Microsoft’s new Flight Simulator is a beautiful work in progress

For the last two weeks, I’ve been flying around the world in a preview of Microsoft’s new Flight Simulator. Without a doubt, it’s the most beautiful flight simulator yet, and it’ll make you want to fly low and slow over your favorite cities because — if you pick the right …...Read More

Google’s ‘no choice’ screen on Android isn’t working, says Ecosia - querying the EU’s approach to antitrust enforcement

Google alternative Ecosia is on a mission to turn search clicks into trees. The Berlin based not-for-profit reached a major milestone earlier this month, having used ad revenue generated by users of its privacy-sensitive search engine to plant more than 100 million trees across 25 countries worldwide — targeted at …...Read More

Samsung’s second-quarter profit grew 23% year-over-year, thanks to strong chip demand

Samsung Electronics sounded a cautiously optimistic note in its earnings report today. The company is continuing to deal with the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic, but its memory business was fortified by demand for DRAM chips as data centers adapted to an increase in remote work and education. Samsung Electronics …...Read More

Apple’s App Store commission structure called into question in antitrust hearing

Apple CEO Tim Cook defended the company’s App Store commission structure in his sworn testimony before the House Antitrust Subcommittee on Wednesday. He claimed the majority of the apps pay no commission at all, with others paying either 15 or 30 percent, based on the specifics of their particular situation. …...Read More

Amazon’s hardware business doesn’t escape Congressional scrutiny

While much of today’s Congressional grilling into the anticompetitive practices of the big tech giants focused on their core businesses, Amazon’s hardware also came in for close inspection during the hours-long interrogation. It was a small but significant exchange, because it touched on the breadth of the company’s services and …...Read More

Zuckerberg unconvincingly feigns ignorance of data-sucking VPN scandal

Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg appeared less than entirely truthful at today’s House Judiciary hearing, regarding last year’s major Onavo controversy, in which his company paid teenagers to use a VPN app that reported detailed data on their internet use. Though he may not have outright lied about it, his answers were …...Read More

Daily Crunch: Tech CEOs face Congress

U.S. tech giants face antitrust scrutiny, Spotify has a mixed quarter and at-home fitness startup Tempo raises funding. This is your Daily Crunch for July 29, 2020. The big story: Tech CEOs face Congress Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Apple’s Tim Cook, Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg and Google’s Sundar Pichai all appeared remotely …...Read More

Apple CEO Tim Cook questioned over App Store’s removal of rival screen time apps in antitrust hearing

Last year, Apple href="https://techcrunch.com/2018/12/05/apple-puts-third-party-screen-time-apps-on-notice/"> removed a number of screen time and parental control apps from its App Store, shortly after the company had released its own first-party screen time solution with the launch of iOS 12. At today’s antitrust hearing, Apple CEO Tim Cook was questioned about the move, given …...Read More

GM starts construction on the cornerstone of its EV strategy

Steel construction has begun on the nearly 3-million-square-foot factory that will mass produce Ultium battery cells and packs, the cornerstone of General Motors’ strategy to bring 20 electric vehicles to market by 2023. The Ultium Cells LLC battery cell manufacturing facility in Lordstown, Ohio is part of a joint venture …...Read More

Before buying Instagram, Zuckerberg warned employees of ‘battle’ to ‘dislodge’ its competitor

In one of the first substantive moments at Wednesday’s major tech hearing, Facebook’s 2012 acquisition of Instagram came under fire, unearthing a few new revelations about the company’s internal thinking at the time. Alluding to new documents provided to the committee as part of its ongoing year-long antitrust investigation, House …...Read More