The Morning After: The FAA grounded all US flights due to mistakenly deleted files

The FAA paused all domestic departures in the US on the morning of January 11th because its NOTAM or Notice to Air Missions system failed. Now we know why: deleted files. Contractors working on the Federal Aviation Administration’s NOTAM system, it seems, deleted some crucial files by accident. This resulted in delays and cancellations of thousands of US flights. The issue even impacted military flights that partly relied on FAA NOTAMs: Pilots reportedly had to call around to ask for potential flight hazards.

Apparently, its contractors were synchronizing a main and a back-up database when they “unintentionally deleted files” that turned out to be necessary to keep the alert system running. The FAA reiterated it has “so far found no evidence of a cyberattack or malicious intent.” We’ve all accidentally deleted a file, sure. It’s just never grounded the flights of an entire country.

– Mat Smith

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‘CNET’ pauses publication of AI-written stories amid controversy

Errors and a lack of disclosure created an uproar.

Tech publication CNET is halting its use of AI-written articles for the time being. “For now,” leadership has paused experiments with AI stories, telling staff during a question-and-answer call. Editor-in-chief Connie Guglielmo reportedly said future AI-related stories would include a disclosure that the publication uses automated technologies. There are a few reasons. Last week, Futurism noticed dozens of financial explainer articles on CNET appeared to have been written using “automation technology.” The disclosure was effectively hidden when you had to click the byline to see it. CNET claims humans “thoroughly” edited and fact-checked the work, but there appear to be multiple (and sometimes major) errors in stories.

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Twitter is working on an ad-free subscription tier

Musk announced the offering on Saturday.

Twitter is working on a new, more expensive Blue subscription tier for users to browse the platform without seeing ads. “Ads are too frequent on Twitter and too big. Taking steps to address both in coming weeks,” Twitter owner Elon Musk tweeted on Saturday afternoon. “Also, there will be a higher priced subscription that allows zero ads.” The existing Twitter Blue subscription costs up to $11 per month, but the ability to see fewer ads is still listed as “coming soon.” At the same time, Twitter’s ad revenue has apparently plummeted. The Information reported that a senior Twitter manager told employees last Tuesday daily revenue was down 40 percent from the same day a year ago.

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‘Marvel’s Avengers’ official support ends September 30th

Avengers: End of Game.

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Square Enix

Following a report of Marvel’s Avengers’ imminent demise, the studio published a blog post on Friday announcing plans to stop supporting the live-service title after September 30th. Crystal Dynamics will release one final balance patch and shut down the game’s in-game cosmetics store on March 31st. The developer says cosmetics previously only obtainable through the marketplace will be free for all players who own a copy of the game.

On that same day, players will see their remaining credit balance converted to in-game collectibles and resources. The swift end of Marvel’s Avengers won’t come as a surprise to fans. In November 2020, two months after the game went on sale, publisher Square Enix said it had failed to recoup the cost of making the title. Then, last May, Square sold Crystal Dynamics to Embracer Group.

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FDA clears Wandercraft’s exoskeleton for stroke patient rehab

Atalante could help patients recover their walking gait.

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Engadget

The Food and Drug Administration has cleared Wandercraft’s Atalante exoskeleton for use in stroke rehabilitation. The machine can help with intensive gait training, particularly for people with limited upper body mobility that might prevent using other methods. The current-generation Atalante is a self-balancing, battery-powered device with an adjustable gait that can help with early steps through to more natural walking later in therapy. While the hardware still needs to be used in a clinical setting with help from a therapist, its hands-free use helps patients re-establish their gait, with or without arms. Wandercraft plans to deliver its first exoskeletons to the US during the first quarter.

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The Morning After: NVIDIA’s GeForce Now Ultimate is a high-end cloud gaming service

While Google shuttered Stadia for good this week, other cloud gaming services are expanding their offerings. NVIDIA is upgrading its GeForce Now service with a bunch of features, thanks to the addition of new SuperPODs equipped with RTX 4080 GPUs. This seems to be the first truly high-end cloud gaming experience. The renamed Ultimate plan now includes support for refresh rates of up to 240Hz at full HD or 4K at 120 fps and an expanded set of usable widescreen resolutions (3,840×1,600, 3,440×1,440 and 2,560×1,080).

