Brian Heater
Hardware Editor
The Latest from Brian Heater
Uber is laying off 3,700 as rides plummet due to COVID-19
In an SEC filing dating back to last week, Uber disclosed plans to layoff 3,700 employees. The figure amounts to around 14% percent of the ride hailing giant’s total workforce. In the document, the
Microsoft’s Surface Go 2 and Surface Book 3 are official
The days of the big product event are on hold for the foreseeable future. Until then, a big blog post will have to do. A day after announcing that Microsoft would be shifting focus away from dual-scre
Industrial AI startup Covariant raises a $40M Series B
Covariant this week announced that it has raised a $40 million Series B, led by Index Ventures. The funding brings the three-year-old Berkeley startup’s total funding up to $67 million. Co-founded b
A worker at Amazon’s New York City fulfillment center is dead from COVID-19
Earlier this week, Amazon informed staff members at its Staten Island fulfillment center that a worker had died from COVID-19. The news was first noted by The Verge. The employee began to exhibit symp
The Obamas and Lady Gaga will give commencement speeches at YouTube’s virtual graduation
YouTube is joining the ranks of online platforms offering the graduating class of 2020 some consolation as ceremonies all over the world have been canceled or put on hold during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Apple’s online WWDC kicks off June 22
Back in March, Apple joined a rapidly growing number of companies announcing an online-only model for their annual tech events. At the time, SVP Phil Schiller promised the event would be “an inn
Google Podcasts finally gets listener analytics
For all of its strengths, Google hasn’t exactly led the way in podcasting. After years of letting third-party developers dominate the category on Play, the company finally introduced its own Podcast
CTA asks the US government for tariff exemptions on robotics, drones and 3D printers
The Consumer Technology Association penned an open letter alongside a number of other industry representatives asking the U.S. Trade Representative’s Office to loosen tariffs on a number of tech cat
Formlabs gets FDA emergency use authorization for a 3D-printed ventilator conversion part
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has awarded Formlabs an emergency use authorization (EUA) for a 3D-printed part designed to convert BiPAP machines designed for sleep apnea into much-needed vent
Moxie is a technically impressive childhood robot from iRobot’s former CTO
To this day, the Roomba remains the one successful mainstream home robotic. It was a feat iRobot achieved after a decade or so of throwing concepts against the wall, ultimately achieving success throu
AWS engineer Tim Bray resigns from Amazon following worker firings
As many Amazon workers called out sick for a May Day Strike, Tim Bray was spending his final day at the company. The VP and distinguished Engineer at Amazon Web Services announced today that May 1 was
The 13-inch MacBook Pro gets Apple’s much-improved keyboard
Following in the footsteps of the MacBook Air and 16-inch Pro, Apple’s 13-inch Pro model is finally getting the company’s much improved keyboard. It’s probably not enough reason for recent MacBo
An already struggling smartphone market takes a big hit from COVID-19
Quarter after quarter, familiar stories have appeared. The smartphone market, once seemingly bulletproof, has suffered. The list of factors is long, and I’ve written about them ad nauseam here, but
Bandcamp is waiving fees today in support of artists
Back in March, Bandcamp announced that it was waiving its share of the revenue for a day, in order to support artists whose livelihood have ground to a screeching halt amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The
Smartphone shipments dropped 18% in China, thanks to COVID-19
More rough figures from Canalys. After reporting a 13% year-over-year drop for global smartphone shipments, the firm is back with even worse numbers for China. Shipments dropped 18% year-over-year for
Smartphone shipments dropped 13% globally, and COVID-19 is to blame
We knew it was going to be bad — but not necessarily “lowest level since 2013” bad. As Apple was busy reporting its earnings, Canalys just dropped some of its own figures — and they’re not p
iPhone sales are down, ahead of uncertain times for the industry
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: Apple device sales have taken a hit, but the company’s services are doing swell. The iPhone, the longtime cornerstone of the company’s hardware portfolio
Apple exec Cynthia Hogan joins Biden’s VP vetting team
Joe Biden’s campaign this morning announced that it has chosen a team to vet potential running mates for the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. The four-person committee has three high
Workers prepare to strike May 1, amid strained pandemic working conditions
The global pandemic has tested the bounds of businesses across the world and transformed the way many of us live our lives. For those among us who are unable to leave our homes at all as COVID-19 viru