Stability AI releases AI audio platform

Photo by Jakub Porzycki / NurPhoto via Getty Images

Stability AI, a company mostly known for AI-generated visuals, launched a text-to-audio generative AI platform called Stable Audio.

Stable Audio uses a diffusion model, the same AI model that powers the company’s more popular image platform, Stable Diffusion, but trained with audio rather than images. Users can use it to generate songs or background audio for any project.

Audio diffusion models tend to generate a fixed length of audio, which is terrible for music production as songs can vary in length. Stability AI’s new platform lets users make sounds at different lengths, requiring the company to train on music and add text metadata around a song’s start and end time.

Previously, audio taught on a 30-second clip can only generate 30...

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Nintendo announces Direct showcase for this winter’s Switch games

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Today, Nintendo announced a 40-minute fall Direct showcase focusing on games scheduled for release this winter, set to stream on September 14th at 7AM PT / 10AM ET.

Ever since Nintendo had its Super Mario Bros. Wonder Direct earlier this month, rumors circulated saying that a bigger, more general Direct would follow. Those rumors strengthened when the Gotham KnightsESRB rating page added Nintendo Switch as one of the game’s platforms.

Additionally, news circulated that Nintendo had a patent for new Joy-Cons that would attempt to address the current controller’s problems with stick drift. But the biggest Nintendo rumor out now is the fact that several developers have claimed to see a Switch 2 out in the wild and that developer kits...

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The anti-hate group sued by Musk releases another damning report on X

Illustration: The Verge

A month after Elon Musk sued the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), the organization is back with another report suggesting X (formerly Twitter) is allowing hate speech to remain on the platform.

In its 23-page report, the CCDH outlines how researchers collected 300 posts on X with hateful content from 100 different accounts, some of which contained blatant racism, antisemitism, and Holocaust denial. After reporting the posts to X, the CCDH found that 259 out of 300 were left online after one week, while 90 of those 100 accounts remained active on the platform. The CCDH says that each of these posts violated X’s policies on hate speech.

X denies the report’s conclusions in a post on the platform. The company argues that it has...

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Google’s Find My Device 3.0 has a fresh look, hints at upcoming features

Illustration: The Verge

Google delayed launching its expanded Find My Device Network earlier this summer, but the latest version of the app sports a new icon and some strings that hint at what’s to come.

9to5Google initially spotted it back in June. The new app icon switches from a green map pin depicting a phone to an abstract radar-like symbol in Google’s signature colors. Now, the new icon is rolling out as part of the version 3.0 update.

The new logo (right) is such a downgrade to the old one (left)!

It literally conveys no meaning to the user and is a big step backwards. pic.twitter.com/I1ARfQnWvN

— Wheely #RDC23 (@UnderMyWheel) June 25, 2023

It’s likely that Google is opting for a design refresh to reflect plans to expand the Find My Device app...

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Nine wild details from the new Elon Musk biography

Illustration by Kristen Radtke / The Verge; Image: Getty Images

This is Platformer_, a newsletter on the intersection of Silicon Valley and democracy from Casey Newton and Zoë Schiffer._ Sign up here.

Over the weekend, a highly anticipated book arrived in the mail. Elon Musk, Walter Isaacson’s first biography of a tech titan since his comprehensive take on Steve Jobs, followed from two years of Isaacson shadowing Musk in his travels around the world. Given Musk’s general antipathy toward the press, the book promised to offer the sort of fly-on-the-wall accounts of Musk’s recent life like no other.

Over more than 600 pages, Isaacson details the improbable arc of Musk’s life, from his early childhood under a cruel father and relentless schoolyard bullying through his purchase of Twitter and recent...

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Baldur’s Gate 3 on PS5 is a technically complicated but still enjoyable experience

Larian Studios

Lots of menus, controls, and buttons to parse, but fundamentally, the game is still the same and still very worth it.

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Ring’s new Pet Tag puts a QR code on your dog or cat’s collar to help if they go missing

The Pet Tag attaches to a collar. | Image: Ring

Amazon-owned Ring is launching a $9.99 Pet Tag today to make it easier to bring lost pets back home. The Ring Pet Tag essentially puts a QR code on your dog or cat’s collar, which links up to an app. If the unthinkable happens, someone can scan the QR code and help reunite the lost pet with its owner.

The QR code is linked to a pet profile that can include information like health conditions and, most importantly, an optional “contact me” feature that starts a two-way communication with the pet owner. While you could easily put a regular collar tag on your pet with your phone number, this QR code shields your number, ZIP code, or any other personal information that people frequently place on pet tags.

