It’s the final countdown: after months of speculation, Apple is expected to unleash its iPhone 14 handset into the wild during its “Far Out” showcase event.
Kicking off on Wednesday, 7 September at 10am PT / 1pm ET / 6pm BST – or 3am on 8 September for those in Australia – it’ll answer months of speculation as to the future of Apple’s smartphone line-up, as well as likely introducing new wearable devices in the shape of the Apple Watch Series 8 and ruggedised Apple Watch Pro, and revamped AirPods Pro 2 earbuds alongside the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro launches.
And that may be just the tip of the iceberg – though we’re also anticipating an additional launch event in October, where M2 MacBook Pro computers and M2 iPad tablets are likely to be revealed, there’s also the elephant in the room that is ongoing rumors surrounding an Apple VR headset. Could the Far Out event offer an early glimpse at that all-new product category for the Cupertino company?
We don’t have long to find out. iMore will be covering the launch live, every step of the way, from the latest leaks and rumors to the moment the curtain closes at the Steve Jobs Theater. Read on for everything from the iPhone 14 launch, as it happens.
APPLE LAUNCH EVENT: WHAT WE EXPECT TO SEE
iPhone 14: everything we know so far about Apple’s next phone
iPhone 14 Pro: all the rumors for this year’s premium iPhone
AirPods Pro 2: everything we know about the long-awaited AirPods update
Our friends at TechRadar have boots on the ground inside Apple Park. Check it out!
The press are starting to arrive at Apple Park!
Whoopsie daisy Tim! The ALT description of Tim Cook’s recent Twitter post ahead of the iPhone event doesn’t actually match the image. The one he posted to Weibo does, however!
15:46:13
(Image credit: Christine Romero-Chan / iMore)
Not only should we get to see the new iPhone 14 today, we should also learn the release dates of iOS 16 and watchOS 9, likely to be next week sometime, as these iterations always ship on Apple’s latest and greatest devices. iOS 16 brings big lock screen changes to take advantage of the iPhone 14 Pro’s always-on display.
A new report just hours ahead of the event from Business Korea(opens in new tab) indicates that Apple has added a fresh NAND flash supplier for iPhone 14. YTMC is reportedly a new name amongst the usual suspects Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, and Kioxia. Reports indicate some models could come with up to 2TB of capacity and QLC memory.
(Image credit: Front Page Tech)
Tim Cook is excited for the iPhone event, are you?
14:44:00
(Image credit: iMore)
Excited for AirPods 2 ahead of the iPhone 14 event later? Here’s our own Tammy Rogers with her thoughts on what we’re hoping for:
“If you’ve seen other stuff I’ve talked about, you know how much I love Apple Lossless Audio. Now, while I’m not holding out much hope for lossless support over a wireless connection, there are rumours that bring a little light to this audiophiles crossed fingers. Even then, the AirPods Pro have a really lovely sound signature that I like a lot, so any improvement on them is welcome. As long as it’s not more spatial audio nonsense. Please Apple, no spatial audio nonsense.”
(Image credit: Stephen Warwick / iMore)
Will there be anything for audio fans today? The latest rumors point to the unveiling of brand new AirPods Pro 2 earphones at the event…but what about the poor little ol’ HomePod? Could we get a HomePod 2 at today’s event?
That’s unlikely today, but there’s lots to suggest Apple is indeed cooking up a new smart speaker at the moment. We’ve heard everything from a revised OG HomePod with multitouch top screen, improved Siri response and an even greater focus on audio quality, to a crazy-sounding Apple TV 4K / HomePod combo – a real “one device to rule them all” home cinema solution. That second idea, what with the popularity of Apple TV Plus and upcoming shows like Severance Season 2, sounds really attractive to me (I’m a bit of a home cinema nerd). I’ve seen similar devices in the past, like Roku’s Streambar, and think that’d be a great way to revamp not only the HomePod, but the under-performing Apple TV box too. Two smart home birds, one HomePod stone.
(Image credit: Apple)
Our very own Bryan Wolfe(opens in new tab) is one of the biggest Apple Watch fans that I know and is hoping that in the next few weeks we’ll be able to update the top-spot on our best Apple Watch page with an all-new device – be that the Apple Watch Series 8, or rumored Apple Watch Pro. I asked him for his thoughts on today’s potential announcements.
