Apple powers up 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M2 Pro and Max chips

TechCrunch Newsletter

By Christine Hall and Haje Jan Kamps Tuesday, January 17, 2023

Good news — we are back with another round of events for TechCrunch, and we have early-bird tickets available to our Early Stage event in Boston in April. Woohoo! Today, we also particularly enjoyed Connie's peek into the future as Sam Altman sees it.  — Christine and Haje Image Credits: Olly Curtis/Future / Getty Images

The TechCrunch Top 3 An Apple a day…: Get ready to take a big bite out of Apple. Kyle and Brian peel off the cover to unveil the consumer tech giant's M2 Pro and M2 Max chips that pack some power. The chips will be available in the 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros, and if you are looking around for a new computer, the M2 Mac Mini arrives January 24, starting at $599. Cloudy with a chance of embedded analytics: Nothing but blue skies so far for Cumul.io, a low-code embedded analytics platform for SaaS companies. The company raised $10.8 million to continue developing its business intelligence platform that quickly "connects just about any data source, drag-and-drop specific features to customize their dashboards, and then copy-paste a snippet of code into their application to serve thousands of end-users," Paul writes. The headline says it all: We couldn't help but steal from the TC+ section because Tim's headline is just so good: "Nest co-founder Matt Rogers' new startup is trash." We won't ruin it any more for you.

Startups and VC ChatGPT, the AI that can write poems, emails, spreadsheet formulas and more, has attracted a lot of negative publicity lately, Kyle writes. That's perhaps why AI21 Labs, an Israeli startup developing text-generating AI systems along the lines of ChatGPT, tried a different tack with its newly released assistive writing tool, Wordtune Spices. A part of AI21's expanding suite of generative AI, Wordtune Spices doesn't compose emails and essays like ChatGPT. Instead, it suggests options that change the voice and style of already written sentences, also offering up statistics from web-based sources to "strengthen arguments." Apropos robots that write…On the heels of raising at a $1 billion valuation last week, DeepL is taking the wraps off a new language product, the first extension for a startup that made its name from its popular AI-based translation tools, Ingrid, er, writes. Write is a new tool that fixes your writing — catching grammar and punctuation mistakes, offering suggestions for clarity and more creative phrasing and (soon) giving you the option to change your tone. There was a lot of fun startup news on the site over the past few days, so it was hard to choose just five to load up in our little recommendation engine, but here's what we came up with: QR isn't dead…: It's the tech that won't die, as Beaconstac lands a $25 million investment for its QR code management platform, Kyle reports. The DM says nah: Amanda reports that D&D publisher says "We rolled a 1" as it addresses backlash over controversial license. That price is un-Hinge-d: Dating app Hinge tests a pricier $60 per month subscription, similar to Tinder Platinum, Sarah writes. Want to buy that again?: CloseFactor raises $15.2 million to automate repetitive sales processes, Kyle reports. Time for 100 push-ups, stat: Darrell takes a closer look at Vitruvian's Trainer+, writing that it is an all-in-one home gym that actually lives up to its promises.

7 space tech predictions for 2023 At the time of this writing, Wikipedia notes that there have been eight successful spaceflight launches so far this year. New spaceports are entering operation, cell phone users will soon have connectivity from space, and the Artemis program backed by NASA is one of several ventures that will bring robots (and eventually human crews) to the moon. “Despite the economic uncertainty, we believe new records will be established in spacetech as giant commercial projects get funded,” says Mark Boggett, CEO and co-founder of Seraphim Space Manager LLP. Three more from the TC+ team: A feature does not a company make: Build a company, not a feature, by Haje. Mo IP, mo money: Cost-effective IP strategies can lead to massive exit valuations, by Kyle Graves. Here's a flying crystal ball: Mark Boggett has 7 space tech predictions for you for the upcoming year. TechCrunch+ is our membership program that helps founders and startup teams get ahead of the pack. You can sign up here. Use code "DC" for a 15% discount on an annual subscription! Read More Image Credits: Orlando Sentinel / Getty Images

Big Tech Inc. Extra, extra, read all about how the Royal Mail confirmed a cyberattack that disrupted postal service in the United Kingdom. Carly writes that the confirmation comes a week after the Royal Mail said it was hit by an unspecified "cyber incident” that caused it to not be able to dispatch items overseas. CEO Simon Thompson said he didn't believe customer data was compromised, but notified authorities in case that changes. Some reports say the LockBit ransomware group is behind this, and Carly is working on confirming that. And we have five more for you: "Baby Yoda" back again: Get ready for more cuteness from a galaxy far, far away. Disney+ released 'The Mandalorian' Season 3 trailer, Lauren writes. May the Force be with you. We see you: Frederic writes that Wyze is going back to its OG way with the Wyze Cam OG and OG Telephoto security cameras. Do you hear what I hear?: Ivan and Jagmeet paired up to report on a new pilot Google is doing of a “soundbox” in India for merchants to get audio-based payment alerts. If you like fast cars and you cannot lie: Get ready to burn rubber. Chevy unveiled its fastest Corvette yet, the electrified 2024 Corvette E-Ray. Matt has more. One company's trash is another company's treasure: If you're thinking of getting a giant neon Twitter bird light for your home or office, Amanda knows where you can procure one.

