Apple squashes a bug

Tuesday, January 28, 2025 Posted by bloggerdaddy

Tuesday, January 28, 2025

Welcome to TC PM! Today we have the details on a needed Apple security fix; e-book readers get some good news; and, of course, some Waymo, TikTok, and DeepSeek news. Onward!

TechCrunch Top 3

iphone sitting on an open laptop keyboard

Image Credits: Wirestock / Getty Images

🪳 Apple's zero-day bug: If your Apple device is using software older than iOS 17.2, it was susceptible to a zero-day bug that "may have been actively exploited" by hackers. Don't worry, though: Apple released an update to fix this, but you should probably update your operating system, too. Read more

🚀 Boom goes "boom": Boom Supersonic, which is building supersonic aircraft, had a successful test flight today. Its demonstrator plane went supersonic and broke the sound barrier. This is the first time a civil aircraft has been able to do that. Neat! Read more

💳 X partners with Visa: Elon Musk has long talked about wanting X to offer a peer-to-peer fintech product, which would help it become the "everything app" that he imagines. X announced today that it's partnering with Visa to tap the company's Visa Direct product, although it's unclear when this will launch. Read more

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Afternoon must-reads

Image Credits: Kimberly White/Getty Images for TechCrunch

🚙 GM is Cruisin': General Motors expects to save $1 billion a year after ending its robotaxi development company, Cruise. That figure is based on an assumption that Cruise employees will be fully integrated into GM by midyear. Read more

😉 Microsoft makes moves: Microsoft is allegedly in talks to potentially acquire TikTok's U.S. operations, according to President Donald Trump. Wait, haven't I heard this before? Oh yeah, back in 2020 when we did this whole TikTok song and dance for the first time. Read more

📚 E-book readers, rejoice! Bookshop.org, which connects readers to independent booksellers, announced on Tuesday that it launched an e-book platform. This gives e-book readers a new option — that is not Amazon — to get digital copies of their favorite titles. Read more

🛣️ Waymo takes the freeway: Waymo's robotaxis have been operating in Los Angeles since last year. Now the company announced it will be testing these robotaxis on some of LA's freeways. The real question is: How were these robotaxis getting anywhere in LA without using the freeway? Read more

🧐 Eric Schmidt's take: Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt wrote an op-ed calling on the U.S. to ramp up its open source AI efforts after the release of AI startup DeepSeek. But as recently as last year, Schmidt said the U.S. was two or three years ahead of China. Maybe not. Read more

Around the web

😯 The dark side of DeepSeek: While many folks are understandably excited about DeepSeek, security researchers say the company doesn't have some of the same safeguards as U.S. AI companies and can easily be tricked into doing "evil things." Ominous! Read more

🙋 We are losing the plot: There has been a lot of discussion lately around how stores like CVS and Walgreens keep goods locked in cabinets, which hasn't stopped theft. CVS is testing an initiative that would allow those with the CVS app to access those shelves using their phone. Read more

Before you go

woman holding cell phone with waymo app displayed

Image Credits: Waymo

🪙 Time to tip? Jane Manchun Wong, a security researcher who recently hacked the display dome on top of a Waymo vehicle, also discovered that the company appears to be developing a method for riders to pay a "tip" that will get donated to charity. Read more