“I’m most excited about seeing what Apple has planned for the Watch this year and whether any of the current models remain by the end of the day. We already know we’re getting a traditional model in the Apple Watch Series 8 and an all-new Pro model. Is an Apple Watch SE 2 also arriving, or will Apple bring back an older model (Apple Watch Series 6, for example) to serve as the cheaper model? Three new Watches announced at the same time would be huge.
“Regarding the Apple Watch Pro, I’m most interested in hearing what it’s all about beyond its durability. What justifies the higher price if it doesn’t do anything ‘special’?”
Ready to ramp up the excitement? The Apple Store webpage is now down! If you’re a long-time follower of Apple events, you’ll know this is standard practice for the company ahead of a major launch like the iPhone 14.
It gives time for Apple to clean up its landing pages for its new devices, and helps to direct would-be customers who aren’t on the pulse with Apple news to its livestream, informing them that new gear is incoming.
Expect service to resume as per usual after the conclusion of today’s event, with the page updated with all the new goodies to drool over.
(Image credit: Apple)
It’s not all roses for Apple today though – it’s taken a knock from Justice Ministry regulators in Brazil who are fining Apple $2.38m for not supplying charging bricks with new handsets – and suspending the sales of any iPhone that does not ship with a charging brick going forwards(opens in new tab), from the iPhone 12 up. That fine is pocket change for Apple, but the sale halt is a bigger concern, one that Apple is set to appeal.
The Justice Ministry calls it a “deliberate discriminatory practice against consumers,” while Apple claims the move is an environmental one with its power adaptors accounting “for our biggest use of zinc and plastic,” the removal of which “helped reduce more than 2 million metric tons of carbon emissions – the equivalent of taking 500,000 cars off the road a year,” as told to TechTudo (translated).
While the Brazilian market leaders in smartphone sales have historically been Samsung and Motorola, with Apple trailing in third, Apple will need to rectify the situation if it aims to take any market share from the Android leaders in the territory.
Wondering how to tune in to today’s ‘Far Out’ Apple Event? If you’re an Apple TV subscriber, Apple has now added a cool 15-second preview to the front of its Apple TV box interface, as you can see above in the tweet from Sigmund Judge. In 4K with Dolby Atmos, no less!
If that’s not an option for you, be sure to check out our How to watch Apple’s ‘Far Out’ iPhone 14 event(opens in new tab)guide, which talks you through all the options, from within apps to YouTube to inside your Safari browser. There’s something there for everyone.
12:45:42
(Image credit: Gerald Lynch / Future)
We’re pretty comfortable with the idea of having our handsets tied to network contracts, effectively renting them from a carrier over the length of their lifespans. But what about subscribing to an Apple iPhone device plan?
It’s been hinted at by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman(opens in new tab) for some time now, with the Apple tipster suggesting that the Cupertino company is looking to offer subscription access to its phones “before the end of the year”, or just in time for the iPhone 14, in other words.
There are benefits to be had here – depending on Apple’s approach to a subscription, you could feasibly rent a handset through its launch year, and then upgrade to another one as soon as the new model is revealed. You wouldn’t own it to sell it on later, and you’d have to be extra careful not to damage it or breach terms in a contract, but you could always be on top of the pinnacle of iPhone technology, without having to save mountains of cash each year.
For Apple, it is steady, reliable revenue – Apple is increasingly moving into subscription services like Apple Arcade and Apple TV+ for this very reason – while returned phones can make secondary income as refurbished models. Where carriers get involved in this set up remains to be seen. But as we have moved away from physical ownership with media thanks to the likes of Netflix and Spotify, could ownership of devices be the next major change?
(Image credit: Future)
Now here’s a thought – all this talk of iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro but… what about the iPhone 14 mini? Why the radio silence on Apple’s smaller handset range?
If you’re the owner of small hands or small pockets, we’d encourage you to brace for bad news. It’s been thought for some time that the iPhone 13 mini and iPhone 12 mini handsets represented poor sales against Apple’s estimations for the range, and it appears that, as a result, the plug’s been pulled on the mini. From as far back as April last year analysts like Ming-Chi Kuo have been predicting the end of the road for the iPhone mini range(opens in new tab), and with not a single worthy leak to speak of in the run up to iPhone 14, it looks like its game over for iPhone mini.
It was fun while it lasted, eh? Read Palash Volovoikar’s love letter to the iPhone Mini(opens in new tab) to soothe your sorrows.