NVIDIA is also adding better support for HDR on both Macs and PCs, along with the ability to use full ray tracing with DLSS3 in supported games. This elevates GeForce Now above rivals like Xbox Cloud Gaming, which is capped at 1080p/60 fps. There are the usual cloud gaming caveats: NVIDIA’s recommended minimum bandwidth for gaming at 1080p at 240 fps is 35 Mbps.

If you want to max out at 4K/120 fps, Engadget’s Sam Rutherford notes you’ll need at least a 45 Mbps connection. These new SuperPODs have limited availability, too. At launch, new servers with 4080 GPUs will be in four places: San Jose, Los Angeles, Dallas and Frankfurt, Germany. That means only people in the US and Central Europe will experience NVIDIA’s best cloud gaming experience, for now.

– Mat Smith

The Morning After isn’t just a newsletter – it’s also a daily podcast. Get our daily audio briefings, Monday through Friday, by subscribing right here.

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Samsung’s display injunction worries repair technicians

It requested an investigation into third-party OLED display imports.

Samsung may have a way to strike a hefty blow to the United States’ burgeoning right-to-repair movement. If the ITC (International Trade Commission) finds in the company’s favor, it would, in the words of Louis Rossmann (who published the text of the complaint), “fire a kill shot on the entire repair industry.” Samsung says several patents cover its AMOLED displays. But factories in China (and elsewhere) are, according to the company, churning out similar screens that infringe on those patents. Several businesses named in Samsung’s complaint include MobileSentrix, Injured Gadgets and DFW Cellphone & Parts. Many offer wholesale parts and equipment to other repair companies, as well as their own repair services. If Samsung’s request is successful, it could prevent large volumes of third-party OLED displays from being imported to the US, curtailing the repair ecosystem for one of the most crucial to your smartphone: the screen.

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Twitter’s new developer terms officially ban third-party clients

The company quietly updated its terms a week after cutting off prominent app makers.

In case there was any doubt about Twitter’s intentions in cutting off the developers of third-party apps, the company has quietly updated its developer agreement to make clear that app makers may not create their own clients. The “restrictions” section of Twitter’s developer agreement was updated Thursday with a clause banning “use or access to the Licensed Materials to create or attempt to create a substitute or similar service or product to the Twitter Applications.” The company’s suggestion that the rule was “longstanding” doesn’t line up with its history. Twitter clients have long been a part of Twitter. Twitterrific, one of the most prominent apps affected by the API shut-off last week, was created before Twitter had its own native iOS app. Twitterific is even credited with coining the word “tweet.”

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‘Tron 3’ may finally be happening with Jared Leto

I.. OK?

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Disney

It’s been over 12 years since Tron: Legacy debuted, and those who’ve been longing for a third entry in the classic sci-fi series may get what they asked for. Tron: Ares, as the film may be called, could start filming this August with Jared Leto, ol’ Morbius himself, reportedly set to star, with Joachim Rønning (Maleficent: Mistress of Evil) is in talks to direct, according to Deadline. Leto first signed on back in 2017, but Disney had a third movie on the backburner long before then. Tron: Legacy director Joseph Kosinski said in 2015 that he wrote and storyboarded a sequel “that takes place on the internet with Yahoo and Google and all those sites.”

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Netflix co-founder steps down as co-CEO

Reed Hastings will still serve as executive chair.

Netflix co-creator Reed Hastings is stepping down as the company’s co-CEO. Ted Sarandos, who has been co-CEO since July 2020, will share the reins with newly promoted operations chief Greg Peters. Hastings’ departure comes as Netflix slowly recovers from a grim 2022. It lost subscribers for the first time in over a decade and blamed a combination of fiercer competition and widespread account sharing. In its recent earnings report, it announced adding 7.66 million new customers, reaching 230.75 million subscribers.

