Cat adventure game ‘Stray’ delayed to summer 2022

Cat aficionados will have to wait a bit longer to get their paws on Stray. Developer BlueTweleve Studio’s feline simulator won’t release in early 2022 as previously announced. It’s now slated to come out sometime this summer. Sony shared news of the delay in a tweet spotted by The Verge. “Releasing summer 2022,” says the video accompanying the message.

The clip includes footage from the gameplay walkthrough publisher Annapurna Interactive shared last summer. And if you’re curious what Stray is all about, that video provides a few clues. In it, we see the game’s feline protagonist explore a neon-soaked city populated by robots of all shapes and sizes. Gameplay involves using his abilities as a cat to solve environmental puzzles. Partway through your journey, you’ll meet B-12, a drone that will allow you to converse with the city’s inhabitants. Naturally, as the cat, you can also do things like scratch furniture and rub up against the legs of robots you meet.

Intel CEO says chip shortage could continue until 2024

Experts and tech industry veterans have long expected the global semiconductor shortage to last for years, but Intel chief Pat Gelsinger now says it could go on longer than previously expected. The CEO told CNBC’s TechCheck that he expects the issue to drag on until 2024, because the shortage has now hit equipment manufacturing. That could make it difficult for companies to obtain key manufacturing tools and hit production goals that might be bigger than before due to growing demand. 

Gelsinger told the publication:

“That’s part of the reason that we believe the overall semiconductor shortage will now drift into 2024, from our earlier estimates in 2023, just because the shortages have now hit equipment and some of those factory ramps will be more challenged.”

Lockdowns tied to the COVID-19 pandemic had severely impacted the chip industry at a time when demand was ramping up. It forced not just tech companies, but also automakers like GM and Ford, to limit and even to suspend production. Apple’s MacBook and iPad shipments faced delays due to component shortages, and smartphone shipments in general fell in late 2021. This negative impact on the tech and auto industries translated to devastating economic consequences — according to CBS News, the global chip shortage cost the United States $240 billion in 2021 based on expert estimates.

Gelsinger previously said that he believes the situation will last until 2023, which falls in line with analysts’ and other industry execs’ expectations. After Gelsinger became Intel’s CEO, the company had announced several massive investments meant to expand chip manufacturing outside Asia. (To note, a Bloomberg report from back in late 2021 claimed that the White House “strongly discouraged” Intel from ramping up its chip production in China.) Intel said it’s spending $20 billion to build two chip factories in Arizona, and another $20 billion at least to build “the largest silicon manufacturing location on the planet” in Ohio.

Apple extends update deadline for outdated apps in danger of being deleted

Apple recently sent notices to some indie developers, warning them that their app will be pulled from the App Store if it’s not updated within 30 days. The tech giant has had a policy in place against outdated and abandoned applications since 2016, but the move suggests that it’s now more rigorously enforcing that rule. Some of the letters’ recipients criticized the policy for being a barrier to indie developers, what with how tough it is to keep up with platform changes and how much work it takes to roll out even a minor update. Now, Apple has published a post clarifying why some old apps are in danger of being removed, along with the announcement that it’s giving developers more time to update their applications. 

In the post, the company said that it will only send removal notices to developers whose apps haven’t been updated in three years, as well as to devs whose apps have not “been downloaded at all or extremely few times during a rolling 12 month period.” Apple said that dropping outdated apps makes newer ones more discoverable and also ensures users can enjoy games and tools that have been optimized for its latest OS and devices. 

As a lot of people know, there are older apps don’t work as well on the latest generation of phones, tablets and laptops anymore, delivering a subpar user experience. Still, 30 days might not be nowhere near enough time for smaller developers to conjure up an update. The good news is that Apple has extended its grace period and is now giving them up to 90 days to update their applications. Users will get to keep apps that are already installed on their devices even if they end up getting deleted, and developers can continue earning from them through microtransactions. 

CWA accuses Activision of threatening employees for discussing work conditions

The union working to organize Activision Blizzard workers — the Communications Workers of America — filed a complaint today with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), accusing the video game company of forbidding workers from discussing ongoing se…

Airbnb will stop offering refunds when a host or guest contracts COVID-19

Airbnb bookings made on or after May 31st will no longer be eligible for refunds for COVID-19-related issues. The upcoming change to the extenuating circumstances policy will apply to cases where a host or guest contracts COVID-19.

The company says the host’s standard cancellation policy will apply instead. It says nearly two-thirds of active offer policies that allow guests to cancel up to five days (under the moderate policy) or up to 24 hours before check in (as per the flexible policy).

Reservations made before the end of next month may still be eligible for a COVID-19-linked refund if they meet the terms of Airbnb’s policy. There are exceptions for domestic reservations in South Korea and mainland China. Airbnb said refunds will still be available there for some COVID-19-related circumstances for the foreseeable future.

“Some in the travel industry stopped this type of policy months ago, while others didn’t provide one at all,” Airbnb wrote in a blog post. “After consultation with our medical advisors, as well as our community, we feel the time is now right to take the same step.”

For what it’s worth, Airbnb will soon start offering travel insurance. The product will be available in the coming months. Until then, the company says, those concerned that COVID-19 may disrupt their travel plans can buy insurance elsewhere.

The onset of the pandemic devastated the travel industry and Airbnb wasn’t immune from the impact. The company laid off 25 percent of its workforce, or around 1,900 jobs, in May 2020. It seems Airbnb is hoping to get back to business as usual. It noted that “many countries have now implemented living with COVID-19 plans.”

Still, the pandemic is not over. Around a third of the global population has yet to receive at least one vaccine dose. Data shows that, on average, 629,798 cases have been recorded worldwide in each of the last 14 days.

Former Apple worker says Epic refused to hire her over labor advocacy

The worker who founded the #AppleToo movement has accused Epic Games of taking a similarly anti-labor stance. The Washington Postreports former Apple employee Cher Scarlett has filed a National Labor Relations Board complaint alleging Epic refused to hire her because she backed a labor organization, is cooperating with the NLRB and is otherwise fighting unfair working conditions. She claims Epic balked two days after she shared details of her advocacy work and federal testimony with recruiters for a senior web developer position.

Epic spokesperson Elka Looks denied any wrongdoing in a statement to The Post. She said Scarlett’s labor rights efforts didn’t factor into the hiring decision, and that the company had already settled on someone else before Scarlett shared details of her activities. The winning candidate simply “scored higher,” Looks stated.

Whether or not the assertions hold up, it’s no secret that Scarlett is known for challenging allegedly abusive and unfair workplaces. She helped draw attention to misconduct at Activision Blizzard by describing sexual harassment between 2015 and 2016. Scarlett also has three ongoing cases against Apple, including an NLRB complaint about a hostile work environment. Another NLRB complaint from February says Mozilla discriminated against her job application at that firm.

The complaint against Epic also comes as tensions have risen between tech companies and staffers demanding better labor practices. Amazon, Apple and other companies have been fighting unionization attempts, and there have long been concerns these brands might be firing outspoken employees. Even if Scarlett doesn’t succeed, she’ll highlight problematic behavior across the industry.

Update 4/29/22 7:18pm ET: Scarlett reached out on Twitter to add some additional details regarding the candidacy process. She claims most of the Epic employees at most levels of the interview process were “well aware” of her background in organizing and many “thought it was awesome.” She further insinuated that decision had been made by people above those layers of management.