Tuesday’s top tech news: the next step in Apple’s chip plans – The Verge

Apple’s next custom hardware trick might be its own MicroLED screens

2023-01-10T20:47:54-05:00

Apple is reportedly working on designing its own in-house MicroLED displays to use in devices like the iPhone and Apple Watch, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The report says that the screens could start showing up on devices as early as next year, following almost five years of planning and development.

Currently, Apple uses displays designed and produced by a variety of vendors - the OLED panels for the iPhone 14s are reportedly made by Samsung, LG, and BOE. According to Gurman, Apple will likely still have other companies produce its displays, but they'll be doing so using Apple's designs and specifications rather than another firm …

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Twitter defaults to a For You page now, just like TikTok

2023-01-10T19:38:05-05:00

RIP to the Twitter star. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Twitter is changing how you move between the algorithmically-driven timeline and the reverse chronological one and making the algorithmic feed the default.

In a change rolling out to iOS users first, the company has taken away the star button at the top right that let you switch between two feeds. In its place are two tabs - one labeled "For You" and the other "Following" - and when you open the app, you'll see the For You tab first.

What swiping between the two timelines looks like. | Gif: Jay Peters / The Verge" data-portal-copyright="Gif: Jay Peters / The Verge">

For You, which shares a name with TikTok's algorithmically-driven feed, is similar to the old "Home" option, which shows you tweets from the people you follow out of order, interspersed with tweets it thinks y …

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Parler’s parent company has laid off a majority of its staff

2023-01-10T18:32:14-05:00

Parlement Technologies, the parent company of "censorship-free" social media platform Parler, has laid off a majority of its staff and most of its chief executives over the last few weeks. The sudden purge of staff has thrown the future of Parler, one of the first conservative alternatives to mainstream platforms, into question.

Parlement Technologies began laying off workers in late November, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter. These layoffs continued through at least the end of December, when around 75 percent of staffers were let go in total, leaving approximately 20 employees left working at both Parler and the paren …

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Samsung confirms February 1st Unpacked, its first in-person event in three years

2023-01-10T18:00:00-05:00

Samsung is bringing the spotlight back in an in-person event on February 1st. | Image: Samsung

Mark your calendar: Samsung is hosting its next Galaxy Unpacked on February 1st. The company is officially confirming a date that it kinda accidentally confirmed a few days ago. The event will take place at the Masonic Auditorium in San Francisco, and although Samsung isn't saying exactly what will be announced, it's almost certainly the Galaxy S23 series.

The company is also bringing back its preorder reservation incentives for those who are eager to claim a yet-to-be-named device. By putting in a reservation, you'll get $50 of Samsung store credit if you follow through and preorder one device or $100 when you preorder two devices - that's …

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The FAA hopes airplanes and 5G can get along by early next year

2023-01-10T17:35:45-05:00

For over a year, the rollout of C-Band 5G around airports has been contentious. | Photo: Mitchell Clark / The Verge

The Federal Aviation Administration is proposing a solution to the long-running dust-up between the airline and cellular industries over 5G rollouts: stricter requirements for radio altimeters in airplanes, which would potentially go into effect early next year (via Bloomberg).

The piece of safety equipment, which ties into several systems for most commercial jets, operates using radio frequencies that are similar to the 5G C-band radio waves that Verizon and AT&T have been rolling out after acquiring licenses to use the bands for billions of dollars. C-band is almost critical for 5G to live up to all the hype; it's what allows carriers to …

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Intel’s new Wi-Fi chip promises a better way to tether your Meta Quest VR headset

2023-01-10T14:21:52-05:00

Why yes, that is a Frankenquest, adding a Vive Deluxe Audio Strap. | Photo by Owen Grove / The Verge

Intel and Meta have teamed up on a new way to directly connect your Oculus Quest headset to a gaming PC. If you buy or build a computer with its AX1690 Wi-Fi chip - and unfortunately, just that chip - you should be able to directly connect your headset to the computer instead of relying on your router to do the lifting (via Wi-Fi Now).

If you ask me, the Oculus Quest's coolest feature is that you can tether it to a gaming PC, playing intensive titles like Half-Life: Alyx or Star Wars: Squadrons over Wi-Fi or wired USB-C. But if you've ever struggled to configure your router for the best Virtual Desktop or Oculus Air Link experience, like me …

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iPhone 16 Pro models could feature under-display Face ID

2023-01-10T14:11:34-05:00

Apple could finally bring under-display Face ID to the iPhone 16 Pro. According to a report from the Korean outlet The Elec (via MacRumors), the technology used for Face ID will live directly under the screen, blending in with the rest of the display once it's turned on and revealing only the cutout for the front-facing camera.

While rumors about the under-display tech first emerged last year, this never ended up panning out on the iPhone 14 Pro, and the iPhone 15 isn't expected to come with it, either. The Elec's reporting tracks with predictions from supply chain analyst Ross Young, who tweeted last year that he expects the iPhone 16 Pro …

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Insider trading at Coinbase results in a 10-month prison sentence

2023-01-10T13:57:32-05:00

What's been called the first cryptocurrency-related insider trading case has resulted in prison time for one Nikhil Wahi, who pled guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, according to Bloomberg and Reuters.

Last summer, Wahi was accused of getting information from his brother, a now-former project manager at Coinbase, and using it to buy coins before they were listed for sale on the popular exchange. This reportedly made him around $892,500 - which he'll have to pay back according to the terms of his sentencing, in addition to spending 10 months in prison.

The case, brought on by the Southern District of New York, isn't finished yet. Is …

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There is exactly one game I can confirm RDNA 3 mobile can run

2023-01-10T13:42:38-05:00

Look at me, a gamer, playing the Sackboy game. | Photo by Monica Chin / The Verge

Last week, AMD announced its upcoming Ryzen 7000 mobile CPUs and RDNA 3 laptop GPUs, and we got some very brief hands-on time with them. Well, okay - hands-on time is a stretch. I was able to play one specific title on one specific all-AMD system in the company's demo area at CES 2023 last week. But that does at least confirm that these chips are real and functional in this year's gaming laptops.

The company had a number of upcoming laptops from partners on display at the show, including some of the most anticipated models from Asus and Alienware that we covered over the course of last week. Most of them were running videos that showed off …

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The petite DJI RS 3 Mini could be all you need to stabilize full-frame cameras

2023-01-10T13:42:29-05:00

DJI has announced the DJI RS 3 Mini, a more compact and lightweight alternative to the larger RS 3 and RS 3 Pro gimbals. Weighing just 1.75 pounds (795g), the RS 3 Mini is the smallest entry to the third-generation Ronin series of stabilizers designed for DSLRs and mirrorless cameras. Being around half the weight and size of the RS 3 Pro, the RS 3 Mini should be a lot easier to toss into a bag for traveling and allows some users to shoot stabilized video with one hand.

It might have mini in the name, but the compact RS 3 Mini can support cameras up to 4.4 pounds in weight, so provided you can lift a little more than six pounds with one arm …

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