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The Morning After: Apple’s HomePod returns with new smart home features

Apple discontinued its original HomePod smart speaker a few years ago. Now, we have a sequel. The company has resurrected the bigger unit with upgraded audio, a more powerful chip, more smart home abilities and, importantly, a lower price. The overall design, however, is mostly unchanged. Some will think it’s still a little pricey at $299, however.

The HomePod has room-sensing tech, so it can read sound reflections to determine its position (near a wall or in free space) and adjust the audio in real-time. There’s also Spatial Audio support. But the most interesting updates are its smart home tools. First, a feature called Sound Recognition can monitor for smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and send an alert to your iPhone if it hears one. This tool will be available in a software update “later this spring.” Since the new smart home standard Matter is (almost) everywhere, the 2023 HomePod can connect to and control gadgets compatible with it. Apple added that any smart home communications are end-to-end encrypted by default, and the company can’t read them.

The new HomePod is available for pre-order now and ships February 3rd. However, if you’re looking for something a little different, you could wait for a hub-styled smart home device. The latest rumors suggest Apple is working on an iPad-based device to go up against the likes of Google and Amazon.

– Mat Smith

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Google may be working on a location tracker like Apple’s AirTag

It could be announced during Google I/O.

According to developer (and well-sourced leaker) Kuba Wojciechowski, Google’s Nest team is developing a tracker codenamed Grogu. It’ll reportedly include an onboard speaker, as well as support for Bluetooth Low Energy and ultra-wideband (UWB). Wojciechowski found evidence of the tracker when he noticed Google added support for locator tags in the developer hub for Fast Pair, the Android feature that quickly connects Bluetooth devices. Wojciechowski says the Pixel 6 Pro and Pixel 7 Pro both shipped with UWB modules, which would allow them to direct you to nearby objects accurately.

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Amazon is shutting down the AmazonSmile charity program in February

It says the program ‘has not grown to create the impact’ it was hoping for.

Amazon plans to wind down AmazonSmile, its giving program for buyers to donate to their favorite charities with every purchase, by February 20th, 2023. Apparently, the program’s ability to make a meaningful impact was hampered by it having over a million eligible organizations worldwide. Donations were apparently spread too thin. According to Bloomberg, the company donated almost $500 million to charities over the past 10 years through AmazonSmile. Still, the average amount per charity was apparently only $230 due to the sheer number of participating organizations. The cynical approach is that Amazon is axing the program to help with its own cost-cutting. Surely some charitable donation is better than none?

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Boston Dynamics’ Atlas shows off its acrobatic ‘gopher’ skills

Robot, fetch me my tools.

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Boston Dynamics

Boston Dynamics showed off more of its Atlas robot’s stunning agility and dexterity in a new demo video, delivering a tool bag to a human at the top of some scaffolding. “This is more a demonstration of some of the robot’s new control capabilities, and a fun connection to our prior work,” Scott Kuindersma, Atlas team lead, said. “Our hope is that, if we can build the foundational technology that allows us to easily create and adapt dynamic behaviors like these, we should be able to leverage it down the road to perform real, physically demanding jobs.” The robot flips off the scaffolding at the end, too.

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The Morning After: Getty Images sues AI art generator

Getty Images announced it’s suing Stability AI, makers of the AI art tool Stable Diffusion, over alleged copyright violations. “It is Getty Images’ position that Stability AI unlawfully copied and processed millions of images protected by copyright and the associated metadata owned or represented by Getty Images absent a license to benefit Stability AI’s commercial interests and to the detriment of the content creators,” the company wrote in a press statement released Tuesday. The lawsuit will reportedly include copyright and site TOS violations, like web scraping. The company wants to establish a favorable precedent, rather than chase monetary damages.

Text-to-image generation tools, like Stable Diffusion and Dall-E, are trained to do what they do using massive databases of annotated images, pulling together thousands of commonalities. That’s why Getty’s huge stable of images is so compelling. An independent study last August concluded that a notable portion of Stable Diffusion’s data was likely pulled directly from the Getty Images site. The art tool had a tendency to recreate the Getty watermark in its generated images. I think that’s what they call evidence.

