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Google is making Meet more social with a new feature called in-meeting reactions. The idea is that users can send one of nine emoji reactions, including 💖👍 and 😂, which will appear on the recipient’s window and be visible to all in the meeting. If multiple users send emojis, they’ll appear as a burst on the left side of your screen. 

To use the function, you select the smile icon in the control bar, and can hover on the bar that pops up to select the skin tone of your choice for all emojis. Google calls it a “non-disruptive way to engage and participate in meetings without interrupting the speaker,” with “skin tones that best represent your identity.” Reactions will be on by default and can be turned off in the Admin console. The feature arrives starting on January 16th to web, Meet hardware devices and mobile, for all consumer and paid users.

Another feature arriving in the coming weeks is 360 degree backgrounds. Users on mobile will be able to insert 360 degree backgrounds that shift around based on your device’s gyroscope for a more immersive experience. Backgrounds include a beach to start with, then oasis, sky city, and mountain temples to follow. It’ll be available on mobile for iOS and Android, to consumers and paid users. 

 

In a 2022 report about VR fitness, The Washington Post cited a Forrester research that said 25 percent of American adults online are interested in buying a VR headset and 18 percent think they’d primarily use it for exercise. VR fitness is a growing space, and Meta has rolled out a couple of new health-related features for its Quest headset that could convince even more people to give it a try. In its latest update for the device, the company has rolled out Health Connect integration for Android users, and, as The Verge reports, the ability to pair Bluetooth heart rate monitors with it. 

A Meta spokesperson told the publication that if paired with a compatible heart rate monitor, the Meta Quest Move overlay can display a user’s heart rate on any game or app, alongside minutes exercised and calories burned. At the moment, the only known compatible monitors are the Garmin HRM-Dual and the Polar H10 chest straps, but other brands and models (even smartwatches) may be able to pair with the headset. Meta just can’t confirm if they’ll work with the Quest as it intended. 

Meanwhile, Health Connect integration will give users the capability to automatically sync VR workouts with their Android device. Meta first made people’s VR fitness stats viewable outside of their headsets when it gave iOS users the capability to sync their progress with Apple Health last year. Now, Android users can finally see their progress without having to put on the Quest, as well. 

The Health Connect API enables health and fitness data sharing across devices and between apps, such as Samsung Health and MyFitnessPal. To activate the integration, users will first have to sync their Meta Quest Move stats with the Meta Quest mobile app. They can do so by going into the Move app in VR and clicking Settings. Users will then have to toggle on “Health Connect by Android” under the Connected Apps section inside the Meta Quest mobile app.

It’s unclear if these features are also making their way to the first Quest model released under the Oculus branding. A few days ago, the company sent out emails to Quest 1 owners, telling them that their devices will no longer be getting new features going forward. Meta will also only be releasing critical security and bug patches for the device until 2024. 

 

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has recorded another inaugural milestone: its first confirmed discovery of an exoplanet. LHS 475 b is just 41 light years away and has a diameter 99 percent of Earth’s. But there’s more work to be done. The JWST should be able to figure out the atmospheres of Earth-sized exoplanets. The research team is still working to determine what, if any, sort of atmosphere the rocky mass may have. However, the planet’s surface appears to be around 300 Celsius, more than a little warmer than Earth, so don’t expect colonies. If they discover cloud cover, it could mean a greenhouse world climate closer to our neighboring planet Venus.

– Mat Smith

The Morning After isn’t just a newsletter – it’s also a daily podcast. Get our daily audio briefings, Monday through Friday, by subscribing right here.

The biggest stories you might have missed

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Apple may start making its own displays for its watches by 2024

Reports suggest these displays will make their way to other mobile devices.

Apple may start replacing its mobile devices’ displays with in-house screen technology as soon as next year. The tech giant will reportedly start with its highest-end Apple Watches in late 2024 and will swap the devices’ current OLED screens with its own microLED technology. Bloomberg says Apple’s homegrown display tech will also make its way to its other devices, including the iPhone.

Apparently, Apple was originally working to introduce its technology in 2020, but it was hampered by development costs and technical challenges. Back then, those same concerns also prevented the company from including larger displays in its plans.

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FAA grounds US flights following NOTAM computer outage

It ordered airlines to pause all domestic flights until 9 AM ET.

