News items you should check out: March 9

Since I can’t cover everything, I like to offer a daily roundup of must-read articles from some other great websites:

° From MacRumors: Apple’s next-generation iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max are once again rumored to feature an improved LiDAR Scanner supplied by Sony.

° From AppleInsider: Citing signs of rebounding demand for iPhones in China, expected new products, and an anticipated rise in services, Wedbush has again raised its Apple stock price target.

° From 9to5Mac: DuckDuckGo is out today with an update that brings a beta of a new feature called DuckAssist that’s designed with the goal of offering “more directly responsive” answers to questions summarized from Wikipedia and similar sources.

° From The Wall Street Journal (a subscription is required to read the entire article): A startup founded by former Apple Inc. executives unveiled a new investment round of $100 million and partnerships with OpenAI, creator of ChatGPT, as well as Microsoft Corp.

° From Birmingham Live: A boy was caught in Sutton Coldfield (UK) by police with a taser disguised to look like an iPhone, it has been revealed. The boy was arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon earlier this month and bailed pending further enquiries.

° From MacVoices Live!: To start off the new MacVoices Live! session, host Chuck Joiner relates a personal story of outstanding Apple support. Then, David Ginsburg, Mark Fuccio, Jim Rea, and Web Bixby dig into Spotify’s unsuccessful attempt to corner the podcast market, how much damage it did to that market, and to Spotify. Is podcasting really in decline, or is it just more click bait? (Part 1)