Apple's Self Service Repair program is now available in the US. If you have an iPhone 12, iPhone 13 or third-generation iPhone SE, you can buy replacement batteries, cameras and displays from a dedicated store and use the company’s official repair manuals to fix it yourself. You can even spend $49 to rent a toolkit for a week if you'd rather not buy tools.
The program will expand to other regions later this year, starting in Europe. If you’re looking to repair your Mac, you’ll have to wait a little longer. Like iPhones, currently only the very latest models — powered by Apple Silicon — will be self-repair friendly.
Conveniently, for Apple, it timed the launch alongside a new white paper, which says the company has "nearly doubled" the size of its repair network, and eight out of 10 of its American customers live within 20 minutes of an authorized repair provider. The company also outlined the rationales, again, behind its design and repair decisions, including its emphasis on using official parts — to protect your privacy and security.
It’s not a flawless repair scheme. To buy a part, you need to enter your iPhone’s serial number at checkout and get that part activated through a pairing software tool.
As iFixit points out, other parts will come with an "unable to verify" warning, which could limit (or put off) people thinking of repairing their device.
— Mat Smith
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Sony is building a game preservation team
The revamped PlayStation Plus service will include hundreds of games from older generations.
Talking of preservation, Sony is trying to ensure games from decades ago will live on. When Sony's expanded PlayStation Plus service starts rolling out next month, it’ll fold in PlayStation Now, which offers access to hundreds of games from older console generations. Sony has hired at least one engineer to work on a new game preservation team.
Sony has struggled to preserve games over console iterations. Many PS1 games worked on PS2, and the original PS3 models could run many PS1 and PS2 games, but you were unable to play discs from older generations on PS4.
Amazon avoids fines and other penalties in Illinois warehouse collapse
It's still facing multiple lawsuits and a House Oversight committee probe.
CNBC reports Amazon won't face fines and other penalties following the collapse of an Illinois warehouse that killed six workers during a tornado. However, the US Labor Department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) asked Amazon to review its procedures after discovering issues with its Emergency Action Plan. Despite tornado warnings from the National Weather Service 36 hours ahead of the event, Amazon continued to operate the Edwardsville, Illinois, warehouse. It was in the middle of a shift change when the tornado touched down with wind speeds up to 150 MPH, destroying the south side of the building.
While Amazon avoided penalties from OSHA, it's facing a separate probe in Congress and multiple lawsuits.
Twitch is reconsidering how it pays top streamers
Because many jumped to YouTube.
Bloombergsources say Twitch is considering multiple proposals to rethink payment structures, including one that would cut top streamers' share of subscriptions from 70 percent to the usual 50 percent. Another would establish multiple pay tiers with different requirements.
The reported proposals come after Twitch implemented multiple efforts to boost long-term profits and satisfy its parent company, Amazon. The service recently introduced a program that motivates frequent streamers to run more ads.
'Disney Dreamlight Valley' looks like Animal Crossing with Wall-E and Moana
You can go fishing with Goofy and help Anna and Elsa restore their memories.
Disney’s latest video game, Dreamlight Valley, appears to be a blend of a life sim and an adventure game packed with Disney and Pixar characters. In metaverse style, you'll be able to customize your character with T-shirts, dresses, hats and other gear you design yourself. There's also the option of kitting them out with Mickey Mouse streetwear or a ballgown inspired by a Disney princess. (Why not both?)
Disney Dreamlight Valley will be available on PC, Mac, Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo Switch. It’ll formally launch in 2023 as a free-to-play game.