could offer her an invitation to their Animal Crossing island. (Gene Park / The Washington Post)
Eric Schmidt, former CEO of Google, is no longer an adviser to the company. His exit ends a 19-year tenure at Google, where he was brought in to be the “adult supervision” to the company’s young founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin. (Richard Nieva / CNET)
China shut down movie theaters to stop the spread of the virus, leading to a massive shift in the Chinese entertainment industry. Now, hundreds of millions of people are watching blockbuster movies on their phones. (Rebecca Davis and Patrick Frater / Variety)
Facebook has finally started rolling out its redesigned desktop website to all users. Mark Zuckerberg first announced the redesign at the F8 conference in 2019. (Igor Bonifacic / Engadget)
Things to do
Stuff to occupy you online during the quarantine.
“Pandecorate” your home! It’s all the rage.
Watch the Hood Internet mash up 50 chart-topping pop songs from various years into rowdy three-minute bangers. They’ve mostly done the 1980s so far; the 1990s cannot come soon enough for me.
And finally...
Talk to us


theverge--2020-05-12--Logitech’s sales boom as people outfit their home offices

Sales of Logitech ’ s keyboards , PC webcams , tablets , and video collaboration products are booming as a result of shelter-in-place orders during the pandemic , the company is reporting .
Demand for the financial quarter ending in March was driven by people setting up home offices , doctors adopting telemedicine , and teachers using video calls for distance learning , it says .
Meanwhile , sales of its gaming peripherals also increased as people tried to keep themselves entertained at home .
Sales of video collaboration products , which Reuters notes includes cameras , microphones , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ increased by 60 percent compared to the same period last year , while keyboards , PC webcams , tablets , and accessories all saw double digit growth .
Logitech ’ s overall sales were up 13.6 percent in the three months ending March 31st .
Last month , NPD data suggested that US spending on consumer tech has increased , and we ’ ve also seen anecdotal evidence of widespread webcam shortages .
Now we have actual sales data as proof .
While many companies are struggling to survive during the pandemic , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ major manufacturer of PC accessories .

Sales of Logitech’s keyboards, PC webcams, tablets, and video collaboration products are booming as a result of shelter-in-place orders during the pandemic, the company is reporting. Demand for the financial quarter ending in March was driven by people setting up home offices, doctors adopting telemedicine, and teachers using video calls for distance learning, it says. Meanwhile, sales of its gaming peripherals also increased as people tried to keep themselves entertained at home.
Sales of video collaboration products, which Reuters notes includes cameras, microphones, and software that allows for online meetings, increased by 60 percent compared to the same period last year, while keyboards, PC webcams, tablets, and accessories all saw double digit growth. Logitech’s overall sales were up 13.6 percent in the three months ending March 31st.


theverge--2020-05-12--World’s longest-running cartoon switches to reruns due to COVID-19 disruption

The broadcaster of the world ’ s longest-running cartoon has said it will have to switch to reruns from next week due to disruption to production caused by the coronavirus pandemic .
Sazae-san , an anime series that airs every Sunday night and has been shown since 1969 , won ’ t get any new episodes in the near future ; as of this Sunday , Fuji TV will start to broadcast two-year-old reruns .
Based on a manga series by Machiko Hasegawa , Sazae-san is one of the longest-running TV shows in history , with more than 2,500 episodes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The plot , such as it is , revolves around the titular Japanese woman and her family going through the motions of life .
With so many episodes , there ’ s space for the show to depict many traditional customs and events that take place in modern Japan , although it ’ s notable for not featuring advances in technology .
Sazae-san feels like an ever-present aspect of Japanese culture frozen in time , so for many the disruption to its production will be more surprising than with the average show @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that this is the first time the broadcaster has had to resort to reruns since 1975 , when Japan was dealing with the fallout from a global oil shock .
Sazae-san is , of course , not the only weekly Japanese TV show experiencing disruption due to COVID-19 .
Fuji TV and Netflix ’ s popular reality drama Terrace House , for instance , has been off the air for a month , though it ’ s returning today with just a single panelist in the studio to present the pre-recorded footage .

The broadcaster of the world’s longest-running cartoon has said it will have to switch to reruns from next week due to disruption to production caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Sazae-san, an anime series that airs every Sunday night and has been shown since 1969, won’t get any new episodes in the near future; as of this Sunday, Fuji TV will start to broadcast two-year-old reruns.
Based on a manga series by Machiko Hasegawa, Sazae-san is one of the longest-running TV shows in history, with more than 2,500 episodes — each consisting of three separate stories. The plot, such as it is, revolves around the titular Japanese woman and her family going through the motions of life. With so many episodes, there’s space for the show to depict many traditional customs and events that take place in modern Japan, although it’s notable for not featuring advances in technology.
Sazae-san feels like an ever-present aspect of Japanese culture frozen in time, so for many the disruption to its production will be more surprising than with the average show. A Fuji TV spokesperson tells Reuters that this is the first time the broadcaster has had to resort to reruns since 1975, when Japan was dealing with the fallout from a global oil shock.


