Apple has been reluctant to cut jobs in the face of the economic downturn like Microsoft, Tesla and other major tech companies, but it apparently isn't immune to the pressure. Bloombergsources claim Apple has laid off roughly 100 contract recruiters to reflect changes in the company's "current business needs." It's maintaining full-time recruiting positions and some contractors, but the layoffs covered locations ranging from Texas to Singapore.

The company declined to comment. During a call for its latest latest earnings, CEO Tim Cook said Apple would continue to hire people but would be "more deliberate" given difficult conditions. It fired hundreds of Irish contract workers in 2019 in response to Siri recording privacy concerns, and dropped Apple Park development contractors in 2015.

The move isn't surprising when Apple had a mixed quarter this spring. Although iPhone revenue grew, Apple Watch and smart home sales took a hit due to a rough economy. iPad and Mac sales were hampered by supply limitations, too. While Apple isn't exactly in financial trouble (it still posted a $19.4 billion profit), it's not enjoying the relentless growth of previous years. If the layoff report is accurate, the firm is adapting to a reality where ever-increasing sales aren't guaranteed.

Winamp's plans to regain relevance include much more than finally updating its audio software. The company has opened invitations to a creator service that gives musicians tools to distribute, promote and (of course) profit from their work. While most details won't emerge in earnest until features begin unlocking in September, this is slated to include fan subscription support debuting in November. Your favorite artist could offer special content at different tiers — it appears to be a Patreon-style platform for music.

The invitations are limited to 25,000 people. They'll receive a year of free access to tools as well as a Creator Pass that promises "exclusive perks," including digital tokens of Winamp's well-known llama.

Don't worry that Winamp might ignore its signature player software. The company maintains that it will parallel the service rollouts with improvements to the client. The aim is to create the "music superapp" listeners want, Winamp said.

The creator service and retooled software could help Winamp adapt to an era where streaming and subscriptions have largely replaced downloads. With that said, there are challenges. Many listeners are tied to first-party streaming apps like Apple Music and Spotify. They aren't guaranteed to turn to outside software and services, even if they might miss out on rewards.

It didn't take long for Polestar to translate the O2 Concept to a production model. The company has confirmed that it will sell the electric convertible as the Polestar 6 sometime in 2026. Most details are still under wraps, but the 6 will share the same 884HP dual-motor powertrain and 800V architecture as the Polestar 5 sedan. The firm is targeting a 0-62MPH time of 3.2 seconds and a 155MPH top speed.

There will also be a limited, 500-unit run of a Polestar 6 LA Concept edition with the O2 Concept's signature blue color, "light" leather interior and 21-inch wheels. Unlike many adaptations of concepts, you really can buy a car that (at least superficially) resembles what you saw at motor shows.

The Polestar 6 is a sportier, open-air counterpart to the 5 with a smaller footprint. It also represents an aerodynamics challenge — the range will heavily depend on Polestar's ability to overcome convertibles' typically higher drag coefficients. There's no mention of whether or not the 6 will include some of the more fanciful features from the concept, though, including the integrated camera drone.

No matter what the finished model offers, it's clear Polestar plans a steady expansion of its lineup. The Polestar 3 SUV arrives next year, followed by the 5 in 2024. The Volvo sibling brand will still have a relatively small selection, but you'll at least have choices if the Polestar 2 doesn't fit your needs.

Signal's reputation for secure messaging doesn't make it completely invulnerable to hacking incidents. The company has confirmed that a data breach at verification partner Twillio exposed the phone numbers and SMS codes of roughly 1,900 users. As TechCrunchobserved, the intruder could have either used the information to either identify Signal users or re-register their numbers to other devices.

The data has already been misused. The culprit searched for three phone numbers, and re-registered the account of one user. Signal doesn't store chat histories or contacts online, so the breach shouldn't have revealed other sensitive details.

Signal is taking steps to limit the damage. It will unregister the app on all devices linked to affected accounts, forcing users to re-register. The team also recommended enabling a registration lock that bars anyone from re-registering on other devices without providing a PIN code.

Twilio revealed the breach on August 8th. The currently unidentified perpetrators used phishing scams to obtain login details and access the accounts of 125 customers. Although it's not clear which other customers were affected, Twilio typically serves large companies and organizations.

The attack increases pressure on Signal to join other encrypted messaging providers in moving away from phone numbers, which can be vulnerable to SIM swaps and other digit-based schemes. This is also a reminder that systems are only as secure as their technology partners — a slip at a third-party is sometimes as dangerous as a direct assault.

Zoom users with Macs can rest a little easier. Ars Technicareports Zoom has updated its Mac software to patch a vulnerability that let would-be intruders take control of systems. The video calling software's auto-updater software not only had root-level access, but had a signature verification system that you could fool simply by giving your package a familiar file name. A hacker could force your app to downgrade or otherwise enable exploits.

Objective-See Foundation (OSF) creator and researcher Patrick Wardle first discovered the security hole, and disclosed it to Zoom in December last year. Zoom fixed that problem, but introduced another bug in the process. Zoom addressed that, too, but Wardle found still another flaw. The OSF founder discussed his findings at Def-Con last week. Zoom acknowledged the issue that day, and patched it afterward.