– Mat Smith

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Apple’s M2 Pro and M2 Max chips finally arrive for MacBook Pro and Mac mini

Sometimes the rumors are right.

Apple has unveiled its new M2 Pro and M2 Max chips, which will arrive very soon in new 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro and Mac mini computers. The new models will be up to 40 percent faster and should also offer superior battery life. The new entry-level processor is the M2 Pro, which has 10- or 12-core CPUs, including eight high-performance cores and four high-efficiency cores, boosting performance by up to 20 percent over the 10-core M1 Pro CPU. The new MacBook Pro models are now available to pre-order at Apple and other retailers, starting at $1,999 for the MacBook Pro with M2 Pro and $2,499 for the 16-inch MacBook Pro with M2 Pro. The new Mac mini starts at $599, with the M2 chip or $1,299 with the M2 Pro. All are available to pre-order now, with shipping to start on January 24th.

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Samsung’s new 200-megapixel camera will probably appear in the Galaxy S23 Ultra

Better low-light performance incoming.

Samsung is continuing its “more pixels is better” mantra with the launch of its latest 200-megapixel (MP) sensor. The ISOCELL HP2 is a relatively large (for a smartphone) Type 1/1.3 sensor (around 12mm diagonally). The HP2 uses something Samsung calls Dual Vertical Transfer Gate (D-VTG) technology. This essentially doubles the number of electrons from each photodiode, “boosting the pixel’s full-well capacity by more than 33 percent,” the company wrote. That means a pixel can hold more charge before saturating, reducing overexposure. Last year’s Galaxy S22 Ultra “only” had a 108MP sensor, but rumors suggest the S23 Ultra will have a 200MP sensor – and the HP2 fits the bill. Samsung is set to reveal the Galaxy S23 series in just two weeks, on February 1st.

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Watch the latest ‘The Mandalorian’ season three trailer

It’s all about redemption.

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Disney

Disney+ released a new trailer for The Mandalorian during the NFL Wild Card Game on ESPN and ABC. It shows Pedro Pascal’s character, Din Djarin, and Grogu reunited on their next adventure. Not that we have long to wait – season three will be streaming on Disney+ starting March 1st.

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Twitter admits it’s breaking third-party apps, cites ‘long-standing API rules’

It didn’t explain which rules developers had violated.

Several days after Twitter abruptly cut several third-party apps off from its API, the company has quietly acknowledged the move. “Twitter is enforcing its long-standing API rules,” the company tweeted from its developer account. “That may result in some apps not working.” However, the company offered no explanation which “long-standing API rules” developers of apps like Twitterrific and Tweetbot were violating. It also doesn’t address why some smaller third-party Twitter apps are still up and running. Some have speculated that Twitter made the decision because third-party clients don’t show ads and may be perceived as siphoning off already declining ad revenue from the company.

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The Morning After: Wyoming wants to phase out new EV sales by 2035

While other US states (and the rest of the world) inch towards goals of banning gasoline-powered cars, Wyoming is going in the opposite direction. The state’s legislature is considering a resolution that calls for a phase-out of new electric vehicle sales by 2035. Introduced on Friday, Senate Joint Resolution 4 has support from members of the state’s House of Representatives and Senate. The resolution says the state would need to build “massive amounts of new power generation” to “sustain the misadventure of electric vehicles.” Its goal is to phase out the sales of EVs entirely by 2035. Yes, EVs.

In the proposal, a group of lawmakers led by Senator Jim Anderson says Wyoming’s “proud and valued” oil and gas industry has created “countless” jobs and contributed revenue to the state. They add that a lack of charging infrastructure in Wyoming would make the widespread use of EVs “impracticable.” The legislation may partially be a political stunt, but Wyoming produced 85.43 million barrels of oil in 2021 – it’s a crucial part of the state’s economy. But, Wyoming’s Carbon County also has one of the largest wind farms in the US.