theverge--2020-05-12--GM kills its electric bike project, Ariv

GM has killed its first electric bike .
The automaker ’ s Ariv e-bikes , pronounced like “ arrive ” and stylized as “ ARĪV , ” were released last year in a handful of countries in Europe .
But thanks to COVID-19 , the company said it has decided to wind down its e-bike production .
The website where customers previously could place orders now redirects to GM ’ s main site .
GM was the latest automaker to try leverage its experience in manufacturing , batteries , and powertrains to build an amazing electric bike .
And early @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The Verge ’ s Thomas Ricker tested out both available models last year — the Ariv Meld and the foldable Merge — and came away impressed .
“ Ariv has generated significant insights about micromobility for General Motors ” In a statement to The Verge , GM said the decision was the result of the company needing to take a hard look at its various business amid the coronavirus pandemic .
“ Ariv has generated significant insights about micromobility for General Motors , and we plan to use those insights to benefit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , GM ’ s director of global innovation .
The COVID-19 outbreak has cut deeply into GM ’ s business , costing the largest US automaker $ 1.4 billion before taxes during the first three months , according to its latest earnings report .
Still , the company eked out a $ 294 million profit for the first quarter despite the crisis .
GM ’ s North American factories have been closed since mid-March , but the company recently informed workers it was planning to resume production on May 18th .
Ariv isn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of COVID-19 .
The company also recently shut down Maven , the car-sharing service it first launched in 2016 .
The decision to end GM ’ s e-bike production may have seemed necessary , but e-bike sales in the US and Europe are actually growing during the shutdown .
Several e-bike makers have reported record sales , following an initial dip in the immediate aftermath of the pandemic .
Fortunately , GM is not the only automaker dipping its toes into electric micromobility .
BMW is making electric bikes and motorcycles .
Audi @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recently acquired e-scooter startup Spin .
Jeep recently unveiled a high-powered electric mountain bike .
Even Harley-Davidson has unveiled a lightweight electric two-wheeler concept amid a drop in sales .

GM has killed its first electric bike. The automaker’s Ariv e-bikes, pronounced like “arrive” and stylized as “ARĪV,” were released last year in a handful of countries in Europe. But thanks to COVID-19, the company said it has decided to wind down its e-bike production. The website where customers previously could place orders now redirects to GM’s main site.
GM was the latest automaker to try leverage its experience in manufacturing, batteries, and powertrains to build an amazing electric bike. And early reviews suggested they may have done it. The Verge’s Thomas Ricker tested out both available models last year — the Ariv Meld and the foldable Merge — and came away impressed.
“Ariv has generated significant insights about micromobility for General Motors”
In a statement to The Verge, GM said the decision was the result of the company needing to take a hard look at its various business amid the coronavirus pandemic. “Ariv has generated significant insights about micromobility for General Motors, and we plan to use those insights to benefit future innovation,” said Brian Tossan, GM’s director of global innovation.
The COVID-19 outbreak has cut deeply into GM’s business, costing the largest US automaker $1.4 billion before taxes during the first three months, according to its latest earnings report. Still, the company eked out a $294 million profit for the first quarter despite the crisis. GM’s North American factories have been closed since mid-March, but the company recently informed workers it was planning to resume production on May 18th.
Ariv isn’t GM’s only casualty of COVID-19. The company also recently shut down Maven, the car-sharing service it first launched in 2016.


theverge--2020-05-12--Slack is slowly coming back online after experiencing an outage

No , it ’ s wasn ’ t just you .
Slack indeed went down due to an outage of some sort that appeared to have begun some time around 7:30PM ET .
User-reported issues spiked on DownDetector.com , and the app was largely inaccessible , with posts not getting marked as read or not going through at all .
The issues affected both the mobile and desktop versions of the app .
Slack says it ’ s in the process of resolving the issue , but connectivity problems remain for some users .
Slack confirmed the outage on its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have reported general performance issues such message sending failures and timeouts .
We ’ re working to get things back to normal as quickly as possible and will provide an update shortly , ” at 7:53PM ET .
Shortly after at 8:02PM ET , the page was updated with , “ Users are unable to connect to Slack .
We are investigating and will provide an update shortly.
” The issues seemed widespread , although it may be too early to tell whether it ’ s isolated to any one part of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was hitting the West Coast rather hard , but that may be a factor of Slack ’ s higher usage among tech companies .
On Twitter , Slack ’ s official account responded to journalist Jeff Elder saying it does not “ have a super solid timeline at the moment ” to how long it ’ s been down , and engineers are looking into what the issue is .
At 8:43PM ET , Slack updated its status page with , “ Some customers may be seeing improvements , but we ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ ll be back in 30 minutes with another update .
Thank you for bearing with us.
” Shortly after , Slack said customers may be experiencing performance improvement , s but it ’ s still working to fully restore service .
Update May 12th , 9:07PM ET : Added updates from Slack ’ s status website .

No, it’s wasn’t just you. Slack indeed went down due to an outage of some sort that appeared to have begun some time around 7:30PM ET. User-reported issues spiked on DownDetector.com, and the app was largely inaccessible, with posts not getting marked as read or not going through at all. The issues affected both the mobile and desktop versions of the app. Slack says it's fully restored service, but it did not disclose the source of the disruption.
Slack confirmed the outage on its status website, intially writing, “Users have reported general performance issues such message sending failures and timeouts. We’re working to get things back to normal as quickly as possible and will provide an update shortly,” at 7:53PM ET. Shortly after at 8:02PM ET, the page was updated with, “Users are unable to connect to Slack. We are investigating and will provide an update shortly.”
The issues seemed widespread, although it’s not clear whether it was isolated to any one part of the US. DownDetector reports indicated the outage was hitting the West Coast rather hard, but that may be a factor of Slack’s higher usage among tech companies.
At 8:43PM ET, Slack updated its status page with, “Some customers may be seeing improvements, but we’re still investigating the connectivity issues. We’ll be back in 30 minutes with another update. Thank you for bearing with us.” Shortly after, Slack said customers may be experiencing performance improvement,s but it’s still working to fully restore service.
Finally, at 10:26PM ET, Slack said, “We have fully restored service and everyone should be able to connect to Slack now. If you have any further trouble, please let us know at feedback@slack.com. We’re very sorry for the disruption. We appreciate your patience as we worked to get everyone back online.”
Update May 12th, 9:07PM ET: Added updates from Slack’s status website.
Update May 12th, 11:04PM ET: Added that Slack has restored service. The headline has been updated to reflect this fact.


