📱 Epic vs. Apple, Starlink in Ukraine, China Leads Solar
Good morning. It’s Tuesday, October 01. Today we are covering:
Apple asks US judge to toss App Store injunction
Ukraine discovers Starlink on downed Russian Shahed drone: Report
How the US Lost the Solar Power Race to China
Alice Newton-Rex: 'WhatsApp makes people feel confident to be themselves'
Sonos has a plan to earn back your trust, and here it is
Let’s dive in
Apple asks US judge to toss App Store injunction
By Mike Scarcella via Reuters
Apple has requested a U.S. judge to dismiss or modify an injunction affecting its App Store, arguing that recent legal developments invalidate the court order won by Epic Games, which had sued Apple for alleged antitrust violations.
The request was made following two unrelated legal rulings—one from California state courts and another from the U.S. Supreme Court—that Apple believes support its position against the injunction.
The case continues as Epic accuses Apple of violating a 2021 court order and delaying compliance, leading to criticism from U.S. District Judge Thomas Hixson, who accused Apple of "bad behavior" for not meeting documentation production deadlines.
𝕏: Apple has just filed a motion to set aside Epic's anti-anti-steering injunction. That's something that rarely happens, but it is theoretically possible. They say there have been two important decisions lately that combined require the injunction to go away or at least to be narrowed to just Epic and its affiliates, as opposed to applying to *all* developers. - Florian Mueller (@Florian4Gamers)
Ukraine discovers Starlink on downed Russian Shahed drone: Report
By Ellie Cook via Newsweek
Ukraine's air defenses intercepted a Shahed-136 drone equipped with Starlink technology during aerial attacks, with claims of Russian modifications to use these advanced navigation systems in their drone warfare.
Ukrainian military is investigating the captured Shahed drones, amidst ongoing concerns about Russia's systemic use of Starlink in combat operations, despite SpaceX's denials of any direct sales or support to Russia.
The U.S. and SpaceX are actively working to counter unauthorized Russian exploitation of Starlink, highlighting ongoing international efforts to manage the satellite technology's role in the Ukrainian conflict.
𝕏: It’s time @elonmusk makes a choice. Be a US Contractor, or Russian. Not both Ukraine Discovers Starlink on Downed Russian Shahed Drone: Report - Newsweek - Adam Kinzinger (Slava Ukraini) (@AdamKinzinger)
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How the US Lost the Solar Power Race to China
By David Fickling via Bloomberg
China now controls over 90% of the global solar polysilicon market, significantly outpacing U.S. production due to aggressive scale-up and lower production costs.
The U.S. has struggled to compete due to high production costs and reduced investment in the solar industry, missing the opportunity to dominate the rapidly growing solar market.
In response to China's dominance, the U.S. has implemented tariffs and other protectionist measures, but these have largely failed to revive its solar manufacturing capabilities to competitive levels.
𝕏: How did the US invent solar power and dominate it for 60 years, before giving it up to China over the past decade? vThe answer is, IMO, quite different to the stories we have told ourselves in recent years. And it has important lessons for the future. - David Fickling (@davidfickling)
Alice Newton-Rex: 'WhatsApp makes people feel confident to be themselves'
By Cristina Criddle via Financial Times
Alice Newton-Rex, VP of Product at WhatsApp, emphasizes the importance of end-to-end encryption for user safety and confidence in digital communications.
Despite challenges from lawmakers globally, WhatsApp maintains strong defenses of its encryption practices to protect user privacy and uphold democratic values.
WhatsApp is integrating AI features, like chatbots and image generation, enhancing interactive and personalized user experiences while adhering to privacy standards.
Sonos has a plan to earn back your trust, and here it is
By Chris Welch via The Verge
Sonos CEO Patrick Spence unveils a multi-part plan to regain customer trust and improve product quality, including stringent new testing phases and a broader beta program to address issues before market release.
Executive bonuses at Sonos will be contingent on enhancing the app experience and restoring consumer confidence, alongside extending warranties for recent hardware purchases to bolster customer reassurance.
To increase transparency and accountability, Sonos introduces a "quality ombudsperson" role and commits to gradual, feedback-driven updates for major changes to the Sonos app, shifting from previous abrupt implementations.
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