Read more stories on TechCrunch.com

Newest Jobs from Crunchboard Principal software engineer (SQL API) at Cube Dev (San Francisco, CA, USA) Lead Software Engineer at Cube Dev (San Francisco, CA, USA) Developer, Mobile Center of Excellence at IEEE (Piscataway, NJ, USA) Cloud Production Engineer at IEEE (Piscataway, NJ, USA) Senior Cloud Systems Engineer at IEEE (Piscataway, NJ, USA) See more jobs on CrunchBoard Post your tech jobs and reach millions of TechCrunch readers for only $200 per month.

View this email online in your browser Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Unsubscribe © 2023 Yahoo. All rights reserved. 110 5th St, San Francisco, CA 94103

2 Tesla models qualify for EV tax credits after company marks prices down by 20%

TechCrunch Newsletter

By Christine Hall and Haje Jan Kamps Friday, January 13, 2023

The team who went to CES is back at their desks. If you missed the barrage of stories — or simply couldn't stay on top of them — Brian wrote up an amazing CES 2023 debrief. Give that a skim, and you'll be safe in the knowledge that you didn't miss anything major as you grab your favorite easy chair and a book to settle in for the weekend.  — Christine and Haje Image Credits: Tesla

The TechCrunch Top 3 Slasher movie, but IRL: Tesla is reducing its prices again, this time for U.S. buyers, by as much as 20%, Kirsten reports. This new lower base, which dips below $55,000, "is important because it allows buyers to qualify for the $7,500 federal tax incentive," she writes. Claws out: Fintech startup Mayfair debuted its high-yield APR for businesses, buoyed by $10 million in funding from investors like Tiger Global. Mary Ann has more on how the company is able to offer such a high interest rate. If A then B: Manish writes about Google warning India that if its antitrust ruling is allowed to stand, it will pose a threat to national security and cause Android device prices to rise in the region.

Startups and VC It seems like SPACs aren't completely dead yet, as World View, a company developing stratospheric balloons for Earth observation and tourism, is heading to the public markets, Aria reports. The company announced Friday that it would merge with special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) Leo Holdings Corp. II in a deal worth $350 million, as it seeks to build out what it calls "the stratospheric economy." And we have five more for you: E Ink leaves monochrome behind: Harri writes that E Ink's latest color displays have her dreaming of electronic paper magazines. Twitter rival raises moneys: Twitter rival T2 raises its first outside funding — $1.1 million from a group of high-profile angels, reports Ingrid. Layoffs in crypto: Manish reports that Crypto.com cuts 20% of jobs amid “unforeseeable” industry events. Layoffs in crime reporting: Amanda reports that crime reporting app Citizen lays off 33 employees. Layoffs in fintech: Jagmeet reports that Greenlight, a kids-focused fintech startup, lays off 104 employees to optimize expenses.

You're not going to grow into your 2021 valuation Many, if not most, of the founders who are attached to their 2021 valuations are living in a fantasy, according to Jeremy Abelson and Jacob Sonnenberg of Irving Investors. For this TC+ post, they worked out “the simple math behind how long it will take companies to price their IPO at a flat round to their previous 2021 valuations.” Companies with 75% YoY growth “can entertain the discussion,” but “if you are growing sub 30%, there is a strong chance that growing into your 2021 valuation is impossible.” Three more from the TC+ team: The right funds, the right way: Carlos Antequera shares 4 tips to find the funding that fits your business. Much strategery: Becca asks whether it makes sense to raise a structured round over taking a valuation cut? Crypto chaos continues: Crypto in for a “choppy year” of slow capital deployment, investors share with Jacquelyn. TechCrunch+ is our membership program that helps founders and startup teams get ahead of the pack. You can sign up here. Use code "DC" for a 15% discount on an annual subscription! Read More Image Credits: nfsphoto / Getty Images

Big Tech Inc. Are you scooting around Paris right now? Well, this could be your last time. Romain has a lengthy look at how scooters in Paris are at a crossroads as the city ponders whether to put the brakes on renewing contracts with three companies. As Michael Scott said, "Buckle up, it's going to be a bumpy one." Meanwhile, Sarah and Kirsten paired up on a scoop that Tokyo-based news aggregator SmartNews laid off 40% of staff in the U.S. and China. And we have five more for you: The tweet is on: Ivan writes that Twitter users are reporting that third-party apps on the site are facing issues. Meanwhile, over at Twitter alternative Mastodon, Medium launches its own community. Sarah has more. A little bit of history repeating: Devin writes that President Biden's call to "unite against big tech abuses" sounds kinda familiar. Layoffs in robotics: Alphabet's robotics division is letting people go, Brian reports. If you like clickety-clack on your keyboard: Frederic reports that Keychron gets it right with its Q10 Alice-style keyboard. Do you hear what I hear?: VALL-E's quickie voice deepfakes should worry you, Devin writes.

Read more stories on TechCrunch.com

Newest Jobs from Crunchboard Developer, Mobile Center of Excellence at IEEE (Piscataway, NJ, USA) Cloud Production Engineer at IEEE (Piscataway, NJ, USA) Senior Cloud Systems Engineer at IEEE (Piscataway, NJ, USA) IT Analyst I/II/Senior (EnerGov Project Manager) at City of Fairfield (Fairfield, CA, USA) Embedded Software Engineer at Ag Leader (Ames, IA, USA) See more jobs on CrunchBoard Post your tech jobs and reach millions of TechCrunch readers for only $200 per month.

View this email online in your browser Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Unsubscribe © 2023 Yahoo. All rights reserved. 110 5th St, San Francisco, CA 94103