Hi again. Apple has introduced a handful of upgraded gadgets and new colors, and a Twitter bot went viral for exposing companies' pay gaps on International Women's Day.
Ready? Let's dive in.
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1. Apple's new gadgets have arrived. During yesterday's "Peek Performance" event, Apple unveiled a handful of upgraded devices, new colorways, and Apple TV+ perks — and bid adieu to a longstanding iMac. Here are the latest Apple devices:
- A new iPhone SE 3: Apple's cheapest and most popular model has been upgraded with the new A15 Bionic silicon chip, and will have improved camera capabilities. It'll come in black, white, and red. More on the new iPhone SE 3.
- A new iPad Air: Starting at $600, the new iPad Air runs on the same M1 processor as the iPad Pro and some MacBooks, making it 60% faster than the 2020 version, the company said.
- The Mac Studio: The new desktop computer resembles the Mac Mini desktop line, but with more power and a higher price, starting at $1,999. More on the Mac Studio.
- Going green: Apple introduced two new colors for the iPhone 13 lineup: alpine green and green. See the new colors here.
These are the other Apple updates you may have missed.
In other news:
2. Amazon Web Services has halted taking on new customers in Russia and Belarus. The company said it has no facilities in Russia and does not do business with its government, adding that its existing customers in Russia are headquartered outside the country. What we know so far.
3. Three startup founders landed $5 million after telling investors "why you shouldn't invest." The founders of software firm Passthrough addressed concerns head-on in their pitch memo, and said it helped weed out the skeptics and find the right investors sooner. How they tackled doubts and came out with millions.
4. It wasn't just you — Spotify had a major outage yesterday. Spotify acknowledged problems yesterday afternoon after users reported being logged out of the app. Discord, too, was experiencing issues, though the problems were unrelated. Get the latest on the outage.
5. A software engineer at a Big Tech company details his path to a $180,000 salary. As part of Insider's "Salary Journeys," a series that discusses how much people have made over their careers, a 32-year-old explained his career path — and why he still feels underpaid. Read his full journey here.
6. Elon Musk wants out of an SEC settlement that requires Tesla lawyers to approve his tweets. Claiming it stifles free speech, the Tesla CEO asked a judge to toss the settlement, which was reached after the SEC decided his now-infamous tweet about taking Tesla public misled investors. Here's the latest on Musk's settlement.
7. A brother-sister crypto mining operation has been charged in a $124 million scheme. The pair is being charged for running an alleged crypto scam, wherein they propped up a token called Ormeus Coin — which the DOJ and SEC said was based on "fiction" to defraud thousands of investors. More on the "traveling salesman" scheme.
8. Amanda Seyfried worried she'd destroy her voice talking like Elizabeth Holmes in "The Dropout." Holmes, the former Theranos CEO found guilty of wire fraud, has a notoriously deep voice that Seyfried had to replicate in the new Hulu series. She told the LA Times that she feared dropping her voice several octaves would do permanent damage to her vocal cords.
Odds and ends:
9. Weighing the pros and cons of the $40,000 Volkswagen ID.4. Insider's transportation reporter took the electric SUV for a spin, and liked its solid driving range and comfy interior, but was frustrated by its interior tech. Here's what to consider before buying the ID.4.
10. A Twitter bot went viral for shaming companies on International Women's Day. "Employers, if you tweet about International Women's Day, I'll retweet your gender pay gap," the bot's bio reads. Yesterday, it retweeted hundreds companies — including Warner Music and McAfee. The bot's developers explain its purpose.
What we're watching today:
- Volkswagen to launch a production version of its new ID.Buzz electric microbus van.
- Bloomberg is hosting its Work Shifting 2.0: Redefining Normal event today.
- The Women's Private Equity Summit is scheduled to take place today.
- Jury selection for the trial of Theranos exec Ramesh "Sunny" Balwani is set to begin today.
Curated by Jordan Parker Erb in New York. (Feedback or tips? Email [email protected] or tweet @jordanparkererb.) Edited by Michael Cogley in London.