(Image credit: Huawei)
Ooo, here’s a cheeky move from Chinese smartphone manufacturer Huawei. Remember how earlier we were talking about the possibility for satellite connectivity in the new iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro model? Well, Apple has been pipped to the post for that announcement.
The newly-revealed Huawei Mate 50 range(opens in new tab) will be the first handsets in the world to offer the feature, making use of China’s BeiDou satellite to enable connectivity where regular network infrastructure fears to tread. While it won’t likely make a huge dent in Apple’s plans – Huawei’s reputation has been dragged through the mud thanks to allegations of Chinese state surveillance which has seen it come into conflict with everyone from US Presidents to Google – it’ll sting Cook and co that they can’t claim to have got there first. The timing of this announcement will have been no accident.
(Image credit: Apple)
Want to see a rundown of Apple’s iPhone sales over the past few years? Some really interesting numbers from Counterpoint Research(opens in new tab) have just been sent iMore’s way, looking at the annual and quarterly sales of iPhones across the globe since 2015. So, in millions of units since 2015, how has the iPhone fared?
It’s interesting to see how strongly Apple performed at the back end of the (ongoing) COVID-19 pandemic – its customers were clearly enamoured with the iPhone 13 line, and were willing to invest in those premium personal devices after a couple of years of uncertainty. But the recent quarterly numbers tell an ever-so-slightly shakier story as the knock-on financial effects of the pandemic start to kick in, and anticipation for the new models (and slower sales of the outgoing models) start being reflected in the stats.
Still, even the recent months have been relatively strong, given global market conditions.
(Image credit: Naver / Yeux1122)
So how about the cameras in the new phones? Again all the rumors so far are pointing to the iPhone 14 Pro being the device of choice when it comes to camera upgrades. It’s in the Pro models where we’re anticipating a jump from the 12 megapixel sensor standard to a dramatically-larger 48 megapixel array.
What is Apple doing to accommodate that dramatic jump? Well, if early case leaks are to be believed, like the above shot from ‘Yeux1122’ as seen on Naver(opens in new tab), it’ll pull it off with a much larger camera bump on the rear of the device. The new iPhone may stay slim, but that bump is bulging larger by this account, with everything from the flash to the LiDAR sensor getting a bit more breathing space.
Could this affect existing MagSafe accessories configured to fit snugly against the smaller surface area of the previous Pro bump? I wouldn’t be shocked to see it…
(Image credit: Globalstar)
There’s a lot of talk about the possibility for iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro to feature satellite communication features – and we’re not talking about GPS here. Instead, it’s been suggested that in the case of emergencies, a new iPhone will be able to tap into satellite connectivity to place calls and send messages. But has Apple been beat to the punch with this feature?
Over at the BBC(opens in new tab), UK phone manufacturer Bullitt, which makes branded rugged phones for Cat and Motorola, is preparing a phone that will connect to one of two global satellite networks for back-up coverage when regular networks aren’t accessible. And, whereas Apple’s equivalent is anticipated to only work in North America, Bullitt’s would work worldwide.
Bullitt’s service, initially based around SMS messaging, will launch in February 2023. The race is on, it seems…
(Image credit: Apple)
Back to the iPhones, and there’s a new rumor to wake up to, direct from sources speaking to the Wall Street Journal(opens in new tab). It is corroborating lots of what we’ve heard about the internals of the new iPhones, and has what it believes is accurate word on what’s going on inside the standard iPhone 14.
It’s saying that an ‘enhanced’ A15 chip will sit inside the iPhone 14, improved slightly over the iPhone 13 line as we’ve previously discussed, rather than wholly-new chip architecture.
What will be interesting here is how Apple decides to market it, should the rumors prove true. Does it stick to the A15 moniker, and pop “S” or “X” or some similar modifier on the end? Or does it call the modest bump up the “A16” anyway, and leave “A16 Pro” nomenclature for the iPhone 14 Pro, where the real major changes are said to exist? Popping the A16 name alongside the standard iPhone 14 might make it sound more of an upgrade than it actually is – a cheeky move in my opinion.
(Image credit: Luke Filipowicz / iMore)
Will there be an Apple Watch SE 2 at the iPhone 14 event?
Even though it’s the day of Apple’s big Far Out event, there’s still one product we think will be announced that we don’t know much about.
