Tech Digest daily roundup: Apple’s self-repair service comes to UK
Apple is rolling out its self-repair service to the UK and seven other European countries on Tuesday. iPhone 12 and 13 users, and some Macbook owners, will be able to fix their own devices by buying parts and tools and watching online tutorials. But the tech giant warned that if the repair goes wrong, any existing warranty will no longer be valid. Apple launched the service in the US in November 2021 following pressure from campaigners. Members of the “right to repair” movement had been frustrated by the tight control Apple exercised over the process, which they said hurt independent shops and made fixing faults more expensive for users. BBC
A medical company set up by Elon Musk is under investigation for potential welfare violations – with a total of 1,500 animals dying in four years, according to a report. Staff at Neuralink have made internal complaints that animal testing is being rushed – causing needless suffering and deaths, Reuters says. Records seen by the news agency allege that 280 sheep, pigs and monkeys have died following experiments since 2018. Neuralink is developing a brain implant that it hopes will help paralysed people walk again – and cure other neurological issues. Sky News
Sky Glass, the streaming TV from Sky, is getting a significant free update this week, which will considerably improve the picture quality on the TV, with higher contrast rates and better colour accuracy. These changes to Sky Glass’ local dimming will improve picture quality across everything you watch on the TV – from live broadcasts, to on-demand content, and even external devices such as 3rd party streaming devices or game consoles (see full details below). In addition to the picture quality upgrade, Sky will be adding a few more tweaks in the coming months – including the highly anticipated ‘Find My Remote’ function. Cordbusters
Toyota has doubled down on its belief that battery-electric vehicles cannot be the only approach to reducing emissions, citing numerous advantages of hybrid and hydrogen drivetrains as reasons for its ‘multi-tech’ approach to vehicle development. Speaking at Toyota’s annual Kenshiki forum, the company’s chief scientist, Gill Pratt – who recently told Autocar that he believes “the correct solution isn’t a single technology” – outlined how limited battery materials could be better deployed in the short to medium term by vehicle manufacturers as a means of reducing their carbon output. Autocar
It’s a toss-up between Elon Musk’s management misadventures and Twitter’s technical troubles as to which will cause the most damage. Twitter is in trouble. I mean, who blunders his way into a fight with Apple only to later claim it was all a misunderstanding? But, as idiotic as that is combined with alienating advertisers, Elon Musk’s wreaking havoc with Twitter’s technical staff may end up causing more damage in the long run. True, Twitter is still up and running, but some people have already seen smaller failures. For example, Twitter’s SMS-based Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) has already failed for some users. The Register
Facebook parent Meta Platforms Inc said it would be forced to remove news from its platform altogether if the U.S. Congress passes the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act, arguing broadcasters benefited from posting their content on its platform. The Act makes it easier for news companies to negotiate collectively with internet giants like Meta and Alphabet Inc regarding the terms on which the news companies’ content may be distributed online. Meta spokesperson Andy Stone in a tweet said the Act fails to recognize that publishers and broadcasters put content on the platform because “it benefits their bottom line – not the other way around.” NDTV
