Apple TV Plus announces Friday Night Baseball

Image: Apple

Apple announced today it’s bringing weekly baseball games to subscribers of Apple TV Plus.

During the company’s Peek Performance event on Tuesday, Apple boss Tim Cook announced that Apple’s streaming service will feature two Major League Baseball games on Friday nights during the regular season. Kicking off when the season begins, Friday Night Baseball will feature pregame and postgame programming.

Apple TV Plus subscribers in the US and Canada will additionally have access to a new 24/7 livestream with Major League Baseball replays, news, highlights, and analysis, as well as what Apple described as “a full complement of on-demand programming, including highlights and MLB-themed original content.” In addition, a new live show titled MLB...

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Apple announces updated iPad Air with M1 processor and 5G

Image: Apple

Apple has announced an update to the iPad Air a year and a half after it gave the tablet an iPad Pro-style redesign. Much of that redesign is still intact, but the new iPad Air model has been updated with a faster M1 processor, first seen in Apple’s Macs. It also supports 5G, and the USB-C port is up to twice as fast with 10Gbps of data transfer speeds.

It’ll be available starting at $599 for the Wi-Fi only model, rising to $749 for the Wi-Fi and Cellular version. It’ll come with 64GB or 256GB of storage, and available colors include gray, pink, purple, blue, and a silver/gold cross Apple is calling “starlight.” Pre-orders open this Friday, and the tablet will be on sale from March 18th.

Apple says the iPad Air’s M1 processor, which was...

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Instagram is hiding followers for private accounts in Russia and Ukraine

Instagram’s label for Russian state media. | Meta

Instagram has started hiding follower information for private accounts in Russia and Ukraine, the latest response by the social app to the ongoing invasion of Ukraine by Russian troops.

In a corporate blog post on Tuesday, Instagram parent company Meta said it was “hiding information about people’s followers, who they’re following, and people who are following each other for private accounts based in these two countries.” It also confirmed the rollout of labels people will see when sharing links to Russian state media, and that Instagram was demoting such media in its main feed and Stories tray. In addition, media under the control of the Russian government isn’t being recommended in Instagram’s Explore section or in Reels, its TikTok...

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The iPhone 13 and 13 Pro each get green finishes

The iPhone 13 gets green, while the iPhone 13 Pro gets “alpine green.” | Image: Apple

Apple announced at its “Peek Performance” event on Tuesday that the iPhone 13 and 13 Pro will each soon come in a green finish. The iPhone 13 lineup will be available in green, while the Pro phones will come in an “alpine green.” You’ll be able to preorder them on Friday, and they’ll be available on March 18th.

Apple offered green options with the iPhone 11, 11 Pro, and iPhone 12, but there weren’t green versions of the iPhone 13 when it launched last year. I personally think the new greens look really nice. Both used on the iPhone 13 phones are closer to the “midnight green” of the iPhone 11 Pro, rather than the lighter greens found on the iPhone 11 and iPhone 12.

The company debuted an excellent purple for the iPhone 12 and 12 Mini at...

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Apple iPhone SE gains 5G, A15 processor, and a higher $429 price tag

Apple’s small phone now comes with 5G. | Image: Apple

Apple’s iPhone SE is the small, low-cost phone that’s so good it makes us question the entire concept of $1,000 phones, and it’s getting a refresh for 2022. This third-generation SE updates 2020’s model by adding sub-6GHz 5G, along with the A15 Bionic in the iPhone 13 series.

The 2022 iPhone SE keeps its small form factor and 4.7-inch screen, along with some chunky bezels that are straight out of 2017. It’s priced at $429, a bump over the previous model’s MSRP of $399. The SE sticks with just one camera on the rear panel, but gains some software-based photography improvements thanks to the newer processor. Deep Fusion and HDR 4 are now included, which offer better handling of high-contrast scenes and noise reduction, and are both...

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GTA V on PS5 will cost just $10, but only until June

Image: Rockstar Games

The PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X / S versions of _Grand Theft Auto V and GTA Online_will be released on March 15th, and from now until June 14th, you can snag them at a big discount. It seems like the next-gen versions will offer some nice upgrades, including graphical improvements and better loading times, so they could be a good buy if you have wanted to jump back in or experience the games for the first time.

Here’s how the pricing shakes out, and if you preorder the games, they’ll begin preloading on your console. If you’re lucky enough to have snagged a hard-to-find PS5, that platform has the better deals.

• The PS5 version of the GTA V, which includes the story mode and GTA Online, is available to preorder for just $9.99 — a 75...

