Jay Peters

Senior Reporter

Jay PetersApr 21, 2023

iOS 17 might get Wallet and Find My upgrades.

That’s according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman from his appearance on this week’s edition of The MacRumors Show podcast. You can read a summary of what he else expects from Apple software in MacRumors’ recap here — so far, it seems like watchOS might get the most significant upgrades at WWDC this year. But I wouldn’t expect WWDC to be a boring show (even if we apparently won’t see the Mac Pro), as it’s the place where Apple is rumored to finally reveal its mixed reality headset.

Jay PetersApr 21, 2023

The Pixel 7A may have face unlock.

Google’s still-unannounced but leak-prone phone may let you unlock your phone with your face in addition to your fingerprint, according to an image shared by Twitter user SnoopyTech. The Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro have face unlock as well.

With how much we’ve seen so far of the phone, the Pixel 7A seems like a lock for Google I/O, which takes place on May 10th.

Jay PetersApr 21, 2023

More Lyft layoffs are coming.

On Friday, new Lyft CEO David Risher emailed staff to inform them of layoffs happening on Thursday, April 27th. The company shared his email on its blog. Lyft plans to cut 1,200 or more jobs, according to The Wall Street Journal. The company laid of 13 percent of its staff in November.

A note from Lyft’s CEO, David Risher

[www.lyft.com]

Jay PetersApr 21, 2023

Whole Foods is laying off several hundred corporate workers.

The Amazon-owned grocer is cutting jobs and reorganizing some teams, according to a memo obtained by CNBC:

As the grocery industry continues to rapidly evolve, and as we — like all retailers — have navigated challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic and continued economic uncertainty, it has become clear that we need to continue to build on these changes. With additional adjustments, we will be able to further simplify our operations, make processes easier, and improve how we support our stores.

Whole Foods plans to lay off several hundred corporate employees: Read the memo here

[CNBC]

Jay PetersApr 21, 2023

Who needs the Master Sword?

In Tears of the Kingdom, you can just wield a mushroom spear instead, as shown in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment during this Japanese Nintendo commercial. The ad has a few other new clips of the game, which comes out in three weeks.

A screenshot of Link wielding a spear fused with a mushroom in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.

Watch out, Ganondorf.

Image: Nintendo

Jay PetersApr 20, 2023

Insider laid off employees on Thursday, too.

The company laid off 10 percent of staff the same day BuzzFeed cut 15 percent of its workforce and shuttered BuzzFeed News. Rough day for digital journalism.

Insider to Lay Off 10 Percent of Staffers, Company Says

[The Daily Beast]

Jay PetersApr 20, 2023

“Why should we stay at Meta?”

After the company laid off about 4,000 employees in technical roles on Wednesday, employees asked Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg why they should stay at the company in a virtual Q&A on Thursday, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Here’s the full question, and his response:

During the Q&A with employees, Mr. Zuckerberg was asked “You’ve shattered the morale and confidence in leadership of many high performers who work with intensity. Why should we stay at Meta?”
Mr. Zuckerberg told employees he hopes they are at Meta because they believe in the work that the company is doing.
“There’s no other company in the world that delivers social experiences at the scale that we are and that does so across such a diversity of different products and use cases,” he said. “So if you want to reach people in the billions and have a massive impact, I think this is a great place to be.”

WSJ News Exclusive | Mark Zuckerberg Says Meta Will Slow Hiring, Won’t Rule Out Future Layoffs

[WSJ]

Jay PetersApr 20, 2023

MKBHD paid more than $40,000 for a sealed OG iPhone. Then he unboxed it.

You may have read about that sealed original iPhone with a “Lucky you” sticker that was up for auction for $32,000. Turns out that YouTuber MKBHD was the one who bought it (the final cost ended up being $42,991.20 after a premium and sales tax), and he opened it up in a new video. It does appear to be a legit original!