The Apple Watch SE 2(opens in new tab) is rumored to be announced later today, but when it comes to what features it might have, the rumor mill has been quiet. We don’t expect a design change, nor do we anticipate a lot of new features. After all, the original iPhone SE was made as an entry-level watch. Much like the iPhone SE, it’s not supposed to be the star of the Apple Watch lineup.
Still, if Apple launches a second generation today, a processor bump would likely be included, perhaps even something as powerful as the S7 that powers the Apple Watch Series 7.
(Image credit: anonymous-A.S on MacRumors forums)
Apple made headlines a few weeks ago when the battery percentage feature returned to the iPhone in the iOS 16(opens in new tab) beta. With rumors of the iPhone 14 Pro design moving away from the notch to some cutout, we’ve been wondering if the battery percentage could return to exactly how it was before the iPhone X was launched.
Well, if a report from Macrumors earlier this week(opens in new tab) turns out to be true, we could be looking at the glory days of old where the percentage and battery icon were separate and both visible in the top right corner.
00:15:06
Apple is ramping up for its big Far Out event tomorrow, as its website has changed to include a new banner animation for the event.
Youtuber and Apple beta program guru, Aaron Zollo, remarked on just how neat the animated Apple banner on the website can look. But, it’s not the only change we expect to see to the website.
Expect the Apple website to go down before the event
If you’ve been following Apple events for a while, you’ll know that the Apple website can go down leading up to the event. This is usually to ensure that when any new products are announced, the website can go live again right after the event with all the new information.
Airpods Pro 2 (Image credit: 52Audio)
New design for the AirPods Pro 2?
Reports have indicated that Apple is at least testing a new design of AirPods that will get rid of their trademark stem, making them smaller and reflecting a design more similar to Apple’s Beats Studio Buds. However, more recent leaks and renders suggest that the buds themselves actually look set to retain a design much the same as the old pair. That means we can expect the same white, stemmed design with silicone tips. Apple might change the design of the AirPods Pro 2 case, but more on that later.
Could these renders be what the Apple Watch Pro looks like? If so, I would say kudos to Apple for the design and Ian Zelbo for these solid renders of what might come down the pipeline tomorrow.
Zelbo is known for making 3D renders of upcoming Apple products based on rumors and speculation. According to his tweet, these recent renders showing the Apple Watch Pro were made with help from Parker Ortolani.
We’ve heard lots about the potential for an Apple Watch Pro with a more rugged and flat design leading up to tomorrow’s event.
(Image credit: Anker)
Some interesting color choices popped up on a new iPhone accessory today.
Anker, a popular charging accessory maker, released their Nano 3 USB-C GaN charger(opens in new tab) and showed off just how well it pairs with the current iPhone 13 Pro lineup. The charger comes in a shade of green and blue that seem to match the iPhone 13 Pro Sierra Blue and Alpine Green colorways; however, the charger also comes in purple.
There’s been a ton of speculation leading up to the iPhone 14 Pro launch that purple will be a color available on the new pro model iPhones this year. Of course, the iPhone 12 did have a purple colorway, and it looks like Anker’s new charger could be made to match that.
Whether it’s Anker just jumping on the hype of a new iPhone launch or inadvertently giving us a big clue before tomorrow’s event, you have to give the company props for taking advantage of the moment.
With rumors stating that a new Apple Watch Pro could be a much larger device than previous models, how will Apple handle new bands?
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple is going to offer a “pretty wide-ranging” set of bands that play into the extreme sports theme of the watch.
However, despite its rumored larger size of up to 49mm, Gurman believes the new Apple Watch Pro could still support older bands, although he says its possible they may not fit “as well or look as seamless” because of the Watch’s new design.
(Image credit: Apple)
Is there anything Apple won’t announce tomorrow?
While we’re expecting new iPhones, Apple Watch models, and AirPods Pro to be unveiled this week. There are some things we can say almost definitely won’t make an appearance. Apple is not expected to unveil any new Macs or new iPads, so if it’s those you’re after then you should temper your expectations.
Apple is also unlikely to unveil any major new home devices like Apple TV or HomePod, however it could have some exciting services news. With AirPods Pro slated for launch tomorrow, any other AirPods such as AirPods Max are likely off the table. We also wouldn’t pin any hopes on Apple VR or any kind of headset.