Image: Ring

Y...

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Adobe’s Firefly generative AI tools are now widely available

Photoshop’s Generative Fill tool is finally available outside of the beta app. | Image: Adobe

Following several months of beta testing, Adobe has announced that its Firefly generative AI model is now commercially available across Adobe Creative Cloud, Adobe Express, and Adobe Experience Cloud.

That means the Firefly-powered workflows that have so far been limited to the beta versions of Adobe’s apps — like Illustrator’s vector recoloring, Express text-to-image effects, and Photoshop’s Generative Fill tools — are now generally available to most users (though there are some regional restrictions in countries with strict AI laws like China). Adobe is also launching a standalone Firefly web app that will allow users to explore some of its generative capabilities without subscribing to specific Adobe Creative Suite applications. Adobe...

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WhatsApp is widely rolling out its Telegram-like Channels feature

Olivia Rodrigo, Mark Zuckerberg, and the MLB now have their own Channels as well. | Image: WhatsApp

WhatsApp is rolling out its new Channels feature to more users. The Meta-owned messaging app announced on Wednesday that it’s expanding the one-to-many broadcasting feature to over 150 countries.

While WhatsApp first introduced Channels in June, it was only available to select organizations in Colombia and Singapore. Just like on the messaging app Telegram, WhatsApp’s Channels feature lets you receive updates from creators, organizations, and brands from a single channel. Instagram rolled out a similar feature earlier this year, called broadcast channels.

Along with the wider rollout, WhatsApp also announced a few new enhancements coming to the feature. That includes an improved directory that lets you filter channels based on countries,...

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Adobe Premiere Pro can now automatically remove your ‘ums’ and background noise

Adobe is making it easier to improve and clean up the audio quality of your recorded footage in Premiere Pro. | Image: Adobe

Adobe is introducing some new AI and 3D features in beta for Premiere Pro, After Effects, and Frame.io — its popular suite of video and audio editing applications that are designed to improve workflow and speed up time-intensive tasks.

To start, Premiere Pro is adding an AI-powered Enhance Speech feature that Adobe claims can make poorly recorded dialogue sound like “it was recorded in a professional studio.” Enhance Speech automatically removes background noise and provides Premiere Pro users with a mix slider to customize how much of it they’d like to incorporate in their projects. A new Audio Category Tagging feature is also available that automatically flags clips that contain dialogue, music, and sound effects or ambient noise.

...

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Sony’s new PS5 update includes Dolby Atmos and the ability to mute the startup beep

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

Sony is rolling out a big new PS5 update today, just over a month after it first started testing the changes in a beta. The update adds Dolby Atmos, lets you mute that annoying bootup beep, and even supports pairing a second controller as an assist one to let you help friends or family complete a game. Sony is also expanding its PS Remote Play app to Google’s Chromecast with Google TV (4K), allowing you to stream games from a PS5 or PS4 to Android TV OS 12 devices.

The Dolby Atmos support comes in the form of Sony’s 3D Audio implementation (Tempest 3D AudioTech). It’s compatible with Dolby Atmos devices like sound bars, TVs, or home theater systems. Media apps like Netflix can also update their apps on PS5 soon to support Dolby Atmos...

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SpaceX confirms Starlink ‘network outage’

Photo by Nilay Patel / The Verge

SpaceX said Tuesday evening that Starlink, the company’s satellite internet service, experiencing an outage. The company is working on a fix. “Starlink is currently in a network outage and we are actively implementing a solution,” SpaceX wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “We appreciate your patience, we’ll share an update once this issue is resolved.”

Starlink is currently in a network outage and we are actively implementing a solution. We appreciate your patience, we'll share an update once this issue is resolved

— Starlink (@Starlink) September 13, 2023

Downdetector shows around 33,000 user reports of problems, though the volume of reports appears to be dropping significantly, which could indicate that things are recovering.

There are...

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Apple’s smart home app can now tell you when you’re using clean energy

Grid Forecast is a new feature in the Apple Home app that tells you when your power grid has cleaner energy available. | Image: Apple

Apple’s iPhone 15 launch event had a big focus on the company’s move toward carbon neutrality, but it also introduced a new smart home feature that can help you leave a lighter footprint on the planet.

Arriving with iOS17, Grid Forecast is a new tool in the Apple Home app that shows you when your electrical grid has relatively clean or less clean energy sources available. This could help you decide when to run your tumble dryer or charge your EV to take advantage of “cleaner” energy when you have higher consumption.