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Apple ‘Peek Performance’ Spring 2022 event live blog

Image: Apple

Peek inside

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Elon Musk claims he was coerced into settling with the SEC over his ‘funding secured’ tweet

Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images

Tesla CEO Elon Musk is asking a federal judge to toss a consent decree with the Securities and Exchange Commission that requires his tweets to be approved by a lawyer before he can post them.

The decree, which was signed in 2018 after Musk’s infamous “funding secured” tweet, is being used “to trample on Mr. Musk’s First Amendment rights and to impose prior restraints on his speech,” his lawyers said in a court filing Tuesday. Musk is also seeking to block an SEC subpoena related to his tweets about selling 10 percent of his stake in Tesla.

Musk sent the notorious tweet on August 7th, 2018, in which he claimed to have the funding to take Tesla private at $420 a share. (Tesla has been a publicly traded company since 2010.)

“trample on...

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8BitDo announces its first Xbox-style controller

8BitDo has announced its first controller with an Xbox-style layout. There’s already an Xbox-specific version of 8BitDo’s excellent Pro 2 controller, but that has the symmetrical stick layout more commonly associated with PlayStation consoles. The “Ultimate Wired Controller for Xbox,” on the other hand, is more in line with Microsoft’s official options.

The Ultimate Wired Controller has the Xbox-specific buttons you’d expect, as well as pro controller-style back paddle buttons that can be customized through software on Xbox, Windows, Android, and iOS. It also features a headphone jack and trigger vibration, in line with the regular Xbox One and Xbox Series controllers. There are black and white models available.

I’ve been...

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This bot is tweeting pay disparity data at companies posting about International Women’s Day

Screenshot: Gender Pay Gap Bot

As just about every large company turns to Twitter to shout out its female workers during International Women’s Day (IWD), the clever Gender Pay Gap Bot is quote tweeting their posts with data about the pay disparity between men and women at each organization.

The bot’s data is limited only to organizations in the UK, as companies that employ 250 or more people are required to report data about their gender pay gap by law — any companies that fail to publish this information could face court orders and fines. All that data gets posted on the UK government’s gender pay gap database, where you’re free to search for companies and find out how much lower women get paid when compared to men (or vice versa).

In this organisation, women's...

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China-backed hackers breached government networks in at least six US states, per new report

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

A technically advanced hacking group backed by the Chinese government has compromised the computer systems of at least six US state governments, according to a newly published threat report from cybersecurity firm Mandiant.

The group, which Mandiant refers to as APT41, targeted state governments in the US between May 2021 and February 2022, according to the report. Where networks were breached, Mandiant found evidence of the exfiltration of personally identifying information “consistent with an espionage operation,” although the company said that it could not make a definitive assessment of intent at this time.

All in all, Mandiant’s research paints a picture of a formidable, constantly adapting adversary.

“APT41’s recent activity...

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The future of computers is only $4 away, with Raspberry Pi CEO Eben Upton

Eben Upton is the CEO of the Raspberry Pi Foundation. | Photo Illustration by Grayson Blackmon / The Verge

Plus, how to make a chip in a chip shortage

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Luminary’s CEO says the subscription podcast model ‘is working’

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

Hi again, everyone. With today’s issue, I’ve officially completed my first week as guest writer for Hot Pod. I want to thank everyone who’s been emailing me news and responses already — it’s made this newsletter a blast to write. Aria will be back for this week’s Insiders, but you’ll be hearing more from me soon enough. Now, for today’s news…

Amazon launches its Clubhouse competitor

Amazon finally announced its entrance into the live audio space this morning, with the launch of a new app called Amp.

Amp is _a lot_like Clubhouse — live broadcasts, a bunch of speakers hanging out in a room together — but it has one key difference: Amazon negotiated music licensing deals with the major labels and a bunch of indies, unlocking the ability for...

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Hisense’s 65-inch U7G 4K TV is more affordable than ever today

Hisense’s U7G Series TV offers a 120Hz refresh rate and support for Dolby Vision.

If you missed out on taking advantage of Super Bowl TV sales last month, fret not because March Madness is giving you a second chance to save big. Deal hunters on the market for a 4K TV may want to check out today’s deal on Hisense’s 65-inch U7G TV, which is currently on sale at Amazon and Best Buy for $799.99, its best price to date. A good deal for gamers who have an Xbox Series X, PS5, or a high-end gaming PC, the 4K TV offers HDMI 2.1 ports, along with a fast 120Hz refresh rate and support for auto-low latency mode that brings a smoother gaming experience.

It also supports Dolby Vision, HDR10, HDR10 Plus, and Google Assistant. With this TV, you don’t need extra streaming hardware, as it brings instant access to YouTube, Disney Plus,...

