Tech With Viral

Tuesday, 14 July 2020

Decrypted: As tech giants rally against Hong Kong security law, Apple holds out

It’s not often Silicon Valley gets behind a single cause. Supporting net neutrality was one, reforming government surveillance another. Last week, Big Tech took up its latest: halting any cooperation with Hong Kong police.

Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Twitter, and even China-headquartered TikTok said last week they would no longer respond to demands for user data from Hong Kong law enforcement — read: Chinese authorities — citing the new unilaterally imposed Beijing national security law. Critics say the law, ratified on June 30, effectively kills China’s “one country, two systems” policy allowing Hong Kong to maintain its freedoms and some autonomy after the British handed over control of the city-state back to Beijing in 1997.

Noticeably absent from the list of tech giants pulling cooperation was Apple, which said it was still “assessing the new law.” What’s left to assess remains unclear, given the new powers explicitly allow warrantless searches of data, intercept and restrict internet data, and censor information online, things that Apple has historically opposed if not in so many words.

Facebook, Google and Twitter can live without China. They already do — both Facebook and Twitter are banned on the mainland, and Google pulled out after it accused Beijing of cyberattacks. But Apple cannot. China is at the heart of its iPhone and Mac manufacturing pipeline, and accounts for over 16% of its revenue — some $9 billion last quarter alone. Pulling out of China would be catastrophic for Apple’s finances and market position.

The move by Silicon Valley to cut off Hong Kong authorities from their vast pools of data may be a largely symbolic move, given any overseas data demands are first screened by the Justice Department in a laborious and frequently lengthy legal process. But by holding out, Apple is also sending its own message: Its ardent commitment to human rights — privacy and free speech — stops at the border of Hong Kong.

Here’s what else is in this week’s Decrypted.

THE BIG PICTURE

Police used Twitter-backed Dataminr to snoop on protests

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Logitech’s new Mac-specific mouse and keyboards are the new best choices for Mac input devices

Logitech has released new versions of its MX peripherals in Mac-friendly finishes, as well as a new K380 wireless Bluetooth keyboard designed for Apple devices. These aren’t dramatically different devices from the existing versions that Logitech offers – but that’s a good thing in this case, and it elevates what were already amazing peripherals to no-brainer default choices for Mac users.

MX Master 3 for Mac

Image Credits: Darrell Etherington

The MX Master 3 for Mac is a very slightly altered twist on the MX Master 3 – consisting mostly of a new paint job that actually pretty closely resembles the old one. Specs are the same for the Mac-specific version, including its quiet scroll wheel with 1,000 lines per second maximum scroll speed, and Logitech’s MagSpeed tech that dynamically enables freewheel scrolling when you’re going fast.

The MX Master 3 for Mac does ship with a USB-C to USB-C cord in the box, instead of the USB-A to USB-C cable that comes with the non-Mac version, and that’s much more convenient for charging and using it dongle-free with modern MacBook computers. It can run for 70 days on a full charge, and you can get three full hours of use out of just 60 seconds of charge time. The mouse uses Logitech’s Darkfield laser tracking which provides 1000 dpi on average of accuracy and the ability to track on virtually every surface, and it can also work across Macs and iPads with Logitech’s Easy-Switch technology for connecting to multiple devices.

In terms of major differences, the main one any owners of the MX Master 3 will notice is that the MX Master 3 for Mac is listed as only offering Bluetooth connectivity on Logitech’s website – and it doesn’t ship with Logitech’s Unifying USB receiver, which connects its peripherals via a dedicated RF network instead of Bluetooth for greater reliability. That’s odd, because the MX Master 3 for Mac definitely still works with Logitech’s Unifying Retriever, and that’s exactly how I had it set up, using the USB dongle that shipped with the MX Master Keys for Mac.

Image Credits: Darrell Etherington

This is noteworthy because Logitech is charging $129.99 for the MX Master 3 for Mac – the same as the non-Mac version, but it doesn’t include the receiver and bills itself as a Bluetooth mouse. It’s a bit of an odd choice, but if you’ve used Logitech gear over the years, you probably have an abundance of unifying receivers on hand, and the Space Gray colorway on the Mac version does match better with actual Mac hardware.

Performance-wise, the MX Master 3 for Mac is still one of the best full-size mice you can get. It’s extremely comfortable to use, features a healthy array of controls that are customizable with Logitech’s Options software, and provides smooth, high-precision tracking, with the ability to use it while charging.

