Good morning! This is your daily ☕️ Techpresso.
In today's Techpresso:
💥 Meta just canceled its Vision Pro competitor
⚠️ OpenAI faces backlash over lack of AI safety support
📱 Apple rumor points to an iPhone 16, Watch, and AirPods launch event next month
🤔 Elon Musk says X staff can get their stock — if they prove they deserve it
🪦 Microsoft to ditch ‘iconic’ Windows feature after 39 years
🎁 + 5 other news you might like
🔮 + 4 handpicked research papers and tools
💥 Meta just canceled its Vision Pro competitorLINK
Meta has decided to cancel its high-end mixed reality headset project, La Jolla, which was meant to compete with Apple's Vision Pro, despite earlier plans for a 2027 release.
The La Jolla headset development reportedly stopped partly because of the high cost of MicroOLED displays, making it difficult to keep the device under the target price of $1,000.
Although the La Jolla project is shelved, Meta continues to work on other headsets and mixed reality technologies, including a more affordable Quest headset and new AR glasses.
⚠️ OpenAI faces backlash over lack of AI safety supportLINK
Former OpenAI employees have criticized CEO Sam Altman for opposing California's AI regulation bill, SB 1047, despite previously supporting the idea of AI regulation.
The former employees argue that OpenAI's resistance to the "light-touch" requirements of SB 1047 undermines the company's commitment to AI safety.
The critics also believe that OpenAI's demands for employees to waive whistleblower rights are contradictory to its public stance on AI safety and transparency.
📱 Apple rumor points to an iPhone 16, Watch, and AirPods launch event next monthLINK
According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, a launch event on September 10th could unveil the iPhone 16 series, Apple Watch Series 10, and new AirPods, with sales starting around September 20th.
The iPhone 16 Pro models are expected to have larger screens and a dedicated camera button, while major hardware changes might not arrive until the potential iPhone 17 Slim next year.
The Apple Watch Series 10 will reportedly be thinner with larger screens, and new AirPods may combine features from the third-generation models and AirPods Pro, including active noise cancellation.
🤔 Elon Musk says X staff can get their stock — if they prove they deserve itLINK
Elon Musk announced that X staff will receive stock grants, but they must prove their worth through a one-page summary detailing their contributions.
The anticipated stock allocations come amid increasing tensions between X leadership and staff, following a recent unexplained delay in the promotions process.
A source revealed that the company has yet to distribute the annual equity refresher, which was originally scheduled for April, adding to employee uncertainty.
🪦 Microsoft to ditch ‘iconic’ Windows feature after 39 yearsLINK
Microsoft has officially announced the deprecation of the Windows Control Panel, a feature that has been part of the operating system for 39 years.
The Control Panel, which allowed users to change system settings through various applets, will be replaced by the more modern and streamlined Settings app.
This change has been gradually occurring since Windows 8 in 2012, with the Settings app becoming a full-featured replacement by the time Windows 11 was released.
Other news you might like
Reddit battles Meta and Google using ads based on topics — not your data.LINK
US sues RealPage over rent-setting software that allegedly drove up prices.LINK
Andrew Ng steps back at Landing AI after announcing new fund.LINK
Meta took down WhatsApp accounts connected to Iranian hackers targeting the US election.LINK
Engineers have found a way to bootstrap their way to smarter AI models as they wait for GPT-5.LINK
Latest research and tools
Omi: an open-source AI wearable device designed to capture and transcribe conversations, meetings, and voice memos automatically when connected to a mobile device.LINK
Pi-CI: an emulator in a Docker container that allows developers to easily create, configure, and flash Raspberry Pi images, facilitating the setup of preconfigured servers and automating configuration distribution.LINK
Bypass Paywalls Add-On Takedown Notice: a legal action aiming to stop the distribution of a browser extension that circumvents website paywalls.LINK
An exploration of Bluesky's public opening: a longitudinal analysis of user activity in the two months around the opening, studying changes in the general characteristics of the platform due to the rapid growth of the user base.LINK
Want to get the latest news differently? Find us on:
See you tomorrow for a new dose of ☕️ Techpresso!
-min.png){kind=small}
.png){kind=small}
