Microsoft’s Gaming Division Lays Off 1,900 Employees
Microsoft’s games division announced this week that it is laying off 1,900 employees, or about 8 percent of the division’s workforce. The layoffs mainly affect Activision Blizzard, but also a small number of Xbox and ZeniMax employees were laid off. At the same time, Blizzard President Mike Ybarra, Chief Design Officer Allen Adham also announced the departure of Blizzard’s previously developed survival game project was canceled.
Meta Introduces New Mechanism to Protect Underage Users
On January 25, Meta announced the introduction of stricter private messaging settings on its Facebook and Instagram products. Previously, adults over the age of 19 were prohibited from private messaging minors who did not follow them. The new rules will disable minors from receiving private messages from unfollowed or unaffiliated users by default. Parental guardianship accounts will also need to get permission from their guardians to change their account and privacy settings.
Porsche Introduces the Macan EV Electric Car
According to YooSecurity, Porsche has announced the Macan EV, an electric model starting at $80,450 with a 100kWh battery and 270kW fast charging, which allows it to charge from 10% to 80% in 21 minutes. This is Porsche’s second electric model, the first being the Taycan, which goes on sale in 2019, and the Macan EV is available in two versions, the Macan 4, which produces 300kW/402 hp, and the Macan Turbo, which produces 470kW / 630 hp. Reservations are open now and deliveries are expected in the second half of 2024. In addition, as previously reported, the Macan EV could be the first Porsche model to adopt Android Automotive.
DMA is Coming into Effect: Apple Spotify Begins to Adjust its Operational Strategy
Recently, as the effective date of the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) approaches, some foreign media are beginning to reveal that Apple will allow apps to be sideloaded in response to the DMA, but will continue to review, charge, and manage the apps in question. Spotify, which canceled its in-app purchases due to Apple’s 30% in-app purchase levy, also issued a press release yesterday announcing that it will update its European apps in the near future and allow users to subscribe to memberships and buy audiobooks directly from within the app.
Apple Announces a Series of Changes to iOS and More in the EU
Apple announced on January 26 a series of changes to iOS, Safari and the App Store to comply with the European Union’s Digital Marketplace Act (DMA). These updates include more than 600 new APIs, enhancements to app analytics, allowing the use of browser engines other than Webkit, as well as third-party in-app payment methods and third-party distribution channels for iOS apps. To mitigate the new risks that DMA poses to users in the European Union, Apple has added new security measures in each of these updates.
These updates provide new pathways for payment processing and app downloads on iOS, and Apple says, “Third-party distribution channels can pose privacy and security threats such as malware, fraud and scams, and illegal and harmful content. As a result, Apple has introduced protections including iOS App Notarization, Marketplace Developer Authorization, and Alternative Payment Method Disclosure, which Apple hopes will mitigate risk and ensure that EU users enjoy the best and safest experience possible while complying with the DMA. Developers can try out the new features in the iOS 17.4 beta starting today and learn more through Apple’s developer support page. These new features will be available to users in 27 countries in the EU from March 2024 onwards.
Other News
Recently, according to foreign media DigiTimes revealed that Apple may be the first to use TSMC 2nm process chip products. According to previous news, TSMC is currently working on plant expansion, and is expected to begin production of the latest 2nm chips from Q3 2025, which can also further increase processor speed and reduce overall power consumption.
9to5Google spotted the Asus Zenfone 11 in Google Play Console. Relevant information includes the use of a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip with 16 GB RAM, Android 14, and a screen resolution of 1080*2400.
Yesterday, following the Pixel 9 Pro rendering exposure, OnLeaks also synchronized to share the Google Pixel 9 renderings, the images show that the design of the Pixel 9 is basically the same as the Pixel 9 Pro, the size of the screen is further reduced to 6.1 inches, as is the rear is also the use of a triple camera configuration.