MX Keys for Mac

Image Credits: Darrell Etherington

Like the mouse, the Mac version of the MX Keys is mostly an aesthetic change. It’s also done up in Space Gray to match Apple’s colorway of the same name, and it features contrast-coloured black keys and a top bar that houses the wireless and battery electronics. The key layout also gets Mac-specific, ditching the hybrid key labelling of Logitech’s existing MX Keys for actual dedicated Command and Option keys, as well as a hardware eject key.

Also like the Mac Master 3, the MX Keys can work across devices, including those running macOS, iPadOS and iOS. It ships with a USB-C to USB-C charging cable (again, more convenient than the USB-A to USB-C one in the standard MX Keys configuration) and a unifying receiver. It’s also able to connect via Bluetooth, and can be connected to up to 3 devices with dedicated keys to switch between each.

The MX Keys is already probably your best choice for a third-party keyboard that offers great performance and key feel, unless you’re specifically into clicky mechanical keyboards. It includes smart backlighting that activates automatically when your hands approach, and turns off automatically when not in use to preserve battery life. While it’s made of plastic, it still feels heavy in a good way, ensuring it’ll rest flat on your desk. Since it’s based on the MX Keys, I can also attest to its durability, as I’ve been using that keyboard since its launch and have not had any problems with it at all thus far.

Image Credits: Darrell Etherington

In terms of battery life, you can expect 10 days of use with the backlighting active – but if you go without the underlay lighting, it’ll stretch out to as much as five months. And as mentioned, it’s easy to charge up directly from your Mac with the included USB-C cable – which also allows you to use it while charging.

Logitech’s work on the color scheme here really does a good job of matching the look of Apple’s aluminum treatment, right down to the metal-like speckles on the Space Gray surfaces. If you’re already using an MX Keys, stick with it, but if you’re in the market for something new, this is the new best choice for a Mac user – at the same $129.99 price point as the original.

K380 Bluetooth Keyboard for Mac, iPad and iPhone

The K380 is a much more portable keyboard option, with rounded keys and a lighter plastic shell. It’s Bluetooth-only, but still offers the ability to connect up to there devices at once. The Mac version comes in either a white or pink version, and it features Mac-specific keys like the MX.

Image Credits: Darrell Etherington

It works across macOS, iOS and iPadOS, and can switch between each seamlessly, making it a great choice for working on the road with a setup that includes both a Mac and your iPad or iPhone. It’s powered by two AAA batteries (included), and is rated at around two years of use on a single pair.

The typing feel is a bit shallower than the MX series, but still impressive, and it’s near-silent which makes it better for use in shared or busy spaces. It’s available now for $49.99.

Bottom line

Logitech hasn’t reinvented the mouse wheel with any of these products (it already did that with the MX Master 3’s original launch) but these are all welcome updates that make its hardware feel more at home with Mac and other Apple devices. Even Apple itself charges a premium for the dark-coated versions of its input devices, too, so it’s nice to see pricing stay the same along with the facelift.

If you’re in the market for new peripherals and don’t already own the MX series, these are obvious choices. Ditto the K380 for Mac if you want a durable, all-in-one keyboard to use across your devices that won’t add too much weight to your pack, and that looks and feels great.

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Decrypted: As tech giants rally against Hong Kong security law, Apple holds out

Here’s what else is in this week’s Decrypted.

THE BIG PICTURE

Police used Twitter-backed Dataminr to snoop on protests

from Apple – TechCrunch https://ift.tt/308wQ74

Logitech’s new Mac-specific mouse and keyboards are the new best choices for Mac input devices

MX Master 3 for Mac

Image Credits: Darrell Etherington

Image Credits: Darrell Etherington

MX Keys for Mac

Image Credits: Darrell Etherington

Image Credits: Darrell Etherington

K380 Bluetooth Keyboard for Mac, iPad and iPhone

Image Credits: Darrell Etherington

The typing feel is a bit shallower than the MX series, but still impressive, and it’s near-silent which makes it better for use in shared or busy spaces. It’s available now for $49.99.

Bottom line

from Apple – TechCrunch https://ift.tt/3fwwHRo

Forget the Bronco’s off-road chops, look at this gadget mounting bar

The 2021 Bronco knows you have gadgets, and it’s here for them. Located above the dash, before the windshield, is an accessory mounting bar. Mount your iPhone here. Attach your radar detector or GoPro or dashcam or whatever. It’s fantastic, and I hope similar solutions comes to more vehicles.

