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We’re changing things up this week with a new format for Studio Bytes to give you a streamlined range of tech news updates. Coming soon we’ll spotlight one or two of the best headlines of the week for deeper analysis.
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SpaceX Unveils “Fully Stacked” Starship Ahead of Second Launch
SpaceX completed assembly of its newest Starship and improved launch platform ahead of a launch planned later this month. The last Starship test failed mid-flight after debris from the launch tower damaged the engines of the spacecraft.
The End of Airbnb In New York
New York City is now enforcing its strictest Airbnb law to date requiring all hosts to register through the same process as hotels with fines for non-compliance starting at $5,000 per violation. Previous rules, such as the ban of renting entire apartments for less than 30 days, remain in effect.
Apple Keynote Next Tuesday
Apple will unveil the iPhone 15 and a completely redesigned Apple Watch on Tuesday 9/12 at 10 a.m. PT. Updates to the iMac and iPad are also expected, as well as more information on the roll out of Vision Pro.
Grindr Loses Almost Half Its Staff
The publicly traded LGBT dating app laid off 80 of its 178 employees for failing to comply with a new “return to office” policy, though a union group says the hastily announced policy was designed to bust a nascent union of tech workers.
X Updates Terms to Prohibit Data Harvesting
X has officially changed its Terms of Service to ban third-party data scraping, a move designed to block AI companies from training data on the Twitter social graph without paying API fees.
BMW Stops Heated Seat Subscriptions
BMW has given up on its experiment of charging its customers monthly fees to unlock hardware features like heated seats and adaptive cruise control. Subscribers to these features will get lifetime access. The move by the luxury carmaker to generate “recurring revenues” had been met with near universal criticism.