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10 things in tech you need to know today

Jordan Parker Erb   

10 things in tech you need to know today
Tech3 min read

Hi, all. Apple will finally let you fix your own iPhone, and a cyberattack has sent the price of cheese tumbling.

Let's get to it.


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1. Apple will finally let customers fix their own iPhones. Apple's "Self Service Repair" program will begin selling parts for the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 early next year. Until now, the only way to fix an iPhone has been by visiting an Apple Store, sending it to Apple, or going to an "Authorized Service Provider."

  • The decision comes as a surprise to some, as Apple had for years lobbied against consumers' right to repair their own devices. According to the Verge, the announcement follows ongoing pressure from repair activists and regulators.
  • The program will start with iPhones' most commonly replaced parts: screens, batteries, and cameras. Eventually, more components for iPhones and parts for Macs will become available.

Here's what you need to know about the new program.


In other news:

2. LA's Staples Center is being renamed Crypto.com Arena. The arena, home to the LA Lakers and LA Kings, will be renamed in a $700 million deal that will make crypto.com the teams' "official cryptocurrency platform partner." More on the new Crypto.com Arena.

3. Nike is ramping up its video-game efforts. As part of its emerging metaverse strategy, the retailer has named a seven-year company veteran as its head of video-game partnerships. How its new hire will push Nike further into the video game space.

4. Meta just previewed "haptic gloves" that will let people feel objects in the metaverse. The gloves, which Meta said it's been working on for seven years, simulate the feeling of touching an object in virtual reality — but a startup says the gloves look "substantively identical" to its own patented tech. You can watch Mark Zuckerperg play with the mitts here.

5. Facebook gives this document to job candidates to prep them for the technical interview. The six-page guide, created for a senior software-developer role, breaks down the 60-minute process that candidates need to nail before moving on in the hiring process. You can read the internal document here.

6. The biggest coding bootcamps may exaggerate their success rates. While competing with other bootcamps for enrollment, some programs may have a financial incentive to overstate their effectiveness. We spoke with industry insiders, who explained how to choose one that will actually get you a job.

7. An electric vehicle battery shortage could be the auto industry's next chip crisis. Some experts believe that as EV production ramps up, there might not be enough batteries to go around — and it could cut global auto production by around 4% per year between 2025 and 2028. Here's what experts are saying.

8. Amazon said it would stop accepting UK-issued Visa credit cards. Citing high fees, the company told customers it would stop accepting credit cards on Jan. 19, but would continue accepting Visa debit cards. Visa responded, saying it would try to fix the problem. Everything you need to know about the decision.

9. SpaceX's Starlink internet could be coming to the Amazon rainforest. Elon Musk met with Brazil's communications minister to discuss providing satellite internet to indigenous communities, remote schools and health centers, as well as how Starlink could help monitor illegal deforestation. More on that potential partnership here.

10. A cyberattack caused cheese prices to tumble. Hackers allegedly targeted one of America's largest cheese producers, interrupting production and causing prices to fall as a result. Get the latest on the cheese hack.


What we're watching today:


Curated by Jordan Parker Erb in New York. (Feedback or tips? Email jerb@insider.com or tweet @jordanparkererb.) Edited by Michael Cogley in London.

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