This isn't the first time Zoom has grappled with security headaches, including for the Mac. In 2019, the company raced to fix a webcam hijack exploit that relied on a locally-created web server. Increased scrutiny of Zoom at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in spring 2020 also prompted a full-scale review of the company's practices. While that did lead to changes, it's clear Zoom isn't immune to missteps.

Russia has already provided a look at the space station it will make after it leaves the ISS — if only a brief one. Reutersreports the country's Roscosmos space agency has shared a model of the future station (pictured above), nicknamed ROSS by state-controlled media. The orbital facility would launch in two phases, starting with four modules and expanding to six with a service platform. The design would accommodate four people in rotating tours and reportedly offer better monitoring of Earth than Russia gets from the ISS today.

You'll be disappointed if you want more concrete details, however. Roscosmos hasn't provided dates, and state media claim the first phase will launch sometime between 2025 and 2030. The second would arrive between 2030 and 2035. There could be a long interval between Russia's touted ISS exit in 2024 and a functional replacement.

Roscosmos announced its departure from the ISS in July in response to the West's sanctions and other measures following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February. If the move goes ahead, it will end two decades of a shared, permanent US-Russia presence aboard the station. Russia will still fulfill its obligations until the 2024 cutoff and even has a deal to swap flight seats with the US.

The country has incentives to get its own platform running as quickly as possible. The absence of a station limits Russia's ability to conduct both the previously mentioned Earth observations as well as low-gravity research. There's also the matter of national pride. Russia decommissioned its last self-run station, Mir, in 2001. ROSS would not only help Russia pick up where it left off, but eclipse the country's previous efforts.

You might not have to brave crowded stores to get your child's back-to-school gear. Uber Eats now offers deliveries of office and school supplies from roughly 900 Office Depot and OfficeMax stores across the US. If you need a flurry of binders and pencils for your little one's classes, you can have them delivered during your lunch break.

Not surprisingly, you'll avoid the delivery fee and receive a 5 percent discount if you're an Uber One subscriber who spends at least $15 on a purchase. Uber didn't say if other office supply shops would be available, but did note this was the "first."

It may seem odd to order school material through the same app that handles your takeout meals. However, Uber has gradually expanded its deliveries to cover goods ranging from groceries to pharmaceuticals — like DoorDash, Eats is becoming more of a general delivery service. In theory, you'll pick Uber Eats over rivals like Amazon Prime Now whenever you need something shipped in minutes, not hours or days.

Snapchat+ is barely over a month old, but that isn't stopping Snap from adding a few extra perks to its subscription service. The social network has released a "summer drop" for members that, most notably, includes priority replies to stars' Stories. If you're determined to get the attention of your favorite celebrity or influencer, this could bump you up the queue.

The drop also lets you choose a "post view" emoji viewers will see after your Snaps. You'll have more Bitmoji backgrounds, and can set more custom app icons. More features will arrive in the "coming months," Snap said, although it didn't offer a preview of what was coming.

Whether or not you'd find use for these features, the $4 per month offering appears to have strong early demand. Snapchat+ already has over 1 million subscribers, according to the company. That's a tiny fraction of Snapchat's 347 million daily users. but it's no mean feat for a paid plan only six weeks old. Frequent feature drops could keep that momentum going and give Snap a way to stand out against rivals like Instagram and TikTok.

You don't need to fire up DALL-E if you want AI to create images from text — you just need a popular social media app. The Vergenotes TikTok has introduced a rudimentary "AI greenscreen" effect in its Android and iOS apps that turns your text descriptions into artwork. It's much simpler than OpenAI's DALL-E 2, producing abstract blobs rather than photorealistic depictions, but it might do the trick if you want an original background for your latest video.

As The Verge explains, though, there may be strong reasons to limit the AI generator's capabilities. Even if the required computational power isn't a problem, the potential output might be. Right now, attempts to generate sexual or violent images fizzle out. They may be relevant to your keywords, but they aren't explicit. That could help creators avoid bans, and spare TikTok any further legal scrutiny.

If nothing else, the effect makes AI image generation much more accessible. Experimental tools like DALL-E are still limited to a select group. TikTok, meanwhile, has over 1 billion monthly users — while few of them are likely to ever use AI-generated art, the addition brings the technology to a much wider audience. Don't be shocked if there are similar implementations elsewhere.

Plant closures and other challenges didn't keep Tesla's Chinese factory from crossing a key milestone. As Electreknotes, company chief Elon Musk has revealed that Gigafactory Shanghai recently produced its 1 millionth car. As mentioned earlier in August, Musk noted that Tesla has made a total of 3 million electric vehicles to date.

The facility has quickly become a cornerstone of Tesla's manufacturing strategy. It started production in late 2019, but ramped up to the point where it became the largest EV factory on the planet. Its annual production rate topped 800,000 by the end of 2021, making it crucial to Tesla's record-setting year. Gigafactory Shanghai is now the company's main export hub, delivering cars to Europe and other key markets in addition to China.

The Shanghai factory is gradually becoming just one piece in a larger puzzle. The newly opened Gigafactories in Berlin and Texas will drive at least some near-term growth, and Tesla is exploring the potential for factories in places like Canada. For now, though, the Chinese plant will be vital to meeting ever-higher production goals and competing with international EV makers.