The new operating system isn’t rife with shiny new features, but it brings enhancements under the hood designed to speed up devices. More importantly, they help future-proof Apple’s technology, from its first new file system since the early days of the Mac, to graphical and processing enhancements designed to usher in virtual reality content creation. Read More
It is time to have a serious conversation about the limits of choice architecture online. We should acknowledge legitimate business interests alongside the long-established practice of choice architecture. At the same time, we should put restrictions in place to prohibit the use of nudges when they act as mere exploitation of weaknesses for the sake of profit-making. Read More
Blue Apron investors might be shedding a tear — and it’s not from the chopped onions. The subscription service for at-home cooking closed the day just barely above $10 per share. This is not only a disappointment for the company, which hoped to raise more money by selling stock at $15 to $17 to share, but also for the new investors who bought at the $10 IPO price. Read More
It’s still hard to say if the voice-controlled aluminum can will be the next smartphone or the next Segway, but either way, brands are preparing. This morning Adobe launched a new set of analytics tools, Adobe Sensei for Voice, to help brands take advantage of conversational data to improve targeting and, ideally, conversions.
Adobe says it can consume data from Alexa, Siri, Google… Read More
On-demand storage startup Omni wants to make it easier for you to have access to your favorite items without them taking up space in your closet. But now the company is taking a huge step toward making those items available to your friends, and to other people in your local community. Read More
Aerospace leader Lockheed Martin has invested in U.S. nanosatellite company Terran Orbital, the latest example of how legacy and novel players alike are looking at smallsats and the industry of cheap, lightweight satellites in general as a key area of opportunity for the growing commercial space sector. Read More
Facebook’s plan to use large solar-powered high-altitude drones to connect areas of the world that traditionally haven’t had reliable internet access marked a significant milestone on Thursday. Aquila, its first functional aircraft, completed its second successful test flight — and landed successfully, too. Read More
A new report examining the targets and intended effects of this week’s massive malware attack comes up with some significant insights. The attack, initially believed to be a variation of commercial malware software known as Petya, appeared to be a vast ransomware scheme. As the story developed, it became clear that the attack was more destructive than it was lucrative. Read More
Danielle Brown, Intel’s former head of diversity who left the company earlier this month, has landed at Google. Brown will be Google’s VP of Diversity, she posted on Twitter today. Read More
Cable network AMC today announced the launch of a new streaming service called AMC Premiere, which allows subscribers to pay $5 per month for access to commercial-free versions of its current TV shows, along with uncut movies, while also allowing customers to stream new TV episodes at the same time as they’re airing on television. But AMC Premiere is not for cord cutters — yet. Read More
Abl Schools, a nearly two-year-old, San Francisco-based company that makes time and resource management software for middle schools and high schools, has raised $7.5 million in Series A funding. Abl was founded by CEO Adam Pisoni, himself a high school dropout who formerly co-founded and served as CTO of the enterprise messaging company Yammer. Read More
The first iPhone was met with cautious excitement by many in the press — after all, where did the company get off thinking it could replace a physical keyboard with a touchscreen? But all these years later, the device still serves at the template for a majority of modern smartphones. In the intervening decade, the company has redefined the category time and again. Read More
Uber riders have taken 5 billion trips using the service the company announced today, more than doubling the two billion milestone it hit back in 2016. The 5 billion mark was actually crossed in May. 156 trips began at 7:29:06 AM GMT on May 20, Uber says, putting the ride hailing service over the edge. That’s a lot of trips for Uber, which is likely celebrating the traction under a cloud… Read More
People are up in arms after the recent reporting by The Information that six women entrepreneurs were sexually harassed by the managing partner of a VC firm, and rightly so. While the news is making headlines globally, the more substantive questions remain — what will happen when the buzz fizzles out? Read More
Ford’s recent executive shuffle was bound to lead to reorganization throughout the company, but the addition of a new Robotics and AI Research team operating under Ford’s Research and Advanced Engineering department seems like it was inevitable either way, given the industry’s trajectory. Read More
Google recently began testing a new tool for helping people better manage the mobile data used by their smartphones. The new Android app, called Triangle, is currently being tested in the Philippines, and lets you do things like view your data balance, see which apps are accounting for the most data usage and even block individual applications from using your mobile data. Read More
Meal delivery business Blue Apron opened for trading at $10 per share on Thursday, significantly below the originally proposed range of $15 to $17. It’s also flat compared to the $10 they priced it at last night, meaning the IPO investors have yet to reap any gains. Read More
In the nascent connected speaker market, consumers appear to be gravitating toward the more affordably priced Amazon Echo Dot, according to new e-commerce sales data released this morning by Adobe. Overall, Adobe’s report paints a picture of a respectable market for voice devices, but one it says is “not massive” yet, adding that the devices are “not quite a… Read More