Grid Forecast is available in the Home app on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch devices running this fall’s soon-to-be-released updates, with iOS 17 set for a public launch on September 18th. It is also available as an iOS...

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Ford’s newest gassy F-150s include more hybrid configurations

PowerBoost badge means its a hybrid. | Image: Ford

Ford’s F-150 truck is adding more hybrid powertrain options to more trims for the 2024 model year. The automaker is also adding extra tech into the truck, including a head-up-display option so you can check your speed without looking down, and a built-in 5G modem that makes over the air (OTA) software updates and media connectivity faster than ever.

Previously, Ford’s cheapest F-150 truck that has a hybrid option, the Lariat, started at $57,480 with a $3,300 add on. Now Ford says the hybrid option, called “PowerBoost,” will “match the starting MSRP on the 3.5-liter EcoBoost engine,” which we’re taking to mean that Ford’s cutting the hybrid add-on from $3,300 to $1,540 instead. (That’s what the 3.5L gasoline engine cost for the 2023 model...

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The iPhone is getting new ringtones

The ringtones might be good enough to keep you from using that Action Button to turn off the ringer. | Photo by Nilay Patel / The Verge

Apple’s iPhone is finally getting some new ringtones with iOS 17. As reported by 9to5Mac, the iOS 17 release candidate (RC) has a bunch of additional ringtones, and assuming nothing changes between the RC and the update’s official release, you’re going to have a few additional sounds to choose from very soon.

iOS 17 includes more than 20 new “ringtone options and sound alerts,” 9to5Mac says. I’ve installed the RC and listened to many of the new sounds, and I’m a big fan. I’m particularly drawn to the new “Journey” ringtone, which sounds like something out of a classic RPG. If you want to hear a few of the new tones, 9to5Mac has a short video you can check out.

Some older sounds have been “slightly remastered” as well, according to 9...

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The iPhone 15 is the first phone to (almost) support Qi2 charging

The iPhone 15 and 15 Pro phones will be the first to support the Qi2 open charging standard, but they aren’t Qi2-certified yet. | Image: Apple

The iPhone 15 and 15 Pro are the first phones to ship with the new Qi2 magnetic wireless charging standard. Well, sort of: it turns out they aren’t Qi2-certified yet. But neither is anything else.

Qi2 is an update to the Qi wireless charging standard that adds a ring of magnets to ensure proper alignment of the charging coils. You know, like MagSafe. Unlike MagSafe, Qi2 is an open standard — Apple even contributed its “magnetic power profile” to it — and Android phone makers are expected to adopt it as well. That’s great. Few things are more frustrating than waking up to a dead phone because you plopped it on the charger a few millimeters off-center, and magnetic alignment fixes that. (So does plugging it in, but bear with me.)

Qi2 a...

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Good news, everyone: Apple’s Polishing Cloth supports the iPhone 15 Pro Max

The noble Apple Polishing Cloth. | Image: Apple

It’s that time of year again — the time when millions around the world nail their eyeballs to the Apple Store website and wait, unblinking, to find out whether the new iPhones and Apple Watches are compatible with the $19 Polishing Cloth Apple launched in 2021. After all, you bought the cloth as soon as Apple announced it, and you know all about planned obsolescence. Did you waste 19 bucks two years ago?

I did some digging, and I am pleased as punch to report that, no, you didn’t. Even the brushed titanium-framed iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max are supported. Apple updated its website this afternoon to add no less than six new devices to the cloth’s diverse stable of compatible screen-having Apple products. That brings the grand total to...

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Unity has changed its pricing model, and game developers are pissed off

Unity

Popular video game engine Unity is making big changes to its pricing structure that’s causing confusion and anger among developers. Today, Unity announced that on January 1st, 2024, it would be implementing a pay-per-download pricing scheme that would charge developers a flat fee any time a game using Unity software is installed.

“We are introducing a Unity Runtime Fee that is based upon each time a qualifying game is downloaded by an end user,” the company shared on its blog. “We chose this because each time a game is downloaded, the Unity Runtime is also installed. Also we believe that an initial install-based fee allows creators to keep the ongoing financial gains from player engagement, unlike a revenue share.”

Unity went on to...

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T-Mobile to buy more 5G airwaves from Comcast for up to $3.3 billion

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

T-Mobile is buying airwaves from Comcast in a deal valued at up to $3.3 billion. In a blog post on Comcast’s site, the company explains that it will sell spectrum in the 600MHz band as it is “unlikely” to need it.