theverge--2020-05-12--Some Apple employees will reportedly return to physical offices soon

Some Apple employees will return to the company ’ s global offices soon , according to Bloomberg .
Apple ’ s decision to bring employees back to its offices — including its Apple Park headquarters in Cupertino , California — contrasts with some other large tech companies , many of which have extended work from home polices due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic .
Apple is planning to have employees to return in phases over a few months .
The first phase focuses on employees who are unable to do their jobs from home or who are “ facing challenges @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
This will likely include employees who work on the company ’ s hardware products , and some employees who are part of this phase have apparently already started working at Apple ’ s offices again .
More employees will return to Apple ’ s offices in a second phase of the plan that ’ s scheduled to start in July .
Employees are scheduled to return in two phases It ’ s unclear what changes Apple may make in its offices to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 , such as improving @ @ @ @ @ @ @ return may only have to be in the office for certain amounts of time , according to Bloomberg , and CEO Tim Cook reportedly told employees in April that temperature checks and social distancing would likely be implemented when employees return .
Some other major tech companies are not asking employees to return to offices as quickly as Apple is .
Both Google and Facebook will allow most employees to work from home through the rest of the year , Amazon will let employees work from home until “ at least ” October @ @ @ @ @ @ @ work from home indefinitely as of Tuesday .
Apple also plans to open some of its retail stores after closing all of them outside of China on March 14th .
Some stores in Idaho , South Carolina , Alabama , and Alaska will apparently be opened sometime this week , and employees will have to submit to temperature checks and wear masks .

Some Apple employees will return to the company’s global offices soon, according to Bloomberg. Apple’s decision to bring employees back to its offices — including its Apple Park headquarters in Cupertino, California — contrasts with some other large tech companies, many of which have extended work from home polices due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Apple is planning to have employees to return in phases over a few months. The first phase focuses on employees who are unable to do their jobs from home or who are “facing challenges working from home,” reports Bloomberg. This will likely include employees who work on the company’s hardware products, and some employees who are part of this phase have apparently already started working at Apple’s offices again. More employees will return to Apple’s offices in a second phase of the plan that’s scheduled to start in July.
Employees are scheduled to return in two phases
It’s unclear what changes Apple may make in its offices to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, such as improving ventilation. But some employees asked to return may only have to be in the office for certain amounts of time, according to Bloomberg, and CEO Tim Cook reportedly told employees in April that temperature checks and social distancing would likely be implemented when employees return.
Some other major tech companies are not asking employees to return to offices as quickly as Apple is. Both Google and Facebook will allow most employees to work from home through the rest of the year, Amazon will let employees work from home until “at least” October 2nd, and Twitter is letting employees work from home indefinitely as of Tuesday.


theverge--2020-05-12--Twitter will now make it easier to see quote tweets on iOS

Twitter has added a new way to see how many people have retweeted a tweet and added a comment , the company announced today — but it ’ s only available on the iOS version of the app .
The new feature organizes all of the retweets with comments into a handy list .
To access it , tap on a tweet and then tap on the word “ Retweets.
” You ’ ll see retweets broken out into two columns — ones commenting on the retweet ( or a “ quote tweet ” ) and a list of retweets @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a video from Twitter showing off the feature : You can already see quote tweets , but you have to copy and paste a tweet ’ s URL into Twitter ’ s search box to do so .
( Here ’ s what that looks like when searching for the above embedded tweet , for example . )
The feature rolled out today seems to be a much easier way to see retweets with comments in one spot .
The feature doesn ’ t appear to be available for me just yet , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ iOS users should see the update today .
Twitter also tells The Verge it will be coming to the web app and Android in the coming weeks .

Twitter has added a new way to see how many people have retweeted a tweet and added a comment, the company announced today — but it’s only available on the iOS version of the app.
The new feature organizes all of the retweets with comments into a handy list. To access it, tap on a tweet and then tap on the word “Retweets.” You’ll see retweets broken out into two columns — ones commenting on the retweet (or a “quote tweet”) and a list of retweets with no comment.
Here’s a video from Twitter showing off the feature:
You can already see quote tweets, but you have to copy and paste a tweet’s URL into Twitter’s search box to do so. (Here’s what that looks like when searching for the above embedded tweet, for example.) The feature rolled out today seems to be a much easier way to see retweets with comments in one spot.
The feature doesn’t appear to be available for me just yet, but Twitter tells The Verge that most iOS users should see the update today. Twitter also tells The Verge it will be coming to the web app and Android in the coming weeks.


theverge--2020-05-12--Google’s Nest Aware revamp is here to simplify your subscription