– Mat Smith

The Morning After isn’t just a newsletter – it’s also a daily podcast. Get our daily audio briefings, Monday through Friday, by subscribing right here.

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Apple may unveil new 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros later today

They could be the first Macs with WiFi 6E.

Multiple sources suggest Apple is prepping new MacBook Pro models for launch very soon. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman teased last fall that these systems would share the same design as the M1 variants released in late 2021. They would center around new M2 Pro and M2 Max chips that would feature up to 12 CPU cores and 38 GPU cores in the Max. Don’t expect a touchscreen or other major revisions. At least, not yet. They might be the first Macs to include WiFi 6E, though.

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Your Stadia controller won’t just be a paperweight after the service shuts down

Google’s game-streaming service shutters tomorrow.

Google has confirmed it will release a tool to enable Bluetooth support on the Stadia controller. You’ll have to wait until next week to download it, but this should make the device useful for just about any title with gamepad support. Stadia as we know it is about to end, but Google’s Immersive Stream for Games should ensure the cloud functionality lives on for other companies offering game streams. The team behind Stadia has also released a Snake clone, Worm Game, as a final gift to users.

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High-powered lasers used to steer lightning strikes

The technology could protect rocket launchpads and power plants.

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University of Geneva

Lightning rods, your time is up. European researchers have successfully tested a system that uses terawatt-level laser pulses to steer lightning toward a 26-foot rod. It’s not limited by its height and can cover much wider areas – in this case, 590 feet – while penetrating clouds and fog. The laser ionizes nitrogen and oxygen molecules, releasing electrons and creating a plasma that conducts electricity. As the laser fires at a very quick 1,000 pulses per second, it’s more likely to intercept lightning as it forms.

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The Morning After: Twitter may have deliberately cut off third-party app access

Twitter appears to have deliberately cut off third-party clients from accessing its API. Since Thursday evening, many of the most popular apps that scroll Twitter without going through the company’s own software, including Tweetbot and Twitterrific, ha…

The Morning After: Disgraced FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried started a newsletter

Sure, it may not sound like the spiciest headline, but Sam Bankman-Fried is in a weird place to be starting a Substack. He’s facing up to 115 years in prison if he’s convicted of federal fraud and conspiracy charges. And yet the embattled founder of collapsed crypto exchange FTX – who pleaded not guilty and is out on a $250 million bond while awaiting trial – figured it’d be a great idea to write about his perspective on the saga in a Substack newsletter.

In his first post, about the collapse of FTX International, Bankman-Fried (aka SBF) claims “I didn’t steal funds, and I certainly didn’t stash billions away.” SBF notes that FTX US (which serves customers in America) “remains fully solvent and should be able to return all customers’ funds.” However, he does not mention that FTX co-founder Zixiao “Gary” Wang and former Alameda Research CEO Caroline Ellison pleaded guilty to fraud charges and are cooperating with prosecutors.

– Mat Smith

The Morning After isn’t just a newsletter – it’s also a daily podcast. Get our daily audio briefings, Monday through Friday, by subscribing right here.

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Tesla drastically lowers EV pricing in the US and Europe

The Model Y Long Range sees a huge $20,500 drop including the Federal Tax Credit.

After steadily increasing prices over the past couple of years, Tesla has cut them drastically across its lineup in the US and Europe, in an apparent bid to boost sales. The least expensive EV, the Model 3 RWD, has dropped from $46,990 to $43,990, while the 5-seat Model Y Long Range fell 20 percent, from $65,990 to $52,990. That means, perhaps crucially, the latter model now qualifies for the $7,500 US Federal Tax credit for EVs.

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Apple’s new AirPods Max and $99 AirPods could launch next year

They won’t arrive until 2024 at the earliest, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

Apple is working on an update to the AirPods Max headphones and developing an AirPods “lite” with a $99 target price, according to analyst Min-Chi Kuo. The new products won’t be coming anytime soon, however, with a target release date for the more affordable AirPods no earlier than the second half of 2024. With the AirPods lite (or LE, or whatever Apple decides to call them), Apple would likely be trying to claw back some market share from the many cheap wireless buds on the market. The current AirPods 2 sell for $129, while the AirPods 3 cost $169. Neither offers active noise cancellation, while rivals from companies like Oppo have ANC for under $100.

