Tech Roundup: Apple Antitrust, Spotify Overhaul & More

[A recurring feature on the latest in Science & Technology.]

• Apple dismisses concerns that it exploits "its alleged market power in its role as a distributor of apps"; reiterates that third-party developers "have multiple alternative channels" to reach users, and that "the whole web is available to them, and iOS devices have unrestricted and uncontrolled access to it," as it faces a barrage of questions regarding its control of the App Store and the distribution of apps on its devices. (The argument completely misses the point in that the only way to install iOS apps (legally, without jailbreaking) is via the App Store, with no options to sideload apps a la Android.)
• Shared workspace provider WeWork agrees to merge with a special-purpose acquisition company (SPAC) BowX Acquisition Corp. in a deal that would value the company at US$ 9 billion including debt, nearly two years after its high-profile failure to launch a traditional IPO.
• Google launches "Android Ready SE Alliance" (SE for secure element) to drive adoption of digital keys and mobile IDs by making use of tamper-resistant hardware present in most modern phones.
• Fairphone, the sustainable, modular smartphone company, releases new update to the 5-year-old Fairphone 2 with support for Android 9.0, released three years ago.

• The U.K.'s competition watchdog, the Competition and Markets Authority, finds Facebook's acquisition of popular GIF website Giphy in May 2020 raises concerns around digital advertising and the supply of the short video clips to rival social media platforms; says the move "could potentially lead to reduced choice for users and further increase Facebook’s market power in relation to social media."
• Music streaming service Spotify overhauls its desktop app and web player with an "improved look and feel" and a redesigned home experience that aims to "present a cohesive look and feel, but also refine navigation to help people quickly find what they're looking for."
• Google begins testing a new Google Assistant feature called Memory that acts as a to-do list, note app, read-it-later queue, and a Pinterest board, letting users to save anything and everything in one place; to default to HTTPSin Chrome starting with version 90 of the browser for typed navigations that don't specify a protocol in the URL (i.e. "https://") as part of its efforts to improve privacy and loading speed for users visiting websites that support HTTPS.