The Ford Bronco has a lot going for it, and this simple accessory bar is a tidy detail that tells a story. Ford knows its buyers.

Look at the Jeep Wrangler. New from the dealership, it’s a blank canvas on which owners tack on countless accessories and accouterments. From new fenders to racks to cameras to stickers, many owners endlessly customize the vehicle to their liking.

On the other end of the spectrum are everyday vehicle owners from truck owners to sedan drivers. Everyone has a cell phone, and most vehicles do not have a dedicated location to house a cell phone. Dash cams are increasingly common as they drop in price, and people realize their usefulness. Many drivers turn to windshield mounting solutions that often impede the driver’s view.

The Bronco’s accessory mounting bar seems like a win for many drivers. Instead of having various suction cup mounts splattered around the windshield, owners can securely mount small gadgets in a location Ford deemed safe to use. There are even USB and 12-volt outlets located by the bar.

Vehicle makers have long ignored gadgets. At best, a vehicle could have a wireless charging pad for a cell phone, but it’s often located in a spot that hinders smartphone use. Like it or not, drivers often use their phones while driving for mapping and media playback and it would be best to design the vehicle to provide a safe mounting solution.

This bar would look out of place in most ultra-modern vehicles, but a similar solution, designed to match the rest of the car, would be a welcomed addition to most cars.

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TradeDepot adds $10 million to add financial services to its supply chain services for African SMBs

Nigeria’s e-commerce startup TradeDepot, which connects international brands to small businesses in Africa, has raised $10 million in a new round of funding to expand its business into financial services and credit offerings for retailers.

First launched in 2016, TradeDepot has built up a network of 40,000 small businesses in Nigeria and connects them to local distributors of global consumer brands like Nestlé, Unilever, GB Foods and Danone, according to a statement.

The initial business model managed to attract a $3 million investment led by Partech back in 2018. And now, as the firm invests from its largest African fund, Partech returned to co-lead TradeDepot’s latest round with the International Finance Corp., Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative and MSA Capital.

TradeDepot’s business depends on making a range of household supplies like milk, soap, and detergent more accessible and affordable for the street-side vendors and small shops that provide goods and services for hundreds of communities in cities like Lagos — where the company is headquartered.

Using the company’s mobile apps on Android or Whatsapp, USSD short code messaging or a toll-free phone number, retailers can place orders and have goods and services delivered through TradeDepot’s fleet of vans and tricycles. They can make payments, order stock, and manage inventory online or through the app as well.

For consumer brands, they have a central hub through which to distribute directly to vendors on the continent, along with data that can help them manage their relationship with these small vendors.

Image Credit: TradeDepot

“Africa’s offline retail market is estimated at $1 trillion, and this new investment allows us to capture an even greater segment of that market,” said Onyekachi Izukanne, in a statement. “We will continue to use data to drive efficiencies and provide an easier stock acquisition service for our [over] 40,000 retailers, driving down costs for them by negotiating even better deals with our global manufacturing partners, whilst simultaneously providing a better, faster route to market for our suppliers.”

The company said that a new store comes online to use its services every three minutes and that the company receives an order from retailers every four seconds, on average.

Now, with the new capital, TradeDepot will expand into a suite of financial services and lending products for its retailers. Many of the company’s customers lack a credit rating, but TradeDepot has alternative ways to score credit based on the data it has from its existing trading relationships.

“The founders’ vision to build a digital platform that improves the unit economics of serving the mass market is one we feel privileged to support,” said Wale Ayeni, the head of Africa Venture Capital investment at the IFC.

That support disproportionately goes to helping women entrepreneurs, according to the company. Women account for over 75% of the retailers on the company’s platform. Now, with the help of its new investor We-Fi, TradeDepot will look to offer mentorship opportunities and link these business owners to global markets.

“Women play a pivotal role in driving economies across Africa, but lack of access to capital, limited market linkages, cultural norms and other challenges often prevent them from achieving the success they want,” saiid Hanh Nam Nguyen, who represents the We-Fi initiative with the IFC. “We-Fi financing will incentivize TradeDepot to build stronger women-led small and medium enterprises (SME) retailer and distributor networks, which will support them to become drivers of economic growth in their communities.”