The Federal Aviation Administration ordered airlines to pause all domestic departures in the US, stopping all flights until 9 AM ET, because it had to restore its Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) system. On early Wednesday morning, the agency issued a notice through an Air Traffic Control System Command Center Advisory that the US NOTAM system had failed. “Operations across the National Airspace System are affected,” the FAA said in a tweet, then announced it was working to fix the outage. It’s the first time the US NOTAM system has failed.

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OpenAI is planning a paid ‘pro’ version of its hit ChatGPT bot

You’d have guaranteed access to the chatbot.

OpenAI has shared a waitlist for an experimental ChatGPT Professional service that, for a fee, would effectively remove limits on the advanced chatbot. The AI tool would always be available, with no throttling and as many messages as necessary. The startup hasn’t said when the pilot program might launch, and it’s asking would-be participants for feedback on pricing.

As TechCrunch noted, the company said on its Discord server it’s “starting to think” about how it will make money from ChatGPT and keep the technology viable in the “long-term.” CEO Sam Altman recently pointed out that ChatGPT costs OpenAI a few cents for every chat.

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Microsoft reportedly axes dual-screen Surface Duo 3 in favor of a ‘true’ foldable

You may also see more conventional smartphones.

Windows Central sources claim Microsoft has canceled a twin-screen Surface Duo 3, which was allegedly meant to launch late this year. The company has apparently switched to focus on a “true” foldable phone. The new device’s specs and name aren’t known, but it would have a 180-degree hinge with an outside cover display, like the Vivo X Fold. The canceled Surface Duo 3 was “finalized,” according to the sources. It would have supposedly addressed some of its predecessor’s shortcomings with narrower edge-to-edge screens and wireless charging. But now, we’ll probably never know.

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Apple is working on an update to the AirPods Max headphones and developing an AirPods “lite” with a $99 target price, analyst Min-Chi Kuo wrote in a tweet spotted by 9to5Mac. The new products won’t be coming anytime soon, however, with a target release date for the more affordable AirPods no earlier than the second half of 2024, according to Kuo.

With the AirPods lite (or LE, or whatever Apple decides to call them), Apple would likely be trying to claw back some market share from the many cheap wireless buds on the market. The current AirPods 2 sell for $129, while the AirPods 3 cost $169, though both are often discounted. Neither offers active noise cancellation, while rivals from companies like Oppo offer ANC for under $100. 

Apple’s focus on its AR headset will lead to a “muted 2023” for other products, according to Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman, so the new audio products won’t arrive soon. Kuo tweeted that the next-generation AirPods, including the less expensive model will ship starting in the second half of 2024 or first half of 2025. He didn’t say what date Apple is targeting for the AirPods Max, but they haven’t had an update since their launch in December of 2020. 

With the 3rd-gen 2021 AirPods , Apple introduced Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking, along with an updated design, Adaptive EQ, IPX4 sweat and water resistance, longer battery life, improved speech quality and more. The main complaints with the product were around fit, sound quality and pricing. 

 

Amazon has failed to convince Cornele Overstreet, a regional director with the National Labor Relations Board, to overturn JFK8 workers’ vote in favor of unionization. If you’ll recall, the JFK8 facility in Staten Island became the first unionized Amazon warehouse after workers voted 2,350-1,912 in favor of joining a union back in April 2022. Amazon said at the time that it was “disappointed” with the result and challenged the vote, alleging “inappropriate and undue influence” from the NLRB. The Wall Street Journal says the e-retailer also accused Amazon Labor Union organizers of threatening employees to vote in favor of unionization. 

Overstreet, however, has ruled that the company was unable to present sufficient proof of inappropriate conduct to overturn the election’s results. He agreed with the labor board hearing officer who recommended in September that JFK8’s union vote should be upheld. In a tweet, ALU president Christian Smalls celebrated being “certified by Region 28 NLRB.” He added that the union “beat [Amazon] fair and square” and tagged Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, asking him to “come to the table” so they could sign a contract. 