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Amazon launches a Clubhouse competitor that turns everyone into a DJ

A screenshot of Amazon’s Amp showing a host with several guest callers. Everyone is muted while a song is playing. | Image: Amazon

Amazon is launching its long-rumored Clubhousecompetitor today: a new app called Amp that’s more about listening to music than sitting around and chatting.

Anyone who signs up will be able to host their own live show, complete with the ability to stream “tens of millions of licensed songs” from the big three record labels and “a long list” of indies, Amazon says. The goal is to turn any user into a radio DJ, able to program a playlist, talk to listeners, and chat with call-in guests.

Critically, hosts and listeners won’t need to subscribe to any particular service to tune in — anyone can listen in to full-length songs as long as they sign up for Amp, which is free.

Image: Amazon

A screenshot of Amp displaying a...

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What’s on your desk, Vjeran Pavic?

Lots of storage space and Bloodborne fan art

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GM is working with PG&E to turn electric vehicles into a virtual power grid in California

General Motors and utility Pacific Gas and Electric are teaming up to determine how electric vehicles can be used to power people’s homes during a blackout — or even feed power back into the grid during times of peak demand. The pilot will take place in PG&E’s home state of California, where wildfires are putting strain on the state’s energy infrastructure.

GM is the latest automaker to team up with a utility around the idea of “vehicle-to-grid” technology. (PG&E has also partnered with BMW around a similar idea.) The idea is to use bi-directional charging equipment to push and pull energy from electric vehicles at any given time. In essence, it treats high-capacity batteries as not only tools to power EVs but backup storage cells for...

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Creative Makers Week

Illustration by Kristen Radtke / The Verge

The DIY ethos can be applied to just about anything. Doing it yourself could mean creating the perfect tool for designing more personal video games, or communing with nature to make strange new music. Or maybe it means handcrafting a terrifyingly realistic doll that looks like a vampire baby. This collection of stories seeks to explore the myriad ways that people are using that DIY mentality to make the world a little more interesting — and a lot weirder.

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Musicians are hooking up synthesizers to plants for new sonic possibilities

Pitch perfect plants

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Ukraine and US targeted by cybersecurity attacks in run-up to Russian invasion

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

New reports have emerged of hacking campaigns linked directly and indirectly to Russia’s war in Ukraine, with the stories shedding more light on an opaque element of the invasion: cyberwarfare. Many experts predicted that Russia would launch significant cyber attacks in Ukraine, shutting down the country’s electrical grid for example. But while large-scale operations have not materialized, reports of smaller forays are beginning to emerge.

On Monday, Google said it had uncovered widespread phishing attacks targeting Ukrainian officials and Polish military. Security outfit Resecurity Inc also shared evidence of a coordinated hacking campaign targeting US firms that supply natural gas (a commodity that has become critical as Western...

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Google is buying the cybersecurity company that uncovered the SolarWinds hack

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Google is buying cybersecurity company Mandiant in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $5.4 billion.

Mandiant’s operations, which draw on the work of more than 600 security consultants and more than 300 intelligence analysts, will be folded into Google Cloud to create an “end-to-end security operations suite.” A range of services will be offered, from consulting on cybersecurity to detecting upcoming threats and testing company’s digital defenses.

“Organizations around the world are facing unprecedented cybersecurity challenges as the sophistication and severity of attacks that were previously used to target major governments are now being used to target companies in every industry,” Google Cloud’s CEO Thomas Kurian said in...

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How to watch Apple’s ‘Peek Performance’ event

After much anticipation and rumors, Apple officially announced that it is holding its first event of 2022 on Tuesday, March 8th. The presented tagline for the upcoming event is “Peek Performance,” a supposed play on words for a sneak peek. We’ll likely get a peek (sorry) at a new iPhone SE with 5G and possibly a new iPad Air or Mac Mini.

What time does the Peek Performance Apple event start?

The event will be streamed live on Tuesday, March 8th, 2022 at 10AM PT / 1PM ET. As with Apple’s prior streamed events, it will likely be a pre-recorded presentation, with a flashy introduction and various set dressings for the executives hyping up the new products.

Where can I watch the Apple event?

You can tune in to the event on Apple’s website,...

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Apple could have a more compact 30W GaN charger on the way

Apple’s current 30W charger. | Image: Apple

Apple could release a new 30W charger this year that uses gallium nitride (GaN) in its construction, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Gallium nitride is a material that allows chargers to produce less heat, which means they can be smaller while still offering high wattages. Kuo notes that the new charger could have “a new form factor design” which would presumably make it smaller than Apple’s current 30W charger.

The company’s first GaN charger was the 140W brick that shipped with the latest 16-inch MacBook Pro. But the much lower wattage of the new 30W charger would likely make it a better fit for one of Apple’s iPhones, iPads, or lower-powered laptops like the MacBook Air. As it happens, last year’s iPhone 13 Pro Max reportedly...