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Monday, 13 July 2020

Apple allocates its first $400M from $2.5B commitment to address California’s housing crisis

Apple announced this morning it’s allocating more than $400 million toward affordable housing projects and other homeowner assistance programs in California, as a part of its earlier multi-year pledge of $2.5 billion to address the state’s housing crisis and homelessness issues.

The funding is expected to support thousands of Californians with first-time homebuyer assistance or new, affordable housing units, Apple says.

Projects launching in 2020 include 250 new units of affordable housing across the Bay Area — the first affordable housing developments funded in a private-public partnership with Housing Trust Silicon Valley. The units will span the North, East, and South Bay regions, and will include many units reserved for veterans, the homeless or formerly homeless, and residents with developmental disabilities.

Image Credits: Apple

Apple is also offering a mortgage and down payment assistance fund and an affordable housing investment support program, both created in conjunction with the California Housing Finance Agency (CalHFA). Apple has provided mortgage and down payment assistance to hundreds of first-time home buyers to date, it says, with additional benefits reserved for teachers, veterans, and firefighters. The CalHFA’s assistance program is typically diverse, as well, with over 65% of borrowers identifying as Hispanic, Black, Asian, Pacific Islander, or American Indian.

This month, Apple will launch an affordable housing investment support program with CalHFA, aimed at funding the development of new, very low to moderate-income housing at a lower costs. The program is expected to produce a number of affordable housing units in California over the next five years.

In addition, Apple is supporting the construction of affordable housing units through a partnership with Destination: Home, which supports the homeless in the Silicon Valley area. This initiative will help fund the construction of over 1,000 new units of deeply-affordable and supportive housing, including 80 units in a project in Santa Clara for seniors who are homeless or nearing homelessness.

Apple says its support has helped Destination: Home keep 1,500 families annually from losing their homes, up 67% over a year ago.

Charities Housing Development Corporation project in San Jose, financed in partnership with Housing Trust Silicon Valley; Image Credits: Apple

“At a time when so many members of our community are facing unprecedented challenges, we believe it’s critical to make sure that their hopes for the future are supported through tangible programs and results,” said Kristina Raspe, Apple’s vice president for Global Real Estate and Facilities, in an announcement. “As cities and states have been forced to pause many of their long-term affordable housing investments amidst the current public health crisis, Apple is proud to continue moving forward with our comprehensive plan to combat the housing crisis in California,” she added.

Apple in November 2019 first announced its plans to commit funds to address the housing and homelessness crisis. It’s not the only major tech firm to do so. Amazon, Facebook, and Google are also spending money to address these problems. But these moves aren’t just about charity and good works. Apple, Amazon, Facebook and Google are partially responsible for the housing crisis to begin with, as their expansions in the region have displaced long-time residents from their homes. Over the years, tech companies have been increasingly criticized for the negative impacts they’ve had on communities, as residents that make cities function — like firefighters, nurses and teachers, for example — had to move out due to rising housing prices.

Of course, like most complexities, a number of other factors also contributed to the housing crisis, outside of tech’s impact. There are also the area’s local laws, zoning regulations, protests against building vertically, NIMBY-ism, rental control’s impact on the market, the restricted housing supply, scarcity of available land, and more.

The additional funds toward affordable housing arrive at a time when some of the Bay Area’s wealthier residents and tech employees are fleeing the city, amid the coronavirus pandemic and its related impacts, such as layoffs. According to a recently released report from Zumper in July, one-bedroom rent prices in San Francisco fell 11.8% year-over-year — the largest drop in the U.S. and beating the prior month’s record. Two-bedroom rents fell nearly 10% year-over-year.

But even a double-digit decline won’t help solve the housing crisis, as rents and home prices were already so high as to be unattainable for many of the city’s residents. Plus, the pandemic’s longer-term impacts on the region’s housing market are yet to be seen. For example, it’s unclear to what extent companies will continue to embrace remote work if a vaccine were to emerge, making it safe to return to offices.

Apple’s initiatives in the $2.5 billion commitment remain unchanged, despite the pandemic. They include $1 billion affordable housing investment fund with the state of California, $1 billion first-time homebuyer mortgage assistance fund, $300 million in Apple-owned land made available for affordable housing, a $150 million Bay Area housing fund, and $50 million to support Destination: Home’s efforts.

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