Google ’ s new Nest Aware pricing model is rolling out starting this week , the company announced today .
The new model means that a single subscription now covers all of your Nest devices , rather than asking you to pay on a per-device basis .
It ’ s available in each of the 19 markets where Nest Aware is available , including the US , UK , Australia , France , and Germany .
The new Nest Aware subscription now costs $ 6 a month or $ 60 a year to cover all of your devices .
That @ @ @ @ @ @ @ video history , ” meaning you get the recordings from whenever the camera detects motion or sound .
Jumping up to $ 12 a month ( $ 120 a year ) for Nest Aware Plus doubles your event history to 60 days and also gets you 10 days of 24/7 video recording history .
Or pay $ 12 a month for up to 60 days of recordings It ’ s a lot simpler than Nest ’ s previous pricing model in which subscription prices ranged from $ 5 to $ 30 per month @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cover each subsequent device .
However , the old model got you 24/7 video recording as standard , and now it ’ s something you have to pay extra for .
If you ’ re an existing Nest Aware subscriber and you want to upgrade to the new Nest Aware subscription , you can do so within the Google Store .
Be warned that you ’ ll have to migrate to a Google Account as part of the process .
In comparison , Amazon ’ s Ring subscription plan costs $ 10 a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you want it to cover every device in your home , while Arlo ’ s entry-level $ 9.99-a-month plan covers up to five cameras .
Both Ring and Arlo charge a reduced rate of $ 3 a month if you just want to cover a single camera .
As well as the new pricing model , Google also says that Nest speakers and displays in the US can now listen and alert you when they hear “ critical sounds ” like glass breaking or a smoke alarm .
Once you ’ ve received @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , you then have the option of calling 911 .
If you call using the Home app , it will know to connect you with an operator who ’ s closest to your home rather than your phone ’ s location .
To coincide with the launch , Google is reducing the price of a couple of its Nest products : the Nest Hub is now available for $ 89.99 , down from $ 129 , and the Nest Cam indoor is $ 129.99 , down from $ 199 .

Google’s new Nest Aware pricing model is rolling out starting this week, the company announced today. The new model means that a single subscription now covers all of your Nest devices, rather than asking you to pay on a per-device basis. It’s available in each of the 19 markets where Nest Aware is available, including the US, UK, Australia, France, and Germany.
The new Nest Aware subscription now costs $6 a month or $60 a year to cover all of your devices. That gets you 30 days of “event video history,” meaning you get the recordings from whenever the camera detects motion or sound. Jumping up to $12 a month ($120 a year) for Nest Aware Plus doubles your event history to 60 days and also gets you 10 days of 24/7 video recording history.
Or pay $12 a month for up to 60 days of recordings
It’s a lot simpler than Nest’s previous pricing model in which subscription prices ranged from $5 to $30 per month per camera, with discounts offered to cover each subsequent device. However, the old model got you 24/7 video recording as standard, and now it’s something you have to pay extra for. If you’re an existing Nest Aware subscriber and you want to upgrade to the new Nest Aware subscription, you can do so within the Google Store. Be warned that you’ll have to migrate to a Google Account as part of the process.
In comparison, Amazon’s Ring subscription plan costs $10 a month or $100 a year if you want it to cover every device in your home, while Arlo’s entry-level $9.99-a-month plan covers up to five cameras. Both Ring and Arlo charge a reduced rate of $3 a month if you just want to cover a single camera.
As well as the new pricing model, Google also says that Nest speakers and displays in the US can now listen and alert you when they hear “critical sounds” like glass breaking or a smoke alarm. Once you’ve received the alert and listened to the sound, you then have the option of calling 911. If you call using the Home app, it will know to connect you with an operator who’s closest to your home rather than your phone’s location.


theverge--2020-05-12--Motorola promises that the Edge Plus will get upgrades through Android 12

Hot on the heels of updating the foldable Razr to Android 10 , Motorola has announced that the soon-to-be-released Edge @ @ @ @ @ least two future Android OS updates , ensuring that the new flagship will run both @ @ @ @ @ next year ’ s Android 12 ( assuming Google sticks with its naming scheme ) @ @ @ @ @ is set to ship with Android 10 when it releases on May 14th .
While @ @ @ @ @ updates isn ’ t exactly a generous one — Google offers at least three years @ @ @ @ @ phones , to say nothing of Apple ’ s support for its phones — in @ @ @ @ @ any OS updates can be hard to come by , it ’ s better than @ @ @ @ @ Motorola is selling the Edge Plus as a top-tier Android flagship , complete with the @ @ @ @ @ match , a formal promise of this level of support is good to see .

Hot on the heels of updating the foldable Razr to Android 10, Motorola has announced that the soon-to-be-released Edge Plus will also get at least two future Android OS updates, ensuring that the new flagship will run both the pending Android 11 and next year’s Android 12 (assuming Google sticks with its naming scheme).
The Motorola Edge Plus is set to ship with Android 10 when it releases on May 14th. While the promise of two software updates isn’t exactly a generous one — Google offers at least three years of updates for its Pixel phones, to say nothing of Apple’s support for its phones — in the world of Android where any OS updates can be hard to come by, it’s better than nothing.


theverge--2020-05-12--House Democrats want $5.5 billion for pandemic broadband funding