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The best tablets for 2023

We’ve got picks for every ecosystem along with some more affordable options.

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Engadget

Following the release of the 2022 Apple iPad Air and Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S8 line last year, there hasn’t been much movement in the tablet world. Apple’s latest tablet is the revamped 10.9-inch iPad, but at $449, it’s more of an upgrade of, rather than an alternative for, the less expensive 10.2-inch iPad. Amazon launched revamped versions of its Fire HD 8 tablets. While the same company’s e-readers aren’t typically considered tablets, the new Kindle Scribe deserves some consideration thanks to its pen and support for handwritten notes. We break down all the options.

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National Transport Safety Board chair says EVs are getting too big and heavy

Bigger batteries may be dangerous in a collision.

In a keynote speech, the National Transport Safety Board NTSB (NTSBNational Transport Safety Board) chair, Jennifer Homendy, said she was worried the size and weight of modern EVs could increase the risk of serious injuries and death. A Hummer EV is over 9,000lbs, the board leader said, while electrified versions of vehicles like the Ford F-150 and Volvo XC40 are far heavier than their gas engine equivalents.

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The Morning After: The Webb Telescope discovers an exoplanet almost the same diameter of Earth

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has recorded another inaugural milestone: its first confirmed discovery of an exoplanet. LHS 475 b is just 41 light years away and has a diameter 99 percent of Earth’s. But there’s more work to be done. The JWST should be able to figure out the atmospheres of Earth-sized exoplanets. The research team is still working to determine what, if any, sort of atmosphere the rocky mass may have. However, the planet’s surface appears to be around 300 Celsius, more than a little warmer than Earth, so don’t expect colonies. If they discover cloud cover, it could mean a greenhouse world climate closer to our neighboring planet Venus.

– Mat Smith

The Morning After isn’t just a newsletter – it’s also a daily podcast. Get our daily audio briefings, Monday through Friday, by subscribing right here.

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Apple may start making its own displays for its watches by 2024

Reports suggest these displays will make their way to other mobile devices.

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Engadget

Apple may start replacing its mobile devices’ displays with in-house screen technology as soon as next year. The tech giant will reportedly start with its highest-end Apple Watches in late 2024 and will swap the devices’ current OLED screens with its own microLED technology. Bloomberg says Apple’s homegrown display tech will also make its way to its other devices, including the iPhone.

Apparently, Apple was originally working to introduce its technology in 2020, but it was hampered by development costs and technical challenges. Back then, those same concerns also prevented the company from including larger displays in its plans.

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FAA grounds US flights following NOTAM computer outage

It ordered airlines to pause all domestic flights until 9 AM ET.

The Federal Aviation Administration ordered airlines to pause all domestic departures in the US, stopping all flights until 9 AM ET, because it had to restore its Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) system. On early Wednesday morning, the agency issued a notice through an Air Traffic Control System Command Center Advisory that the US NOTAM system had failed. “Operations across the National Airspace System are affected,” the FAA said in a tweet, then announced it was working to fix the outage. It’s the first time the US NOTAM system has failed.

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OpenAI is planning a paid ‘pro’ version of its hit ChatGPT bot

You’d have guaranteed access to the chatbot.

OpenAI has shared a waitlist for an experimental ChatGPT Professional service that, for a fee, would effectively remove limits on the advanced chatbot. The AI tool would always be available, with no throttling and as many messages as necessary. The startup hasn’t said when the pilot program might launch, and it’s asking would-be participants for feedback on pricing.

As TechCrunch noted, the company said on its Discord server it’s “starting to think” about how it will make money from ChatGPT and keep the technology viable in the “long-term.” CEO Sam Altman recently pointed out that ChatGPT costs OpenAI a few cents for every chat.

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Microsoft reportedly axes dual-screen Surface Duo 3 in favor of a ‘true’ foldable

You may also see more conventional smartphones.

