NewsBytes Briefing: Outage hits Apple App Store, iCloud, and more
Last night, in a rare incident, Apple suffered from a major outage that left many of its services down, including Apple App Store, Music, Apple TV+, Photos, and iCloud. The issue lasted for a few hours but has since been resolved, with all affected services now operating normally. However, Apple, rather vaguely, said only "some users" were affected. Here are other developments.
Google sued by Sonos over patent infringement
Audio products maker Sonos has sued Google over patent infringement. The company has claimed that the internet giant has violated five of its technology patents that form the foundation of some of the best-known features of Sonos speakers. This is the latest salvo in the Google-Sonos battle, which started earlier this year with the latter suing Google. That case was also for patent violations.
Facebook is testing new 'Accounts Center' feature
Separately, Facebook has announced a test of Accounts Center, a new section for the settings of its main app, Instagram, and Messenger. Through this feature, users will be able to link their accounts on the three services and enable cross-posting. They can also save payment information, which will allow seamless payments for products or donations on Facebook and Instagram.
Amazon Explore virtual tour platform
Meanwhile, Amazon launched a new invite-only service called Amazon Explore. Using this, people in the US will be able to book live virtual tours and experiences led by local experts. This could include experiences revolving around creativity, DIY skills, or tours of far-off places or popular cultural landmarks, among other things. You can theoretically take a tour of any place globally with Amazon Explore.
Other important developments to note
Among other things, the Biden campaign claimed that Facebook is not tackling election-related misinformation, while Microsoft won a slot to place its Bing search engine, alongside Google, on select Android phones sold in Europe. Further, LG revealed that its Wing swiveling phone will retail at $999, and the UAE announced the plan to put a lander to the Moon by 2024.
Finally, some COVID-19-related news
India on Tuesday reported over 80,000 fresh coronavirus infections, bringing the nationwide tally to 62.23 lakh. The death toll, meanwhile, rose to 97,558 with over 1,100 fresh fatalities. In the fight against the pandemic, Moderna's vaccine was found to be working safely in older adults, while Serum Institute of India announced the plan to increase the manufacturing of licensed shots to 200 million doses.
