Tuesday’s top tech news: An Apple (a) day – The Verge

Microsoft set to lay off thousands of employees

2023-01-18T09:45:04-05:00

Update January 18th, 9:45AM ET: In a memo issued Wednesday morning, Microsoft confirmed plans to fire over 10,000 employees by the end of March. The original story continues below.

Microsoft is preparing to announce job cuts tomorrow. Sky News reports that thousands of roles will be cut, with the software giant said to be looking at cutting around 5 percent of its workforce. With more than 220,000 employees at Microsoft, that could mean more than 10,000 layoffs.

While Sky News doesn't name an exact date for the expected cuts, a source familiar with Microsoft's plans tells The Verge that the company will likely announce layoffs on Wednesday …

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Apple reportedly shelved its plans to release AR glasses anytime soon

2023-01-17T23:12:24-05:00

Another Apple rumor from Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman focuses on the company's efforts to create game-changing augmented reality glasses that could make picking up your iPhone obsolete - if they're ever built.

The race to develop consumer-friendly AR glasses is in full swing, despite notable misfires like Google's abandoned Glass project and Microsoft's now enterprise- and military-focused HoloLens.

Meta, Google, and others are working on similar projects with names like Project Iris and Nazare, but now Gurman reports Apple's plan to release a set of glasses following the launch of its first mixed reality project - a high-end headset set …

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Now Twitter is selling one year of blue check privileges at a discounted rate of $84

2023-01-17T20:42:56-05:00

Ever since Elon Musk took over Twitter, one of his aims has been to build up its subscription business, launching a revamped Twitter Blue package that gives subscribers a "verified" checkmark, reduced ads, preferential treatment by its algorithm, and other benefits. The subscription, which is still available only via iOS or the web, now offers a discounted annual subscription for customers, which you can pick instead of the $8 per month web pricing or $11 iOS price that shifts Apple's 30 percent fee to the consumer.

If you'd like to kick in some extra funds right away, Twitter Blue annual subscriptions are available on the web for $84 per y …

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You can finally repair your own Samsung Galaxy S22

2023-01-17T19:03:08-05:00

Taking the USB-C charging board out is Step 39 of 60 when trying to tear down to the Screen / Battery assembly of a Galaxy S22 Ultra. | Image: iFixit / Samsung

Samsung is finally adding Galaxy S22 parts and manuals to the self-repair program it established last year with partner iFixit. Just as we're preparing for the Unpacked event that will launch the Galaxy S23, customers can now get access to genuine replacement parts for the S22, S22 Plus, and S22 Ultra, as well as the Galaxy Book Pro (15-inch) and Pro 360 notebooks.

When Samsung first launched the self-repair program in August, customers only had access to limited OEM parts like replacement back covers, USB-C charge ports, and screens for previous generation Galaxy S20 and S21 devices, as well as the Tab S7. Even with the addition of S22 dev …

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Now there are even fewer reasons to get a Fitbit smartwatch

2023-01-17T18:09:31-05:00

Music playback was one of the reasons to pick up an older Fitbit smartwatch. Not anymore. | Photo by Brent Rose for The Verge

The writing is on the wall for Fitbit smartwatches. Today, the company announced its ending support for Pandora and Deezer on the Sense, Versa 2, and Versa 3 smartwatches. While you can still control media on your phone from the wrist, Fitbit users will no longer be able to download Pandora stations or add Deezer playlists to their smartwatches. That means that after March 31st, no Fitbit smartwatch will support onboard music.

Per 9to5Google, Fitbit sent out an email stating that support for Pandora and Deezer will end as of March 31st. At that point, Fitbit users won't be able to add new music content from those services. They also won't b …

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Samsung will unveil two ‘premium’ mobile devices at Unpacked, says TM Roh

2023-01-17T18:00:00-05:00

The Galaxy S22 Ultra marked a turn in the product line’s evolution as it gobbled up the Note series. | Photo by Allison Johnson / The Verge

Samsung has just published a blog post by TM Roh setting the stage for February 1st, when the company will hold its first in-person launch event since the start of the pandemic. Roh doesn't offer many concrete details but specifically mentions improvements to its smartphone camera system and tells us to expect two new devices that "set the new premium standard for innovation."

Reading between the lines, it looks like that means two new Ultra devices - a lot like last year when we got the Note-esque S22 Ultra and massive Tab S8 Ultra tablet.

TM Roh:

For Samsung, Ultra means big. Ultra means bold. Ultra means the best of the best in perform …

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New podcast creation has fallen off a cliff

2023-01-17T16:45:00-05:00

Hope you all had a great weekend! We've got some big Hot Pod Summit updates for you all, as well as the latest in audio news. Today, Audible lands another star, Spotify experiences another outage, and creators stop bothering to make podcasts when it is so hard to get anyone to listen to them.

Who will be at Hot Pod Summit?

Hot Pod Summit in Brooklyn is coming up fast, and we've been working hard getting the lineup together. I am really excited about who we have so far, and I hope you will be, too! Summit headliners include:

Spotify's global head of audiobooks, Nir Zicherman.
Dan Zitt, senior vice president of content production at Penguin R …

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2023 will be the year of the display

2023-01-17T16:04:28-05:00

Razer’s Blade 16 is only one of the gaming laptops with decked-out screens coming in 2023. | Photo by Owen Grove / The Verge

The laptops of 2023 will get new chips and new graphics. Many will get new touchpads, some will get new fans, and a few will get funky styluses. But some of the coolest, weirdest, and most exciting updates are coming to screens.

Just a couple years ago, buying a high-end laptop display - particularly for gaming - meant figuring out your priorities. You could have a high resolution or a high refresh rate. You could have OLED or a device that was actually affordable.

This year, we're seeing more of those benefits converge. There are more laptops coming that are both high-refresh-rate and high-resolution than ever before. We're seeing those e …

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Discord acquires Gas, the popular app for teens to compliment each other

2023-01-17T15:15:00-05:00

High schoolers have been gassing each other up in this popular app. | Image: Gas

Discord has acquired the Gas social app. The poll-based app has become popular among teens in recent months, allowing friends to share compliments with each other. The app is designed for anonymous compliments and positive affirmations or, as kids say, gassing your friends up.

Gas has polls that ask users to vote for things like the most beautiful person they've met or the classmate that isn't afraid to get in trouble. It has soared in popularity among high schoolers since launching in August. One of the co-creators of TBH, a very similar teenager app acquired and shut down by Facebook, created Gas, which has caught the attention of more th …

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Coachella will continue streaming on YouTube through 2026

2023-01-17T15:13:33-05:00

Can't fly to California for Coachella? No problem. You'll still be able to stream the annual arts and music festival live from the comfort of your own home for at least another few years.

YouTube and Coachella organizers Goldenvoice announced on YouTube's official blog that they've renewed their exclusive partnership through 2026. As a result, fans around the world will continue to stream the festival live for free from YouTube as well as watch on-demand videos of performances.

"Our partnership with YouTube brings Coachella to everyone around the world," said Goldenvoice president Paul Tollett. "The 2023 lineup sees performers from Brazil, …

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