Apple has officially launched its Self Service Repair program for newer iPhones in the U.S. Users can buy parts — such as batteries, cameras, and displays — and consult official repair manuals for DIY fixes to the iPhone 12, iPhone 13, and third-gen iPhone SE. More: - According to the Verge, the pricing for common replacement parts is generally on par with what users would be charged for professional repairs, though that increases more substantially if users send back the replaced parts.
- The parts and tools will be available at dedicated Self Service Repair Stores. Users can also rent toolkits for a week for $49 if they don't want to purchase tools outright.
- Apple said it plans to expand the program to Europe later this year.
- It will also add tools, parts, and manuals for Macs with Apple silicon at some point in the future.
- Most customers should still get their devices professionally repaired, Apple said, as the program is designed only for "individual technicians with the knowledge and experience to repair electronic devices."
Zoom-out: - Meanwhile, Google has partnered with iFixit to offer official parts to self-repair Pixel phones starting later this year.
- In late March, Samsung also announced a self-repair program with iFixit to give users of some Galaxy devices access to genuine parts, repair tools, and step-by-step repair guides.
CNET 
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Robinhood said it will lay off 340 employees, or about 9% of its workforce, after it overhired for certain roles during the pandemic. The online trading platform has seen its headcount grow from 700 to 3,800 employees since early 2020. More: - Robinhood's revenue soared to $1.8B in 2021, up from only $278M in 2019, spurring the hiring spree.
- In a blog post, CEO Vlad Tenev said the hiring led to duplicate job functions and roles, adding "more layers and complexity than are optimal."
- The staff reductions are intended to increase efficiency and velocity and ensure that the platform is "responsive to the changing needs of our customers," he wrote.
- Moving forward, the platform plans to introduce "key new products" in brokerage, crypto, and spending/saving, he said.
- Robinhood currently has $6B in cash on its balance sheet, Tenev said. The brokerage will be releasing its Q1 2022 earnings report on Thursday, April 28.
- On Tuesday, Robinhood shares closed at $10, the lowest since the company went public at $38 a share in July 2021.
THE NEW YORK TIMES
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Shares of Google parent Alphabet were down 2% in premarket trading after the company posted slower-than-expected sales growth. The Ukraine war has had a negative impact on YouTube ad sales relative to the rest of Google, CFO Ruth Porat said. More: - Alphabet's Q1 sales rose 23% YoY, the slowest since 2020.
- YouTube made $6.9B in ad sales, slightly more than in the same period last year but the growth was smaller than earlier in the pandemic.
- Search and cloud showed strong growth for the quarter "as the digital transformation continues," CEO Sundar Pichai said.
- He noted that YouTube Shorts investment was 4x higher than a year ago. The short-form video-sharing platform has reached daily views of 30 billion.
- Google's "other revenue," including hardware, app, and subscriptions, came in at $6.8B, below analysts' estimates of $7.3B.
- In addition, Alphabet said its board of directors has approved $70B in stock repurchases.
- The report comes after Alphabet surpassed annual revenue of $200B for the first time last year. Its 2021 revenue reached $257B.
CNBC
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Microsoft revenue rose 18% last quarter amid rising demand for its server and cloud services, according to its Q3 results. Microsoft Azure and its online Office versions have insulated the software maker from ongoing supply-chain issues, CEO Satya Nadella said. More: - Microsoft reported $49.4B in revenue and $16.7B in net income for the quarter ending March 31, beating analysts' estimates.
- Azure, its cloud computing service, reported growth of 46%, higher than forecasts.
- Microsoft is the second-largest cloud infrastructure provider after Amazon.
- The company's personal computing business, which includes Windows and Xbox, rose 11% in Q3.
- Nadella noted that enterprises are adopting Windows 11 at a faster rate than previous releases.
- Its gaming revenue, including Xbox hardware and content, was up 6% to $3.74B.
- Nadella said 10 million people have now streamed games from Microsoft’s cloud.
- In the current quarter, Microsoft expects sales of $52.4B and $53.2B, on par with estimates.
- It expects the Ukraine war will impact its sales by roughly $110M.
CNBC
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TikTok was the most downloaded app worldwide last quarter, beating out Instagram, according to a Sensor Tower report. TikTok became the fifth app ever — and the only app not owned by Meta — to surpass 3.5 billion all-time downloads. More: - No app has had more global downloads than WhatsApp since 2018, according to Sensor Tower.
- In Q1 2022, TikTok was downloaded over 175 million times globally.
- Instagram, previously the most downloaded app, reached 151 million downloads.
- Facebook was third, followed by WhatsApp and Telegram.
- Notably, HBO Max was among the top five most downloaded apps in the U.S. last quarter. January was its second-best month ever.
- Among mobile games, Wordle was the most popular in the U.S. last quarter. The report noted a boom in apps that track gas prices and offer rewards amid rising inflation.
Zoom-out: - A separate report by Conviva tracked the fastest-growing brands on TikTok in the past year.
- Two English Premier League teams, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United, gained the most followers in that time, followed by Netflix, ESPN, and Guinness World Records.
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Games publisher Ubisoft has shut down online services for 91 games, Kotaku reports. The games cover popular franchises such as Assassin's Creed and Far Cry. They span multiple platforms including PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Wii, and iOS. More: - Many of the games are older titles and will no longer support updates and multiplayer features. Offline features are still accessible.
- PC players will lose access to extra unlocked content, though console players can still access locally saved content.
- Ubisoft did not provide a reason for the shutdown. The game developer/publisher is said to be attracting interest from equity firms, including Blackstone and KKR, for a potential takeover.
- Ubisoft hasn't entered into any serious negotiations yet, Bloomberg noted.
- The developer may be looking to sell as it faces internal problems, including delays of some game titles.
- The news comes at a time of consolidation for the gaming industry. Microsoft is buying Activision Blizzard, Sony intends to acquire Bungie, and Take-Two has acquired Zynga, to name a few.
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- In its Q1 2022 financial results due out later today, Facebook owner Meta Platforms is expected to report its slowest ad revenue growth since the company went public in 2012.
- Regardless of its new ownership under Elon Musk, Twitter will still have to follow the EU's stricter content moderation standards or risk fines or a ban, European officials have warned.
- Chinese drone maker DJI said it has temporarily halted business activities in Russia and Ukraine as it seeks to make sure its products aren't used in combat.
- DARPA has awarded a contract to Intel and partners to develop simulation environments for autonomous off-road vehicles.
- Nreal Air Glasses, which are augmented reality glasses that connect to smartphones, are coming to the U.K. later this spring.
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 |  | Beth is a writer and analyst at Inside.com covering artificial intelligence and daily tech news. Since starting work at Inside, she has covered various topics including virtual reality, drones, and e-commerce. Prior to that she was a public policy and investigative reporter for The Arizona Republic, where she won a Pulitzer Prize nomination and First Amendment Award for reporting on the rising costs of pensions. Reach her at Beth.Duckett@inside.com. |   | | Editor | Eduardo Garcia is a writer and editor based in New York. He is writing an illustrated book about climate change that will be published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House. Bylines in The New York Times, The Guardian, Slate, Scientific American, and others. In one of his previous lives, Eduardo worked as a Reuters correspondent in Latin America for nearly a decade. | |
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