What are you most interested in seeing at tomorrow’s Apple event? Is it the new iPhone? Perhaps Apple Watch takes your fancy, or maybe you’re more interested in AirPods Pro 2. What about an Apple VR headset? It’s unlikely, but you never know!
15:44:21 – September 06, 2022
There’s a lot of noise out on the socials right now around iPhone 14, so why not get some certified great follows on your feed by checking out the iMore team?
Check out our senior editor / iPhone boss Christine Romero-Chan: @christyxcore(opens in new tab)
There’s our news editor Stephen Warwick: @StephenWarwick9(opens in new tab)
Our Apple Watch and iPad guru Luke Filipowicz: @LukeFilipowicz(opens in new tab)
And our Mac maestro Bryan Wolfe: @bryanmwolfe(opens in new tab)
There’s me too (@geegeemidnight(opens in new tab)), but I’ll be living in this blog except for eating meals this week, so it’d be more of a pity follow for me really…
(Image credit: Anonymous A-S / MacRumors)
For instance, I LOVE this idea from anonymous-A.S over on the MacRumors forums(opens in new tab). According to the post an Apple “engineer-buddy” has revealed that the two notch dots will be united by a software layer.
“There will be a elongated pill shape, in between the camera and sensor housing the display will show notification dots (similar to Mac’s LED camera status indicator) for things like active microphone (orange), active camera (green), etc,” states the poster.
This seems like a far more innovative use of what would otherwise be essentially negative, unusable space on the devices. If Apple doesn’t find a meaningful way to use the space between the two cutouts, it’s hard to imagine developers filling the cap with anything other than background color. Here’s hoping the posts’ alleged source proves accurate.
(Image credit: Ian Zelbo)
And if you thought the discourse around the MacBook’s notch was a bit much, wait till you get a load of what’s coming to iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro. Again, it’s the Pro where we’re expecting to see the most change.
Take a look at the concept shot above from @ianzelbo (a great follow if you like to see pre-release concepts ahead of official unveilings). On the left is the iPhone 13 Pro with its, let’s say, “integrated” notch, at one with the border of the screen. On the right is what’s expected from the iPhone 14 Pro – a floating duo of pill-and-dot.
As with the earlier iPhone, the idea here is to expand screen real-estate while still embedding cameras and sensors. Is it more or less distracting than what came before? The iMore team is torn. But what’s interesting is the potential use of the space between the notches…
That chipset serves double-duty in the iPhone 14 Pro, if the rumors are to be believed. This will be the first iPhone handset to feature an always-on display mode, according to rumors, and so a more energy (and heat) efficient chipset is required to keep the phone from buckling under the stress of its on ever-ready display. There’s the suggestion that the iPhone 14 Pro will pack in an additional 200mAh to its battery capacity over the iPhone 14 in order to keep the always-on feature an attractive option in the feature-to-battery-life ratio race.
(Image credit: Front Page Tech)
But we all know what the main event this year really is: iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro. And perhaps more than ever, the differences between the two devices will be truly pronounced.
Usually, with a new iPhone launch, both the standard and Pro models get an all-new processor generation or update. But that’s seeming unlikely to be the case with the iPhone 14 line up. Instead, all the rumors so far are pointing to the iPhone 14 sticking with what essentially remains the A15 chipset of the 13 phones (though it may get renamed), while the iPhone 14 Pro gets the genuine processor upgrade in the shape of something like an A16 Pro or similar.
While that’s great news for those opting for the pricier Pro model, it leaves a lot of heavy lifting to be done by iOS 16 and any revised camera specs for the rest of the iPhone 14, in terms of justifying the upgrade.
(Image credit: 91Mobiles)
That digital crown is one of the key differentiators to be expected between the Apple Watch Series 8 and its Pro-level cousin, if the early leaks are to be believed. Take a look at the alleged-leaked CAD images, courtesy of 91mobiles, above. As well as that larger, flatter watch face, the entire area next to the crown protrudes more, with the dial sitting in an oblong enclosure that houses the usual right-side button too. In addition, the CAD images reveal an all-new additional button on the left-hand side.
The intention it appears is to make workout triggers more accessible – you’ll have a larger screen to watch your metrics on, while more pronounced buttons will be easier to reach in the heat of an exercise session. That additional button could even act as a specific (perhaps even customisable) event trigger – anyone that’s tried to toggle an exercise on and off while swimming will know that an additional button is far more useful than a touchscreen when underwater, for instance.
