Tech Digest daily roundup: Apple launches new iPhone SE, updated iPad Air
Apple has announced a new version of its cheapest iPhone, an updated iPad Air tablet and a new powerful professional desktop computer called the Mac Studio. During a livestreamed event on Tuesday, Apple’s chief executive Tim Cook also announced that the firm would begin showing Friday night Major League Baseball games on its Apple TV+ service in the US, UK, Australia and other markets. The new cut-price iPhone brings the “SE” model more up to date with Apple’s latest A15 processor, longer battery life and 5G connectivity. Guardian
Apple has finally discontinued the 27-inch iMac. Minutes after Apple’s Peek Performance event wrapped, the last of the Intel iMacs disappeared from its online store. It’s not as if this news is surprising. Ever since Apple announced it was switching to its own chips, the Intel iMac’s days were numbered. That said, the 27-inch iMac was still available after last spring’s Spring Loaded event, which introduced the 24-inch M1 iMac. It made sense. At the time, there wasn’t really another option for people who wanted a larger desktop screen that wasn’t the ludicrously expensive Pro XDR Display. The Verge
Social media sites and search engines could soon have to stop paid-for scam adverts appearing by law. The updated proposal is part of the Online Safety Bill, a piece of landmark legislation trying to determine how sites deal with harmful content. Campaign groups say being a scam victim can cause both financial and emotional devastation. The government is also launching a consultation into how online advertising is regulated. Under a new legal duty being added to the bill, platforms will be required to put in place processes to block on ads appearing online and remove them if they slip through the net. BBC
A Welsh satellite company that aims to make high-tech materials in space with miniature robotic factories will be among the first to have its cargo launched from British soil this summer. Space Forge, based in Cardiff, has reached a deal with Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Orbit to be part of the inaugural mission from Spaceport Cornwall, the UK’s first satellite launch. The launch, which will involve satellites being propelled into space from a modified jumbo jet at 35,000 feet, is seen as a key moment for the British space industry. Telegraph
The price of nickel is surging as investors take stock of the new global reality: Russia, a key supplier of the metal, is now facing extensive sanctions following its invasion of Ukraine. In an unusual step, the London Metal Exchange suspended nickel trading on Tuesday morning after three-month contract prices more than doubled to over $100,000 per ton. Nickel is a critical ingredient in the lithium-ion battery cells used in most electric vehicles sold in — and planned for — the U.S. market. Its abrupt price surge has analysts and investors raising hard questions about automakers’ ambitious electric-vehicle programs. CNBC
Samsung has confirmed it suffered a cybersecurity breach that had exposed company data, including the source code for the operation of Galaxy smartphones, Bloomberg News reported. The development comes days after hacker group Lapus$ — which was also involved in stealing proprietary information from Nvidia’s networks —claimed it had gained Samsung’s confidential data. “Among the items listed were algorithms for Samsung smartphone biometric authentication and bootloader source code to bypass some operating system controls,” the publication said. GeoNews
