News items you should check out: Feb. 4

Since I can’t cover everything, I’ll often direct your attention to articles from various other sources worth your time.

° From 9to5Mac: Despite Apple’s intense lobbying efforts, the Open App Markets Act has officially passed out of the Senate Judiciary committee today. The advancement of the Open Markets Act out of committee comes after the committee passed the American Choice and Innovation Online Act just two weeks ago.

° From Reuters: A flaw in Apple’s software exploited by Israeli surveillance firm NSO Group to break into iPhones in 2021 was simultaneously abused by a competing company.

° From The Mac Observer: Microsoft has claimed that Apple’s “potential antitrust issues stretch far beyond gaming” as it came out in support of Epic Games.

° From MacRumors: Apple has rolled out new product pages for the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro that provide a simplified overview of each device’s key features.

° From CNBC: Facebook earnings came in below expectations for the fourth quarter. The company said it’s being hit by a combination of factors, including privacy changes to Apple’s iOS and macroeconomic challenges.

° From PC Mag: “Silent AirTags” with the speakers removed have popped up on Etsy and a Ebay.

° From Nikkei Asia: Consumers are still waiting up to nine weeks for delivery of new iPads as Apple struggles to clear a backlog that emerged last year amid the global chip and component crunch.

° From MacVoices: The second part of a conversation with crypto enthusiast Bryan Chaffin covers the differences in the “speed” of crypto and the number of transactions it can handle (and why that matters), what “staking” means in the crypto world, and how to move between fiat and crypto currencies. (Part 2)