Tech Digest daily roundup: Instagram to launch in-app subscriptions
Instagram is preparing to launch in-app subscriptions, allowing users to pay for exclusive content from their favorite creators as the platform looks to move away from conventional ads for monetization, recent App Store listings have suggested. In May of this year, Instagram head Adam Mosseri said in an interview with The Information that the platform was exploring the idea of subscriptions, explaining there are “different ways to facilitate a financial relationship between a fan and a creator.” “Being able to subscribe to some differentiated or unique or exclusive content actually feels more additive as a fan than seeing an ad,” he added. Now, Instagram seems to be preparing to put its ambitions into action. As reported by TechCrunch, Instagram’s App Store listing has recently gained new in-app subscriptions, as first spotted by Sensor Tower. The new in-app purchases are listed as “Instagram Subscriptions” for $0.99 and $4.99. Mac Rumors
The Supreme Court will hand down a judgment on Wednesday in what has been described as one of the most significant cases in recent legal history: Lloyd v Google. Richard Lloyd is suing Google for collecting web browsing data from iPhone users between 2011 and 2012, despite the American technology giant claiming at the time that it was prevented from doing so by the Safari browser’s default privacy settings. He brought the claim not just as an individual affected by Google’s actions, but as someone who is representing over four million people in a ground-breaking representative action. If Mr Lloyd wins, the US technology giant could be forced to forfeit billions to compensate affected iPhone users who could potentially claim a tariff of up to £750 each as Mr Lloyd stated in his letter of claim, although a much lower figure is likely. Sky News
Soon after the iPhone 13 launched, repair experts found that swapping out iPhone 13 screens would break Face ID unless you also moved over a tiny control chip from the original screen. It’s a complex process that makes one of the most common types of repairs prohibitively difficult for independent repair shops. (Apple-authorized repair shops, on the other hand, have access to a software tool that can make a phone accept a new screen.) For indie repair shops, things may get easier soon, however, as Apple tells The Verge it will release a software update that doesn’t require you to transfer the microcontroller to keep Face ID working after a screen swap. The Verge
Shares in electric vehicle firm Rivian are set to start trading in New York on Wednesday, after raising more than $11.9bn (£8.8bn) from investors. That’s as the shares were priced at $78 each, well above the company’s target range. That flotation ranks among the top 10 initial public offerings (IPOs) of all time in the US. Yet Rivian only started delivering its first electric pick-up trucks to customers in September. And the California-based start-up has made losses of over $2bn over the last two years. BBC
One of Apple’s first computers is up for auction and it could sell for as much as $600,000. The Apple-1 that is going under the hammer on Tuesday is one of the few surviving examples of Apple’s (AAPL) first computer in the world, according to John Moran Auctioneers. The lot includes an Apple-1 “NTI” motherboard and an Apple Cassette Adapter in a koa wood case, as well as a Datanetics Keyboard Rev D, a 1986 Panasonic video monitor, an Apple-1 connecting cable and a power supply, the listing states. It also comes with an Apple-1 Basic Manual, the Apple-1 Operations Guide, an original MOS 6502 programming manual and two Apple-1 software cassette tapes. The computer was designed by Steve Wozniak and assembled and tested by Steve Jobs. CNN
