With files from Samira Balsara.
OSHA investigates Apple, Microsoft teams up with iFixit, and a bug in Google Pixel is preventing some users from calling 911.
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That’s all the tech news that’s trending right now, welcome to Hashtag Trending. It’s Wednesday, December 15, and I’m your host, Tom Li.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is launching an investigation into Apple. According to Business Insider, this investigation comes after an Apple whistleblower filed a complaint against the company for allegedly firing the employee for filing labour complaints. The whistleblower criticized the company over major issues such as harassment. This isn’t the first of complaints from Apple employees. In August, employees created a website called AppleToo where coworkers shared stories about discrimination and harassment they had faced while working.
Microsoft is teaming up with iFixit, bringing official repairability tools to independent repairers. In light of the Right to Repair movement in the U.S., this partnership will allow iFixit’s Pro independent repairers, Microsoft Authorized Service Providers, Microsoft Experience Centers, and Microsoft Commercial customers to purchase Microsoft service tools for Surface devices directly from iFixit.com. The program is launching with three tools all designed by Microsoft and manufactured by iFixit. These tools include a Surface Display Bonding Frame, Surface Battery Cover, and a Surface Display Debonding Tool. Independent repair technicians can apply to the iFixit Pro program by filling out a form. Once approved, the Tools for Surface can be purchased for use.
A core use of phones is the ability to call emergency services when something goes wrong. However, one Google Pixel 3 user was faced with a nightmare when they needed to call 911 and their phone wouldn’t connect to emergency services. According to Vice, the user said their phone was stuck after one ring and they were unable to do anything other than click through apps with the phone call stuck in the background. An official Google account explained that an issue with Microsoft Teams caused the problem for some users. The company wrote in a thread, “We believe the issue is only present on a small number of devices with the Microsoft Teams app installed when the user is not logged in.” While Google and Microsoft are working to resolve the issue, the companies suggest uninstalling Microsoft Teams to prevent 911 from failing or making sure that they stay signed in.
And now for something a little different. Whether in person or online, dressing well is always important— and outfits are never complete without the right shoe. To hop into the metaverse, Nike has announced the acquisition of RTFKT Studios, a virtual shoe company that makes NFT’s and sneakers. RTFKT claims that in February, a collaboration with a teenage artist to sell real sneakers paired with virtual ones managed to sell some 600 pairs/NFTs in just six minutes. And this week, RTFKT launched a new sneaker collaboration offering up a number of metaverse-ready digital avatars styled with various collectible traits. According to The Verge, the website immediately asks visitors to link their Metamask wallets, which is one way NFT owners can verify their purchases.
https://twitter.com/RTFKTstudios/status/1470502799498792963?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
That’s all the tech news that’s trending right now. Hashtag Trending is a part of the ITWC Podcast network. Add us to your Alexa Flash Briefing or your Google Home daily briefing. Make sure to sign up for our Daily IT Wire Newsletter to get all the news that matters directly in your inbox every day. If you have a suggestion or tip, please drop us a line in the comments or via email. Thanks for listening, I’m Tom Li.