Apple famously dispensed with a physical keyboard when it revolutionized the smartphone market, and the company’s long-term goal appears to be to do the same for laptops. A succession of patents have revealed Apple’s work on an all-screen MacBook with a virtual trackpad and keyboard, and a new continuation patent published yesterday shows that this project is still very much alive …
https://9to5mac.com/2024/10/02/apple-continues-work-on-all-glass-macbook-with-virtual-keyboard-and-trackpad/
All told, the response is a mixed bag. Some things like “relentlessly improve the app experience with regular software upgrades” are difficult — if not impossible — to quantify. If you drill down a bit further, however, you begin seeing actual metrics like, “We will roll out updated mobile software versions every 2-4 weeks to optimize and enhance the software experience, even once this issue is resolved.”
https://techcrunch.com/2024/10/01/sonos-outlines-turnaround-plan-following-app-disaster/
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg revealed the Orion glasses on Wednesday and pitched them as “a glimpse of a future that I think is going to be pretty exciting.” The glasses are black and thick framed and come with a wireless “puck” that allows the device to run apps like a holographic game of digital chess or pingpong that appear as digital graphics spliced into the real world.
https://www.cnbc.com/2024/09/27/hands-on-with-metas-orion-augmented-reality-smart-glasses-prototype.html
WordPress drama went up another notch on Wednesday after WordPress.org banned hosting provider WP Engine from accessing its resources. “WP Engine wants to control your WordPress experience, they need to run their own user login system, update servers, plugin directory, theme directory, pattern directory, block directory, translations, photo directory, job board, meetups, conferences, bug tracker, forums, Slack, Ping-o-matic, and showcase. Their servers can no longer access our servers for free."
https://techcrunch.com/2024/09/25/wordpress-org-bans-wp-engine-blocks-it-from-accessing-its-resources/
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Mozilla has overhauled its branding to pay homage to its Netscape roots and better distinguish the wider organization from its Firefox web browser. The most notable change is to the company’s logo: what was previously a sans-serif wordmark styled as “Moz://a” has been updated to correctly spell out the Mozilla name, featuring a new customized typeface and an M-shaped flag.
https://www.theverge.com/2024/9/24/24253028/mozilla-brand-update-tyrannosaurus-rex-logo
Google is in trouble on two major fronts: The Federal Trade Commission says Google has monopolized the internet search industry, and the Department of Justice says Google has monopolized the internet ad industry. There’s a third case in the U.S. relating to Google’s app store, brought by an app maker named Epic Games. In the search case, Judge Amit P. Mehta of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled that the way Google runs its search business is illegal and monopolistic. He’s scheduled hearings on a solution for next spring and said he’ll issue a ruling next summer. The trial in the ad case began this month in Virginia.
https://qz.com/google-search-advertising-monopoly-antitrust-lawsuits-1851654770
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The Communities feature, which YouTube launched today at the Made on YouTube event in New York City, is sort of a mix of old-school forum, subreddit, and Facebook group. Once a creator turns on their community, anyone who joins can post, and people can reply to each other.
https://www.theverge.com/2024/9/18/24247529/youtube-communities-social-comments