On Tuesday , House Democrats unveiled their latest coronavirus response bill , including a number of measures to keep families and businesses online through the duration of the pandemic .
“ With schools closed and millions out of work , Congress must use its powers to keep Americans connected , ” Reps. Frank Pallone Jr. ( D-NJ ) and Mike Doyle ( D-PA ) said in a joint statement .
“ We ’ re hopeful that this legislation will garner strong , bipartisan support so we can stand up for children and families who are struggling during this pandemic.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the health care system and the economy with $ 3 trillion in additional funding , with around $ 5.5 billion of that going toward closing the digital divide at least until the pandemic is over .
If approved , the bill would “ immediately ” provide $ 1.5 billion through the Federal Communication Commission ’ s E-Rate Program for schools and libraries to purchase hot spots and “ connected devices ” to help facilitate distance learning throughout the length of the emergency .
Additionally , the stimulus would create a pool of $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 50-a-month subsidies to low-income families or laid-off and furloughed workers in order to help pay their internet service bills throughout the end of the pandemic .
“ The House bill makes clear what most Americans have known for months – that every American must have access to robust broadband Internet during the COVID-19 pandemic , ” Gigi Sohn , a former FCC adviser , said in a statement on Tuesday .
The House is expected to approve the bill Friday , but the measure faces an uphill battle in the Republican-led Senate for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ( R-KY ) said that infrastructure like broadband is “ unrelated from the coronavirus pandemic ” and shouldn ’ t be included in future coronavirus relief packages .
On top of funding broadband connectivity projects , the HEROES Act would make it unlawful for telecommunications and voice service providers to shut off service to customers who are unable to pay their bills because of the pandemic .
As social distancing orders went into place all across the country in March , schools and businesses shut down in order @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Because of this , students and workers are more reliant on the internet now than ever before .
Accessing basic remote education and health services has become increasingly more difficult for families with unreliable internet connections .
In an effort to curb the spread of disease , schools and businesses shut down or moved activities online .
Because of this , families and businesses without in-home broadband connections are unable to participate in school or work .
“ Despite what Congress , the FCC and ISPs have already done , the country needs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ keep society functioning , ” Matt Wood , Free Press Action vice president of policy and general counsel , said in a statement on Tuesday .

On Tuesday, House Democrats unveiled their latest coronavirus response bill, including a number of measures to keep families and businesses online through the duration of the pandemic.
“With schools closed and millions out of work, Congress must use its powers to keep Americans connected,” Reps. Frank Pallone Jr. (D-NJ) and Mike Doyle (D-PA) said in a joint statement. “We’re hopeful that this legislation will garner strong, bipartisan support so we can stand up for children and families who are struggling during this pandemic.”
The over 1,800-page HEROES Act would bolster the health care system and the economy with $3 trillion in additional funding, with around $5.5 billion of that going toward closing the digital divide at least until the pandemic is over. If approved, the bill would “immediately” provide $1.5 billion through the Federal Communication Commission’s E-Rate Program for schools and libraries to purchase hot spots and “connected devices” to help facilitate distance learning throughout the length of the emergency.
Additionally, the stimulus would create a pool of $4 billion to provide up to $50-a-month subsidies to low-income families or laid-off and furloughed workers in order to help pay their internet service bills throughout the end of the pandemic.
“The House bill makes clear what most Americans have known for months – that every American must have access to robust broadband Internet during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Gigi Sohn, a former FCC adviser, said in a statement on Tuesday.
The House is expected to approve the bill Friday, but the measure faces an uphill battle in the Republican-led Senate for final approval. In previous interviews, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said that infrastructure like broadband is “unrelated from the coronavirus pandemic” and shouldn’t be included in future coronavirus relief packages.
On top of funding broadband connectivity projects, the HEROES Act would make it unlawful for telecommunications and voice service providers to shut off service to customers who are unable to pay their bills because of the pandemic.
As social distancing orders went into place all across the country in March, schools and businesses shut down in order to curb the spread of disease. Because of this, students and workers are more reliant on the internet now than ever before. Accessing basic remote education and health services has become increasingly more difficult for families with unreliable internet connections.
In an effort to curb the spread of disease, schools and businesses shut down or moved activities online. Because of this, families and businesses without in-home broadband connections are unable to participate in school or work.


theverge--2020-05-12--Telegram shuts down its cryptocurrency operation

After years of drama with the SEC , Telegram is calling it quits on its crypto-focused subsidiary , Telegram Open Network ( TON ) .
“ Telegram ’ s active involvement with TON is over , ” wrote Pavel Durov , founder and CEO , in an announcement on his channel .
“ You may see – or may have already seen – sites using my name or the Telegram brand or the ‘ TON ’ abbreviation to promote their projects .
Don ’ t trust them with your money or data.
” TON was a blockchain platform designed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ smartphone , in a similar fashion to Facebook ’ s Libra project ( which has also faced significant scrutiny ) .
Last October , the SEC ordered Telegram to halt sales of its cryptocurrency ( called Gram ) after it failed to register an early sale of $ 1.7 billion in tokens prior to launching the network .
The funds were raised in a series of what Telegram billed as pre-ICO offerings back in 2018 , though the company ended up canceling the much-hyped ICO due ( in part ) to increased SEC @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ruling in his announcement , arguing that American courts shouldn ’ t have the power to stop the sale of cryptocurrency beyond US borders , and he urged others to take up the decentralization fight in Telegram ’ s stead .
“ This battle may well be the most important battle of our generation , ” he wrote .
“ We hope that you succeed where we have failed .
”

After years of drama with the SEC, Telegram is calling it quits on its crypto-focused subsidiary, Telegram Open Network (TON).
“Telegram’s active involvement with TON is over,” wrote Pavel Durov, founder and CEO, in an announcement on his channel. “You may see – or may have already seen – sites using my name or the Telegram brand or the ‘TON’ abbreviation to promote their projects. Don’t trust them with your money or data.”
TON was a blockchain platform designed to offer decentralized cryptocurrency to anyone with a smartphone, in a similar fashion to Facebook’s Libra project (which has also faced significant scrutiny).
Last October, the SEC ordered Telegram to halt sales of its cryptocurrency (called Gram) after it failed to register an early sale of $1.7 billion in tokens prior to launching the network. The funds were raised in a series of what Telegram billed as pre-ICO offerings back in 2018, though the company ended up canceling the much-hyped ICO due (in part) to increased SEC scrutiny.


theverge--2020-05-12--Check out this extremely detailed image of Rembrandt’s Night Watch painting

A new high-resolution scan of The Night Watch lets you zoom in close enough to see all its small details : brushstrokes , small cracks around the eyes and noses , and even the facial expressions of every character .
The Night Watch was painted in 1642 by Rembrandt van Rijn .
The painting itself is famous for a few reasons , including its large size , measuring at 11.91 feet x 14.34 feet , and its use of light and shadow to emphasize specific characters in the painting .
This new scan was published by the imaging team at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ based in Amsterdam .
The release of the high-resolution image is part of a research and conservation initiative to conserve Rembrandt ’ s piece .
This is not the first time the painting was brought online in high resolution , but this version stands out because of better color , lighting , and shadow detail .
Google Arts & Culture also has an image of the painting , however , as Rijksmuseum senior scientist Rob Erdmann notes on Twitter , the Rijksmuseum ’ s version has “ 25 times more data ” and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ version .
The actual painting is on display at the Rijksmuseum .