Comcast announced plans to build out a 5G network for its Xfinity Mobile service last year using spectrum in the 600MHz band and CBRS — an unlicensed spectrum in the 3.5GHz range that companies can use for free. However, Comcast says 5G field tests with CBRS spectrum “exceeded” its expectations and that it’s “found the band to be highly efficient and a significant part of a 5G network.”

That’s why Comcast no longer sees a use for its 600MHz spectrum, which it says T-Mobile will lease to purchase. As part of the deal, T-Mobile...

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The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max are the first smartphones with Thread

Apple didn’t mention Thread connectivity during its iPhone lunch event, but this screenshot shows that along with Wi-Fi 6e support, support for Thread is coming to the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. | Screenshot by The Verge

The latest iPhones will be the first Thread-enabled smartphones, according to Apple. The iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max (but not the iPhone 15) will support the open-source smart home protocol Thread to “open up future opportunities for Home app integrations,” the company announced during its iPhone 15 event in Cupertino.

How exactly this will impact Apple’s smart home isn’t immediately clear. The Verge asked around on the ground at the event, and it doesn't seem like even Apple is sure what the Thread radio will do yet.

Thread is a mesh networking protocol designed specifically for low-powered, low-bandwidth smart home devices. It aims to reduce latency, help prolong battery life, and improve the reliability of connected devices—...

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Apple’s USB-C AirPods Pro will support lossless audio with the Vision Pro

Image: Apple

During its iPhone 15 event, Apple announced that the second-generation AirPods Pro will soon ship with a USB-C case. But it turns out the company quietly made other upgrades that go beyond swapping the case’s charging port. For one, the USB-C AirPods Pro have tacked dust resistance onto their existing water and sweat resistance: they’re rated IP54 versus the IPX4 of last year’s Lightning model. But perhaps more interesting is that these USB-C AirPods Pro will support lossless audio when used with Apple’s upcoming Vision Pro headset.

This marks the first time that Apple’s wireless earbuds have offered lossless playback. “The H2 chip in the latest AirPods Pro and Apple Vision Pro, combined with a groundbreaking wireless audio protocol,...

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The MagSafe Duo and MagSafe Battery Pack have left the Apple Store

This is what happens when you click on the MagSafe Duo link in Google search. | Screenshot by Wes Davis / The Verge

Apple has removed the MagSafe Battery Pack and the MagSafe Duo from its online store, reports 9to5Mac, following today’s iPhone 15 event. The pricey accessories have their quirks, but despite the valid criticisms, both devices have some devoted fans, even here at The Verge.

Apple began selling the MagSafe Duo in December of 2020 and launched the MagSafe Battery Pack in July of 2021, both during the iPhone 12 generation of phones.

You could plug the MagSafe Battery Pack in to check its charge with the pinprick, color-changing LED indicator, but it wasn’t helpful: green and you have a full charge, orange and you have, well, less than a full charge. To get a better idea, you have to put it on your phone for an animation that, in my...

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How to responsibly get rid of the stuff you’ve decluttered

Graphic by James Bareham / The Verge

During its most recent spate of product announcements, Apple announced that its latest iPhone 15 phones — and its AirPods Pro — would be using USB-C cables instead of the traditional Lightning cables. So if you’re going to upgrade to a new iPhone or set of AirPods, you may find yourself with a lot of excess cables. What do you plan to do with them?

In fact, while we’re always being told how to simplify our crammed living spaces and get rid of all the stuff we’re no longer using or wearing, it’s often hard to figure out just how to do it responsibly without adding to the world’s excess trash.

Because just dumping them isn’t an option. Reusing and recycling old and unneeded stuff has become an important aspect of the push to preserve the...

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How to preorder Apple’s upcoming iPhone 15 models

The iPhone 15 comes in a small rainbow of pastel colors — and black. | Image: Apple

Apple officially announced the new iPhone 15 lineup at its Wonderlust event, which will go up for preorder on September 15th and ship a week later on September 22nd. Much like last year, there’s a baseline iPhone 15, a larger iPhone 15 Plus, and a pair of Pro models known as the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. But while the expected processor bump to a new A17 Pro Bionic chip is here for the 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max (the standard 15 and 15 Plus get last year’s A16 Bionic), what’s vastly different this time around is the presence of a USB-C charging / data port and the inclusion of Dynamic Island on all new models.

While we still have to see how all these new iPhones shape up in our upcoming reviews, early adopters will have a chance...