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Engadget

Windows Central sources claim Microsoft has canceled a twin-screen Surface Duo 3, which was allegedly meant to launch late this year. The company has apparently switched to focus on a “true” foldable phone. The new device’s specs and name aren’t known, but it would have a 180-degree hinge with an outside cover display, like the Vivo X Fold. The canceled Surface Duo 3 was “finalized,” according to the sources. It would have supposedly addressed some of its predecessor’s shortcomings with narrower edge-to-edge screens and wireless charging. But now, we’ll probably never know.

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The Morning After: Microsoft’s VALL-E AI can replicate a voice from a three-second sample

Microsoft’s latest research in text-to-speech AI centers on a new AI model, VALL-E. While there are already multiple services that can create copies of your voice, they usually demand substantial input. Microsoft claims its model can simulate someone’s…

The Morning After: Instagram redesign kills the shopping tab

Instagram has revealed a home screen refresh, due in February, that axes the Shop tab and moves the Create button back to the center of the bottom navigation bar. The social network’s Adam Mosseri said shopping will still exist in your feed, Reels, Stories and ads – because of course it will – it’s just not a dedicated tab anymore. The change may also be part of a larger strategy shakeup. The Information claims an internal memo in September indicated Instagram would cut many of its shopping features. Instead, the site would concentrate on commerce efforts “more directly tied” to ad revenue. Simply put, the shopping push doesn’t appear to have helped.

Who exactly was browsing the randomized world of Instagram shopping ads for their next purchase, anyway? My shopping tab currently shows me a $10,000 oven, a vegan cheese selection box and stabilizers for a children’s bike. I guess I’d take the fake cheese.

– Mat Smith

The Morning After isn’t just a newsletter – it’s also a daily podcast. Get our daily audio briefings, Monday through Friday, by subscribing right here.

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Raspberry Pi launches some more modern camera modules

Module 3 variants include standard and wide-angle FOVs as well as autofocus.

Raspberry Pi has launched the Camera Module 3 with big improvements, including higher resolution, infrared, HDR, autofocus, a wide-angle field of view and more. Not counting an interchangeable lens model introduced in 2020, it’s the company’s first new camera module in six years. Where the previous module had fixed autofocus, Module 3 has built-in powered autofocus capability. That makes it a bit thicker (up to 12.4mm compared to 9mm) but more versatile, letting you focus on objects ranging in distance from 5cm (2 inches) to infinity.

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The best laptops for 2023

These are our favorites, already.

A new laptop is an expensive purchase that warrants some thought. Despite continued chip supply woes, companies are still making a ton of new laptops, and there’s plenty of choice. While most laptops with top of the line specs can cost around $1,800 to $2,000 these days, you can still get a good system for under $1,000. Then again, if you do most of your work in a browser (lots of online research, emails and Google Drive), then a Chromebook might be a cheaper alternative. We lay out the best options.

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The right-to-repair battle hits John Deere and US farmers

A new deal allows farmers to repair their own equipment.

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Jon G. Fuller/VW Pics/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

The right to repair isn’t limited to replacing your smartphone battery. Tractor and farm-vehicle maker John Deere has resisted right-to-repair regulation, but it’s now willing to make some concessions. Deere & Company has signed a memorandum of understanding with the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) that lets US farmers and independent repair shops fix equipment, rather than requiring authorized parts and service centers. Why now? President Biden ordered the Federal Trade Commission to draft right-to-repair regulation in 2021. If Deere didn’t act, it risked legal battles that could limit where and how it does business in the country.

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NASA’s 38-year-old science satellite finally falls back to Earth

The re-entry comes as officials hope to cut back on space debris.

NASA’s 38-year-old dead satellite has returned to Earth without incident. The Defense Department confirmed the Earth Radiation Budget Satellite (ERBS) re-entered the atmosphere off the Alaskan coast at 11:04 PM ET on January 8th. The ERBS traveled aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger in 1984 and was only expected to collect ozone data for two years. It was actually retired in 2005 — over two decades later.

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