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Richard Lawler

Richard Lawler

Senior News Editor

Senior News Editor

    More From Richard Lawler

    Richard Lawler
    Richard Lawler
    Forget vinyl.

    If you appreciate media preservation, make some time for this Q&A with the “last man standing in the floppy disk business,” Tom Persky of floppydisk.com.

    The customers that are the easiest to provide for are the hobbyists – people who want to buy ten, 20, or maybe 50 floppy disks. However, my biggest customers — and the place where most of the money comes from — are the industrial users...Probably half of the air fleet in the world today is more than 20 years old and still uses floppy disks in some of the avionics.

    We Spoke With the Last Person Standing in the Floppy Disk Business

    [Eye on Design]

    Richard Lawler
    Richard Lawler
    Watch Tim Cook express his honest opinion about iMessage, Android, and green bubbles.

    It’s not hard to figure out why Tim Cook won’t fix the green bubbles and SMS fallback that comes with texting Android users from your iPhone using iMessage.

    But you’ve got to see this response for yourself, as Cook (while laughing) suggests Vox Media’s LiQuan Hunt should “buy your mom an iPhone” to fix the issue.

    Apple CEO Tim Cook on a blue background with green message bubbles appearing near his mouth.
    Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
    Tim Cook says ‘buy your mom an iPhone’ if you want to end green bubblesTim Cook says ‘buy your mom an iPhone’ if you want to end green bubbles
    Richard Lawler
    Richard Lawler
    So now what do you do with your old phone?

    I’m guessing at least a few of you snagged brand-new iPhone 14s today, and I love that for you, but I’ll keep using my Pixel 6.

    But if you still have your old phone and want to avoid creating unnecessary electronic waste, Kaitlyn Tiffany writes in The Atlantic that your best bet — despite recycling programs and flashy robots — is probably to just keep it.

    Don’t Trash Your Old Phone—Give It a Second Life

    [The Atlantic]

    Richard Lawler
    Richard Lawler
    Instagram vs. TikTok in VR.

    Meta’s Quest Pro won’t be officially unveiled for another month — unless they leave a few units laying around in a hotel hallway, again. Now Protocol reports Pico (which, like TikTok, is now owned by Chinese tech giant ByteDance) will launch its next VR headset on September 22nd.

    Pico’s new headset may share some features with the Quest Pro, like full-color passthrough video for AR, and a better display.

    ByteDance's Pico will unveil new VR headset Sept. 22

    [Protocol]

    Richard Lawler
    Richard Lawler
    Twitter, but with an edit button.

    Twitter really is almost ready to offer users the long-awaited edit button, and already confirmed that after a little more internal testing, some Twitter Blue subscribers will get access later this month.

    Per Platformer author and Verge contributing editor Casey Newton, those public tests are planned to start next week, on September 21st.

    Richard Lawler
    Richard Lawler
    California’s antitrust lawsuit claims customers have “nowhere else to go and Amazon knows it.”

    California AG Rob Bonta filed an antitrust lawsuit against Amazon, claiming customers pay more because the “everything store” forces merchants into deals that keep prices artificially high.

    Amazon’s spokesperson told the New York Times that Bonta “has it exactly backwards... Sellers set their own prices for the products they offer in our store.”

    Here’s a PDF link to the complaint.

    California Files Antitrust Lawsuit Against Amazon

    [The New York Times]

    Richard Lawler
    Richard Lawler
    Google’s getting wary of experimenting.

    7 of the 14 projects at Google’s startup incubator Area 120 — where employees spent 100 percent of their time working on 20 percent projects — have been cut, according to TechCrunch, sending workers looking for spots on other projects to stay employed.

    Google’s change of heart isn’t that surprising, as the 20 percent rule Area 120 was named for — which spawned projects like Gmail, AdSense, and Google News — has been dead since 2013.

    Google cancels half the projects at its internal R&D group Area 120

    [TechCrunch]

    Richard Lawler
    Richard Lawler
    Netflix will try to remind you what you’re paying for with another fan event next week.

    Despite this spring’s layoffs (and a brand that some exiting writers couldn’t pronounce), Netflix is still making Tudum a thing, including the second edition of its global fan event next week on September 24th.

    This new trailer doesn’t give anything away, but Netflix needs to prove to me that it has more than games to offer as a reason to keep it in the subscription streaming rotation.

    Richard Lawler
    Richard Lawler
    Showtime streaming might disappear into Paramount Plus.

    Next year HBO Max will do the fusion dance with Discovery Plus, and Disney’s CEO is talking about a “hard bundle” for Hulu and Disney Plus, so this rumor about Paramount discontinuing Showtime streaming is no surprise.

    Showtime’s content is already in the Paramount app, and Paramount’s pushing a discounted $8 (ads) or $13 (fewer ads) combo subscription until October 2nd. The bundle is back.

    Paramount Considers Discontinuing Showtime Streaming Service, Merging With Paramount Plus

    [WSJ]

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