A new high-resolution scan of The Night Watch lets you zoom in close enough to see all its small details: brushstrokes, small cracks around the eyes and noses, and even the facial expressions of every character.
The Night Watch was painted in 1642 by Rembrandt van Rijn. The painting itself is famous for a few reasons, including its large size, measuring at 11.91 feet x 14.34 feet, and its use of light and shadow to emphasize specific characters in the painting.
This new scan was published by the imaging team at the Rijksmuseum, a national Dutch museum based in Amsterdam. The release of the high-resolution image is part of a research and conservation initiative to conserve Rembrandt’s piece.
This is not the first time the painting was brought online in high resolution, but this version stands out because of better color, lighting, and shadow detail. Google Arts & Culture also has an image of the painting, however, as Rijksmuseum senior scientist Rob Erdmann notes on Twitter, the Rijksmuseum’s version has “25 times more data” and better coloring compared to Google’s version.


theverge--2020-05-12--Belkin is working with the University of Illinois to make ventilators

Computer and phone accessory maker Belkin is developing an emergency ventilator in partnership with the University of Illinois to be used to treat COVID-19 patients , the two organizations announced today .
Called the FlexVent , the gas-operated ventilator is a “ single-use , emergency ventilator that can provide constant-flow , pressure-cycled ventilation automatically to patients in respiratory distress.
” The FlexVent is currently under review by the Food and Drug Administration .
Belkin and the University of Illinois have applied for an emergency use authorization , which allows medical products that haven ’ t been formally approved by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to treat life-threatening conditions .
Belkin said it “ realigned our assets to serve the healthcare community ” so it could manufacture the device .
Belkin is owned by iPhone manufacturer Foxconn , so it likely has access to considerable manufacturing resources it can use to help with the production of the ventilators .
Many companies have used their manufacturing resources to produce ventilators and personal protective equipment to help fight COVID-19 .
For example , NASA ’ s Jet Propulsion Laboratory developed a ventilator in a month , Apple is designing and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ maker Nomad has reprioritized its operations to make face masks and other medical supplies .

Computer and phone accessory maker Belkin is developing an emergency ventilator in partnership with the University of Illinois to be used to treat COVID-19 patients, the two organizations announced today. Called the FlexVent, the gas-operated ventilator is a “single-use, emergency ventilator that can provide constant-flow, pressure-cycled ventilation automatically to patients in respiratory distress.”
The FlexVent is currently under review by the Food and Drug Administration. Belkin and the University of Illinois have applied for an emergency use authorization, which allows medical products that haven’t been formally approved by the FDA to be used in emergencies or to treat life-threatening conditions.
Image: Belkin
Belkin said it “realigned our assets to serve the healthcare community” so it could manufacture the device. Belkin is owned by iPhone manufacturer Foxconn, so it likely has access to considerable manufacturing resources it can use to help with the production of the ventilators.


theverge--2020-05-13--Apple 13-inch MacBook Pro (2020) review: return to baseline