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Apple, Microsoft, and Google all receive poor grades on repairability report card

Apple MacBook Air | Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

Laptops and smartphones made by Apple, Microsoft, and Google are considerably less repair-friendly than those made by competitors Asus, Dell, and Motorola, according to a new report. These findings may be unsurprising to people who like to fix gadgets, but the data to back them up comes from an unusual source: the companies themselves.

The report, released today by the US Public Research Interest Group’s Education Fund, draws on data companies are now releasing in France to comply with the government’s world-first “repairability index” law, which went into effect last year. The law requires manufacturers of certain electronic devices, including cell phones and laptops, to score each of their products based on how easily repairable it is...

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Google is releasing an open source harassment filter for journalists

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Google’s Jigsaw unit is releasing the code for an open source anti-harassment tool called Harassment Manager. The tool, intended for journalists and other public figures, employs Jigsaw’s Perspective API to let users sort through potentially abusive comments on social media platforms starting with Twitter. It’s debuting as source code for developers to build on, then being launched as a functional application for Thomson Reuters Foundation journalists in June.

Harassment Manager can currently work with Twitter’s API to combine moderation options — like hiding tweet replies and muting or blocking accounts — with a bulk filtering and reporting system. Perspective checks messages’ language for levels of “toxicity” based on elements like...

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Apple could announce new ‘Mac Studio’ and ‘Studio Display’ today

The Mac Studio’s design is said to be inspired by Apple’s Power Mac G4 Cube from 2000. | Photo by Oleksandr Rupeta/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Today’s Apple event could see the announcement of an all-new “Mac Studio” as well as a new standalone monitor, possibly called the “Studio Display,” according to a variety of last-minute rumors and tweets from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.

The new Mac is said to be smaller than a Mac Pro, but more powerful than a Mac mini, which could position it as a compact standalone computer targeted at professionals. The name “Mac Studio” first appeared in a report last week from 9to5Mac. Meanwhile, the new monitor (which could be the “Studio Display” model that _9to5Mac_has reported on) will reportedly run iOS and be powered by one of Apple’s A-series chips, which are normally found in its iPhones and iPads. The exact specs of the monitor are unclear,...

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Sony’s reportedly looking to bring a God of War show to Amazon Prime

Amazon Prime Video is reportedly in talks with Sony to develop a live-action series based on the God of War games, according to a report from Deadline.

The series is expected to be led by Mark Fergus and Hawk Otsby, the executive producers behind The Expanse, as well as Rafe Judkins, the executive producer of The Wheel of Time. Sony Pictures Television and PlayStation Productions will also be involved, Deadline says.

A live-action Twisted Metal is also in the works

Details about the show’s premise are still sparse, but if the television adaption does come to fruition, producers will have a lot of ground to cover. God of War’s elaborate Greek-inspired history — where you play as the demigod Kratos — starts back in 2005 with the release of...

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GameStop will hold two PlayStation 5 restock events this week

Sony’s PS5 came out more than a year and a half ago, but remains challenging to get. | Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

Tomorrow might be Apple event day, but for those still trying to procure Sony’s next-gen gaming console, each and every day is one to wait with bated breath. Thankfully, we’re happy to report that GameStop is scheduled to restock the PlayStation 5 twice this week. The retailer will have the PS5 Digital Edition available for sale on its site beginning Tuesday, March 8th, at 11AM EST / 8AM PST. This is a rare drop just for the entry-level model of the PS5, which lacks the disc drive. But if you are hoping to snag the standard, disc-equipped PS5, there’s more hope for you later this week. Select GameStop stores will have the standard model on Friday, March 11th, for in-person sales.

Both of these PS5 restocks will be in bundle form, which...

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How bad is Nintendo Switch OLED burn-in? Here’s a 3,600-hour test

Photo by Cameron Faulkner / The Verge

OLED screens are glorious, gorgeous, vibrant — but they don’t last forever. Eventually, their organically lit pixels can wear, and some have understandably been worried that the OLED-equipped Nintendo Switch, released last October, might eventually succumb to burn-in. The good news? According to one test, it might take 3,600 hours of constant play on a static screen to even begin to see the first signs of that dreaded screen malady.

YouTuber Wulff Den reports that after five months leaving a Nintendo Switch OLED turned on, plugged into a charger, leaving a static screenshot of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild’s Link effectively staring into the sun, he’s only now finally seeing some ghosting. And it’s not a lot, as you’ll see for...

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Apple’s Peek Performance event: rumors, news, and announcements

The event is scheduled for 1PM ET / 10AM PT on March 8th

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