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The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max will let you film spatial video you can watch on the Vision Pro

Image: Apple

The newly announced iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max will soon let you capture “spatial video” that you can watch on the forthcoming Apple Vision Pro headset.

The new phones will be able to use the main and ultrawide cameras to “create a three-dimensional video,” Apple SVP Greg Joswiak said during Tuesday’s Wonderlust event. You’ll then be able to watch the video captured from those cameras on the Apple Vision Pro, which the company is still planning to release in early 2024.

Image: Apple

“This is really important, as your iPhone is with you all the time, so you won’t ever miss capturing a special moment using spatial video, like your family’s beach vacation,” Joswiak said.

The ability to record spatial video on t...

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This new button lets you twist your smart home into submission

The Flic Twist is a new smart home controller that works with Apple Home, Amazon Alexa and, according to the company, will soon work with Matter. | Image: Flic

Buttons are the best. They can make your smart home “just work” and don’t require wiring, remodeling your home, or shouting at a speaker to make magic happen. Want the lights to dim, your TV to turn on, your thermostat to adjust, and your front door to lock with one tap? Get a button.

The newest button from smart home button maker Flic, launching today, adds an exciting twist to the button concept. The Flic Twist ($88.88) is a button that you can push, double-push, twist, and push and twist to control any connected device.

The twist feature, in particular, is well suited to dimming lights, adjusting speaker volume or thermostat temperature, and controlling shades — all functions that are hard to achieve with just a button press.

As a...

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Ford, Honda, and BMW create a new vehicle-to-grid company to help EV owners save money

Image: Getty Images

Ford, BMW, and Honda are joining forces to create a new vehicle-to-grid company that aims to help EV owners save money by sending energy back to the electrical grid.

The new company, ChargeScape, will “create a single, cost-effective platform connecting electric utilities, automakers and interested electric vehicle customers.” Through that platform, EV owners “earn financial benefits through a variety of managed charging and energy-sharing services never before possible with traditional gasoline-powered vehicles.”

The three automakers will each own an equal share of the new company, which is expected to ramp up operations starting next year, pending regulatory approval.

EVs are unique in their ability to send energy back to the grid,...

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Apple’s new USB-C iPhone cables and dongles are predictably expensive

Get used to seeing this dongle everywhere for a while. | Image: Apple

Apple just made a lot of people’s Lightning cables and accessories suddenly redundant by introducing the new iPhone 15, 15 Plus, 15 Pro, and 15 Pro Max. Four phones, not a Lightning port in sight — Apple is all in on USB-C.

To make the transition easier, Apple is now selling a bunch of predictably expensive new cables and dongles. Starting with the one you’re almost certainly going to need to buy: the USB-C to Lightning Adapter, a $29.99 dongle into which you plug your Lightning device or cable and then plug the dongle into your new phone.

If you’re ready to live the USB-C life entirely, you can buy Apple’s one-meter charging cable, which is $19 and will charge at up to 60 watts. Or, for $29, you can get a two-meter cable that supports...

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Here’s where you can preorder the Apple Watch Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2

Apple’s forthcoming watches boast better performance, a new ultra wideband chip, and other minor improvements. | Image: Apple

It’s that time of year again. During its Wonderlust event on Tuesday, Apple introduced a number of new gadgets, including the much-rumored iPhone 15 with USB-C and the new Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2. The Series 9 starts at $399, and the Watch Ultra 2 starts at $799, with both set to arrive on Friday, September 22nd.

Both smartwatches come equipped with Apple’s S9 SiP, which is based on the A15 chip first seen in the iPhone 13. That should translate to improved performance and battery life while allowing Siri requests to be processed on the device itself. The wearables also will feature the new “double-tap” feature, which will be available next month and is a kind of spin on Apple’s existing AssistiveTouch. The setting...

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Apple’s first ‘carbon neutral’ products are a red herring

Apple released its Apple Watch Series 9. | Image: Apple

Apple announced its first-ever carbon-neutral products today, but don’t get too excited about what that means for the planet. It’s way more important to look at the company’s environmental impact as a whole rather than fixate on any particular product it’s selling as more sustainable.

Some of Apple’s new watches will be carbon neutral, but only based on “select” combinations of cases and bands. Apple also said it plans to stop selling leather accessories like watch bands and phone cases to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

When it comes to climate commitments, boasts about a specific product’s sustainability can distract from the far more important goal of reducing the company’s overall environmental impact. Apple has a goal of becoming...

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