As The Journal notes, ALU previously said that Amazon’s appeal was a stalling tactic to delay negotiations for workers’ demands. And it sounds like the company doesn’t intend to back down: An Amazon spokesperson said the e-commerce giant will appeal again and take the case to the NLRB’s board in Washington. As CNBC reports, Jassy previously said that the case “has a real chance to end up in federal court,” because it’s “probably unlikely the NLRB is going to rule against itself.”

 

With the rapid evolution of AI chatbot systems like Chat-GPT, VALL-E, and BlenderBot 3 and their growing abilities to generate text on par with human writers, robots coming to take your writing job is becoming a viable threat. Over at CNET, it’s apparently already happening. 

On Wednesday, The Byte reported that the popular tech site appears to have employed “automation technology” to produce a series of financial explainer posts beginning in November 2022 under the byline of CNET Money Staff. It is only after clicking the byline that the site reveals that “This article was generated using automation technology and thoroughly edited and fact-checked by an editor on our editorial staff.”

Online marketer Gael Breton first flagged the content Wednesday on Twitter. In all, the tech site produced 73 such posts since last November on subjects such as “Should You Break an Early CD for a Better Rate?” or “What is Zelle and How Does It Work?” Since news of its activities broke at the start of the day, CNET has subsequently taken down the CNET Money Staff bio page as well as removed the “Staff” from numerous posts it had written.

Using text generators isn’t currently a widespread practice throughout the journalistic sphere but outlets like the Associated Press and Washington Post have used them for various low-level copywriting tasks — the latter employing them to write about high school football and the equally unimportant 2016 Rio Olympics. But normally when an outlet makes a fundamental shift to the operations of its newsroom such as this, they typically send out a press release or make an announcement on social, anything. It does not appear that CNET has made any sort public note that this program exists beyond the dropdown explainer window. 

The quality difference between CNET’s system and the AP’s is a stark one. The AP system is a glorified mail merge, shoving specific pieces of data into preformatted story blanks for daily blotter posts and other highly repetitive journalistic tasks. CNET’s system, on the other hand, appears to be far more capable, able to compose feature length explainer posts on complex financial concepts — a far cry from the journalistic Mad Libs the AP engages in. We’ve reached out to CNET for comment and will update the post when the company responds.

 

Apple is reportedly working on touchscreen MacBooks. Although the plans aren’t finalized, Bloomberg’s sources say that touch-friendly Apple laptops could arrive in 2025.

For a company that has made a point of saying that touch is better on a product like the iPad, a touchscreen MacBook would be a big change — but don’t expect a wild departure from traditional Apple laptop design. The alleged touchscreen MacBook Pro would “likely” still run macOS and include a standard trackpad and keyboard. But, similar to Windows laptops and 2-in-1s, it would incorporate display taps and gestures. The report says Apple may expand the touch input to include other Mac models over time, but it isn’t currently planning on combining macOS and iPadOS. (One can surmise that fear of cannibalizing iPad sales has been a factor in holding out this long.)

Additionally, the report reiterates that Apple is shifting its Mac displays to OLED as part of a broader MacBook Pro overhaul. Current Macs have LCDs, while iPhones (except for the iPhone SE) and Apple Watches use OLED displays.

Apple launched the Touch Bar in 2016 as a half measure towards full touchscreen capabilities on MacBooks. The strip above the keyboard included system and in-app shortcuts, spelling suggestions and other touch-friendly inputs. But it was never embraced by developers or Apple’s most loyal customers, and it was removed from Apple’s 2021 MacBook Pro redesign.

Although much has been made of Steve Jobs’s insistence that touchscreens don’t belong on Macs, this wouldn’t be the first time the company has evolved in ways that go against “the gospel of Steve.” For example, he mocked big iPhones, small tablets and iPad styluses; today, Apple will happily sell you an iPhone 14 Pro Max, iPad mini and Apple Pencil. Although Jobs’s vision is very much instilled in the company’s DNA, the computing world has changed slightly since 2011.

 

It seems Elon Musk’s Twitter is working on a new scheme to make money from the platform. The service appears to be experimenting with an in-app currency called “coins” meant to help creators earn money from the platform, according to screenshots shared by two app researchers.

The feature has been spotted in recent days by Jane Manchun Wong and Nima Owji, app researchers who often publish images of unreleased features. According to their posts, coins appear to be an extension of Twitter’s existing tipping feature. “Coins allow you to support creators who Tweet great content,” reads a screenshot shared by Wong and Owji. An image shared by Owji back in December showed a new “Coins” tab in the same section where users can keep track of their tips.