The most interesting — and most common — questions I ’ ve received about this new 13-inch MacBook Pro aren ’ t about the laptop itself , at least not directly .
They ’ re about comparison shopping it up against other MacBooks and even other Windows laptops .
For Apple , that ’ s actually good news because , up until recently , most of the questions would have been “ is the keyboard going to break ?
” It ’ s good news for Apple , but it ’ s much better news for people in the market @ @ @ @ @ @ @ means you don ’ t have to second-guess yourself .
I can ’ t definitively say the new Magic Keyboard will be reliable long term , but all signs point to that .
It doesn ’ t hurt that it provides a much nicer ( and quieter ! )
typing experience .
As I and others have said , we shouldn ’ t give Apple too much credit for just fixing this keyboard .
After years of problems , it ’ s a return to baseline functionality .
It ’ s not a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Apple hangs on to laptop designs much longer than other companies .
It ’ s fortunate , then , that they ’ re generally nice designs .
Other than swapping out the keyboard and thereby adding a millimeter of thickness and a few grams of weight , this 2020 13-inch MacBook Pro is identical to the last few dating back to 2016 .
Unlike last November ’ s 16-inch MacBook Pro , nothing else is changed here .
That means the 13.3-inch screen still goes up to a bright 500 nits , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a little large by current standards .
The speakers , mics , and overall build quality are above average .
It ’ s a MacBook , and chances are good you know what that means when it comes to hardware .
That includes the 720p webcam , which is not great .
The scissor-switch mechanism underneath the keys on the Magic Keyboard provides one millimeter of travel , a firm bounce , and a more resonant thunk than the butterfly keyboard .
The keys are stable , backlit , and , well , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an excellent keyboard .
I ’ m glad for the real Esc key , and I prefer the inverted T setup for arrow keys .
There ’ s also Touch ID for logging in .
But at a certain point , I ’ d like to see Apple figure out how to catch up to Windows Hello and allow face login .
Touch ID is fast , at least , and well-integrated with Apple ’ s apps and a handful of other well-designed Mac apps .
In between Touch ID and the Esc @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Even after using it for four years , it has yet to truly grow on me .
I have finally managed to include it in my workflows .
Enough apps take advantage of it now that I find myself putting in the extra effort to make sure it ’ s set up properly app by app .
I also put in the ( significantly larger ) effort to figure out how to customize it with Better Touch Tool .
Even so , I can ’ t get over the feeling that the Touch @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at worst .
I wouldn ’ t miss it if it were gone , but at least it doesn ’ t actively frustrate me .
There are really two new 13-inch MacBook Pros .
The “ base ” model has older 8th Gen Intel processors and only two Thunderbolt 3 ports .
I haven ’ t tested this one , but I do think it ’ s an odd duck .
I think most people looking at it would be better off with either a MacBook Air or stepping up to the more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I ’ ve been testing that more powerful version , with a 10th Gen Intel Core i5 processor , 16GB of LPDDR4X RAM , and a 512GB SSD .
Relative to my three-year-old MacBook Pro with similar specs , it is a noticeable upgrade in speed and performance across the board .
If you have a newer machine , you might not notice as big a difference .
One of the big benefits of this upgraded model is the improved Intel Iris Plus graphics .
( There ’ s no separate GPU option @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will be 60 percent faster , for example .
What ’ s surprised me slightly , however , is how apps that don ’ t traditionally take advantage of new GPUs in Apple machines fared .
Adobe Premiere exports haven ’ t matched the midrange 16-inch MacBook Pro we tested last year , but they ’ ve outperformed my expectations .
If your “ pro ” work is pushing your computer with lots of running apps and even more browser tabs , I ’ m happy to say that the computer kept up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it .
At one point last week , I had Chrome and Safari open with 10 or so tabs each , plus a couple of Electron apps , Lightroom CC , Zoom , and QuickTime .
On top of that , one of those tabs was running a videoconference over WebRTC , and I was recording audio via Audio Hijack and using Bluetooth headphones .
With all that , the fans were spinning , but nothing was chugging .
One of the best things about using a more powerful computer is you are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about what you leave open and running in the background .
I didn ’ t have to worry about quitting apps when I wanted to open new ones ... as long as I left it plugged in .
If there ’ s a blemish on this performance picture , it ’ s battery life , which just barely rises above disappointing .
Apple claims 10 hours of web use , but with my usual workload , I was getting about five .
My standard daily set of apps is maybe more than average @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ridiculous amount .
I kept screen brightness at around 70 percent , but we ’ re talking about Slack , TweetDeck , Lightroom , Spotify , Mail , and a few other apps .
That includes Chrome , of course , which Apple ’ s battery monitor rightly identifies as a battery hog .
By switching out to Safari and limiting my use of Chromium-based Electron apps ( except Spotify because ... come on ) , I was able to push it to near six hours .
I expect I could squeeze out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more battery-efficient apps and dialed back the brightness .
But that ’ s not how I use my computers , and I doubt that most MacBook Pro users are so diligent about app usage anyway .
Those battery results aren ’ t terminal ( pardon the pun ) for my feelings about this MacBook , but they ’ re not great .
For a long time , one of Apple ’ s biggest strengths compared to Windows machines was its ability to outlast them .
That ’ s not really the case anymore @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 13-inch Windows laptops last longer between charges under similar workflows .
Apple ’ s 2020 13-inch MacBook Pro is a competent , dependable computer .
The upgraded model with the 10th Gen Intel processors outperformed my expectations in terms of speed and power even if it didn ’ t really impress me on battery life .
I would like to see a bigger redesign next time , but that doesn ’ t mean this design is a problem .
It ’ s just familiar in a time when much of the competition is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The whole point of the 13-inch Pro is to give you a little more headroom for running more powerful ( or just more ) apps than the MacBook Air can really handle without groaning under the load .
It ’ s meant to be the machine you can take for granted .
Now that the keyboard is fixed , I ’ m looking forward to doing just that .

