Issue 1469 - Monday 11th October, 2021

In Today's Issue

The News

Apple appeals the sole ruling against it in Epic case

The Epic vs. Apple court case continues, with Apple appealing the only argument in the case they lost - allowing developers to tell their customers that prices for in-app purchases are lower elsewhere. This means Epic is allowed to tell players of Fortnite on iOS that if they buy their fancy hats or whatever on Epic's website, they'll pay less than if they got it via an in-app purchase on the App Store. Apple reckons allowing this "would upset the careful balance between developers and customers provided by the App Store, and would irreparably harm both Apple and consumers". Could take a year or more for the appeal to be decided upon, so in the meantime Apple wants an injunction so they don't have to change anything on the App Store.

Tesla moving HQ from Palo Alto, CA to Austin, TX

Tesla has had enough of California and is moving its HQ from Palo Alto to Austin, Texas. Elon reckons the main reason for the move is the insane cost of housing in the Bay Area, where even its highly paid non-factory staff can't afford to live nearby. I'm sure it doesn't hurt that Mr. Musk's Starship project is taking place in Texas too (in Boca Chica). Their infamous Fremont factory (tents and all) isn't going anywhere however. They plan to increase production there by 50%. Meanwhile, Tesla is ready to start rolling cars out of their brand spanking new factory in Gruenheide, just outside Berlin in Germany - as soon as the government gives them environmental approval.

Submit examples of social media misinformation to DIGI and they might do something about it

Seen something dodgy on social media that you reckon should be removed immediately because it's spreading harmful lies? You'll soon be able to report it to the Digital Industry Group (DIGI) as part of the Australian Code of Practice on Disinformation and Misinformation that Adobe, Apple, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Red Bubble, TikTok and Twitter have signed up to. DIGI will set up a portal plebs like us can submit content to for an independent committee to review. They'll then "work with signatories, through an administration sub-committee, to oversee the various actions taken by signatories to meet their obligations under the code". Keep in mind that the code is voluntary and has no penalties or enforcement.

Something I Saw On The Internet

Real world Aussie review of Starlink satellite internet

Old mate Agg down at Overclockers Australia has got himself a Starlink satellite dish and loves it. He posts about how his shitty FTTN NBN barely kept up with his family's internet usage, but the Starlink setup handles it nicely. It's installed with a clear open sky and weather doesn't seem to impact it much. On a clear day he gets around 250mbit down and 30mbit up with latency from 20ms to 100ms. A massive improvement over the 20/7 FTTN from NBN. The only complaint Agg has is that it costs a fair bit at $809 for the dish and $139/m for unlimited access. But considering the circumstances, it's worth every cent. Starlink is gonna sell 100,000+ of these in Australia, easily.

Bargains

The End

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The Sizzle is created on Wathaurong land and acknowledges the traditional owners of country throughout Australia, recognising their continuing connection to land, water and community. I pay my respect to them and their cultures and to elders both past and present.​