For now, it’s unclear exactly what Twitter’s plans are for coins or when the feature could launch. The company, which no longer employs communications staff, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. But the screenshots suggest Twitter is at least considering featuring coins prominently in its app as both Wong and Owji spotted it in the main sidebar.

But coins may not be just for tipping. Wong also spotted an “Awards” feature, which allows people to use coins to buy in-app gifts for others. According to the image shared by Wong, users would be able to buy gifts for as little as one coin (called “Mind Blown”) or as much as 5000 (called “Gold”). It’s not clear how much coins will cost, though Twitter would presumably get a cut of revenue generated from coin purchases.

So far, Elon Musk doesn’t seem to have publicly weighed in on coins or awards, but he has spoken broadly about wanting more ways for creators to be rewarded. He’s said that Twitter Blue revenue would potentially “give Twitter a revenue stream to reward content creators” and that “creator monetization for all forms of content” is also in the works.

It’s also worth noting that despite the “coins’ moniker, the feature doesn’t seem to have any cryptocurrency tie-ins, at least for now. “Twitter Coin is still under development and we don’t even have any evidence that it’s something related to crypto,” Owji noted. “Don’t let the scammers fool you.”

 

The Guardian has confirmed that it was the victim of a ransomware attack, and that the damage is more serious than first thought. In an update to staff, Guardian group chief Anna Bateson and newspaper editor-in-chief Katharine Viner said the December attack was “highly sophisticated” and accessed the personal data of UK employees. There was no evidence of the data being exposed online, or that the intruders had breached data for readers or non-UK editions.

Bateson and Viner understood that this was a “criminal” ransomware campaign, and that the perpetrators hadn’t targeted The Guardian as a media outlet. The paper has alerted both police as well as the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office. The leaders didn’t identify the suspected culprits.

The fallout from the cyberattack has worsened. While The Guardian now expects some vital systems to return within two weeks, workers now won’t return to the office until early February. That will give the IT team more time to restore infrastructure, the outlet said. Staff have largely been working from home since the attack was spotted on December 20th, but were originally told only to stay away from the office for the remainder of that week.

The company has continued to run its online and print publications in the weeks since. Even so, the confirmation still makes this one of the more serious online security incidents for the press in recent memory. Fast Company was knocked offline for eight days early last fall, while The New York Postfell prey to a rogue employee weeks later. The Guardian is still dealing with the consequences of the ransomware over three weeks later, and won’t return to normality for a while yet.

 

It’s no secret that the conditions were ripe for a steep drop in PC demand this holiday, but now it’s clear just how bad that plunge really was. Gartner and IDC estimate PC shipments fell by more than 28 percent year-over-year in the fourth quarter of 2022. That’s the steepest quarterly decline Gartner has ever recorded — no mean feat when it began tracking the computer market in the 1990s. Both analyst groups also saw yearly shipments fall by more than 16 percent in 2022 compared to the year earlier.

Some manufacturers suffered more of a blow than others. The top three brands, Lenovo, HP and Dell, saw their shipments tumble between 29 percent and 37 percent in late 2022 compared to a year earlier. Acer took a staggering 41 percent hit, according to Gartner. Fourth-place Apple took a relatively light blow, although that still meant its shipments dropped by as much as 10 percent.

Gartner and IDC share the same explanation. PC sales soared in 2021 as people continued to work from home during the pandemic, but that interest tanked as people gradually returned to the office. Moreover, a worsening global economy left people with less money to spend on upgrades. Would-be customers either had a recent PC or had trouble affording a new one, to put it simply.

IDC is quick to put the seeming freefall into context. While the quarterly and yearly drops were sharp, shipments in 2022 were still “well above” pre-pandemic figures, according to researchers. While demand still looks grim, the market was still stronger than before.

Just don’t expect the PC’s heyday to return for a while. Neither analyst group expects the market to recover in earnest until 2024, and IDC only sees “pockets of opportunity” in 2023. Whether they like it or not, PC makers may have to brace themselves and hope that a combination of new designs and price cuts will sustain interest for the next year.