Part of / The Verge Guide to macOS
The most interesting — and most common — questions I’ve received about this new 13-inch MacBook Pro aren’t about the laptop itself, at least not directly. They’re about comparison shopping it up against other MacBooks and even other Windows laptops. For Apple, that’s actually good news because, up until recently, most of the questions would have been “is the keyboard going to break?”
It’s good news for Apple, but it’s much better news for people in the market to buy a new MacBook because it means you don’t have to second-guess yourself. I can’t definitively say the new Magic Keyboard will be reliable long term, but all signs point to that. It doesn’t hurt that it provides a much nicer (and quieter!) typing experience.
As I and others have said, we shouldn’t give Apple too much credit for just fixing this keyboard. After years of problems, it’s a return to baseline functionality. It’s not a whole lot more than that, however.
Apple hangs on to laptop designs much longer than other companies. It’s fortunate, then, that they’re generally nice designs. Other than swapping out the keyboard and thereby adding a millimeter of thickness and a few grams of weight, this 2020 13-inch MacBook Pro is identical to the last few dating back to 2016. Unlike last November’s 16-inch MacBook Pro, nothing else is changed here.
That means the 13.3-inch screen still goes up to a bright 500 nits, but the bezels around it are still a little large by current standards. The speakers, mics, and overall build quality are above average. It’s a MacBook, and chances are good you know what that means when it comes to hardware. That includes the 720p webcam, which is not great.
The new MacBook Pro is about 1mm thicker than the last model to accommodate the new keyboard.
The scissor-switch mechanism underneath the keys on the Magic Keyboard provides one millimeter of travel, a firm bounce, and a more resonant thunk than the butterfly keyboard. The keys are stable, backlit, and, well, you know what? It’s an excellent keyboard. I’m glad for the real Esc key, and I prefer the inverted T setup for arrow keys.
There’s also Touch ID for logging in. But at a certain point, I’d like to see Apple figure out how to catch up to Windows Hello and allow face login. Touch ID is fast, at least, and well-integrated with Apple’s apps and a handful of other well-designed Mac apps.
In between Touch ID and the Esc key is ye olde Touch Bar. Even after using it for four years, it has yet to truly grow on me. I have finally managed to include it in my workflows. Enough apps take advantage of it now that I find myself putting in the extra effort to make sure it’s set up properly app by app. I also put in the (significantly larger) effort to figure out how to customize it with Better Touch Tool.
A customized Touch Bar using Better Touch Tool, with a dock, calendar, weather, Spotify controls, and mute / sleep button. Volume and brightness controlled by gestures.
Even so, I can’t get over the feeling that the Touch Bar remains underutilized at best and unnecessary at worst. I wouldn’t miss it if it were gone, but at least it doesn’t actively frustrate me.
The MacBook Pro’s overall design is the same as prior models
There are really two new 13-inch MacBook Pros. The “base” model has older 8th Gen Intel processors and only two Thunderbolt 3 ports. I haven’t tested this one, but I do think it’s an odd duck. I think most people looking at it would be better off with either a MacBook Air or stepping up to the more powerful version of the MacBook Pro.
I’ve been testing that more powerful version, with a 10th Gen Intel Core i5 processor, 16GB of LPDDR4X RAM, and a 512GB SSD. Relative to my three-year-old MacBook Pro with similar specs, it is a noticeable upgrade in speed and performance across the board. If you have a newer machine, you might not notice as big a difference.
Agree to continue: 13-inch MacBook Pro (2020) Every smart device now requires you to agree to a series of terms and conditions before you can use it — contracts that no one actually reads. It’s impossible for us to read and analyze every single one of these agreements. But we started counting exactly how many times you have to hit “agree” to use devices when we review them since these are agreements most people don’t read and definitely can’t negotiate. In order to get past the setup and actually use the MacBook Pro, you are required to agree to: The macOS software license agreement, which includes: - Apple’s warranty agreement - Game Center terms and conditions These agreements are nonnegotiable, and you cannot use the laptop at all if you don’t agree to them. There are also several optional agreements, including: Location services
Sending crash and usage data to Apple to help app developers
Allowing Apple to use your Siri transcripts to improve voice recognition The final tally is three mandatory agreements and four optional ones.
MacBooks no longer lead on battery life
One of the big benefits of this upgraded model is the improved Intel Iris Plus graphics. (There’s no separate GPU option.) Apple claims Final Cut exports will be 60 percent faster, for example. What’s surprised me slightly, however, is how apps that don’t traditionally take advantage of new GPUs in Apple machines fared. Adobe Premiere exports haven’t matched the midrange 16-inch MacBook Pro we tested last year, but they’ve outperformed my expectations.
If your “pro” work is pushing your computer with lots of running apps and even more browser tabs, I’m happy to say that the computer kept up with most of what I threw at it. At one point last week, I had Chrome and Safari open with 10 or so tabs each, plus a couple of Electron apps, Lightroom CC, Zoom, and QuickTime. On top of that, one of those tabs was running a videoconference over WebRTC, and I was recording audio via Audio Hijack and using Bluetooth headphones.
With all that, the fans were spinning, but nothing was chugging. One of the best things about using a more powerful computer is you are free to be a little more thoughtless about what you leave open and running in the background. I didn’t have to worry about quitting apps when I wanted to open new ones... as long as I left it plugged in.
If there’s a blemish on this performance picture, it’s battery life, which just barely rises above disappointing. Apple claims 10 hours of web use, but with my usual workload, I was getting about five. My standard daily set of apps is maybe more than average, but it’s not a ridiculous amount. I kept screen brightness at around 70 percent, but we’re talking about Slack, TweetDeck, Lightroom, Spotify, Mail, and a few other apps.
That includes Chrome, of course, which Apple’s battery monitor rightly identifies as a battery hog. By switching out to Safari and limiting my use of Chromium-based Electron apps (except Spotify because... come on), I was able to push it to near six hours. I expect I could squeeze out more if I further limited myself to more battery-efficient apps and dialed back the brightness. But that’s not how I use my computers, and I doubt that most MacBook Pro users are so diligent about app usage anyway.
Those battery results aren’t terminal (pardon the pun) for my feelings about this MacBook, but they’re not great. For a long time, one of Apple’s biggest strengths compared to Windows machines was its ability to outlast them. That’s not really the case anymore. We’ve seen plenty of 13-inch Windows laptops last longer between charges under similar workflows.
The MacBook Pro’s trackpad is still the largest you can get on a 13-inch laptop.
Apple’s 2020 13-inch MacBook Pro is a competent, dependable computer. The upgraded model with the 10th Gen Intel processors outperformed my expectations in terms of speed and power even if it didn’t really impress me on battery life. I would like to see a bigger redesign next time, but that doesn’t mean this design is a problem. It’s just familiar in a time when much of the competition is finding ways to slim their bezels.
The whole point of the 13-inch Pro is to give you a little more headroom for running more powerful (or just more) apps than the MacBook Air can really handle without groaning under the load. It’s meant to be the machine you can take for granted. Now that the keyboard is fixed, I’m looking forward to doing just that.