(Image credit: Sonny Dickson)
And we’re off! Editor in Chief Gerald Lynch here, guiding you through the first few hours as we countdown to the launch of the iPhone 14. It’s been a busy week for rumors, but the most active discussion has involved leaks around the so-called Apple Watch Pro.
According to prolific leaker Sonny Dickson on Twitter(opens in new tab), freshly-found images regarding cases for the Apple Watch Series 7 and Series 8 are seen in their usual 41mm and 45mm sizes. But there’s also a look at a new 49mm casing size for the rumored Apple Watch Pro, with space for a revamped digital crown.
An advert- and tracker-free search engine launches in the UK, France and Germany on Thursday.
Neeva has 600,000 users in the US, where it launched last year.
Creator Sridhar Ramaswamy, who worked at Google for 16 years and ran its ad business, told BBC News the technology sector had become “exploitative” of people’s data, something he no longer wanted to be a part of.
Trackers share information about online activity, largely to target adverts.
Neeva has raised $77.5m (£68m) from investors.
It offers free-to-use search, with other features such as password-manager access and virtual-private-network (VPN) service to be made available on a subscription basis.
Users are asked to create an account, to build subscriptions at a later date.
And the UK price was likely to be about £5 per month, Mr Ramaswamy said.
“We felt the traditional search engines had become about advertising and advertisers – and not really about serving users,” he said.
“Google has a dominant position in the marketplace – and the incentive for them to truly innovate, to truly create disruptive experiences, is not really there.
“And then also as a company they feel obligated to show more and more revenue and profit to their shareholders, so they just keep increasing the number of ads.”
Trying out Neeva
Search the word “migraine” on both Google and Neeva, and the first page of the results are fairly similar – links to news articles and factual information.
Neeva creator Sridhar Ramaswamy
But with a brand, the difference becomes more stark.
When I try “BMW”, both search engines lead with links to the carmaker’s website and Wikipedia entry.
But while Google follows with a map, social-media feeds and links to used-car dealers, Neeva sticks with different BMW official pages.
Google certainly has more variety – but it is also blatantly pushing me towards buying a car.
Neeva’s Chrome browser extension lists the trackers installed on web pages visited.
I tried a few:
the Daily Mail had 351 trackers.
the BBC four, two of which were internal tools
Tesco five
Sainsbury’s 10
parenting forum Mumsnet 27
the front page of Reddit three
Amazon three – all its own
And almost all – but not the BBC – had at least one belonging to Google, meaning Google is receiving anonymised information about users visiting those pages.
While I had the extension activated, no ads displayed around the editorial content.
But ultimately, none of Neeva’s other rivals has dented the dominance of Google search.
“To Bing” or “to Duckduckgo” – another privacy-focused service – are not verbs in the way “to google” is.
And asked if Mr Ramaswamy could ever topple his former employer, Steph Liu, an analyst at Forrester specialising in privacy and search, said: “Realistically, no.
“It’s a sort of David and Goliath story. Google has too many users, it has too much revenue.
“The ultimate goal is to offer an alternative for the consumer base who are worried about their privacy, who don’t want Google hoovering up their data and targeting ads based on their search history”.
Billionaire Elon Musk has apparently changed his mind about buying Twitter, again, and is now willing to proceed with his takeover of the social media platform.
In a letter to the firm, Mr Musk agreed to pay the price he offered months ago before trying to quit the deal.
The surprise reversal comes just weeks before the two sides were due in court.
Twitter, which had sued Mr Musk to force the takeover to move forward, was seen as having the stronger case.
In the letter, attorneys for Mr Musk said he intended to move ahead to complete the transaction, pending receipt of the financing and an end of the legal fight.
A spokesperson for Twitter acknowledged the firm had received the proposal, adding “the intention of the company is to close the transaction at $54.20 per share” – the price that Mr Musk promised in April.
The apparent win for Twitter sent its shares soaring more than 20% to more than $52 apiece. But the value remained lower than the takeover price, in a sign of lingering investor doubts the deal will go through.
Later on Tuesday, Mr Musk wrote in a tweet: “Buying Twitter is an accelerant to creating X, the everything app”.
Elon Musk and Twitter boss Parag Agrawal have feuded publicly
When Mr Musk first revealed plans to buy Twitter in a $44bn deal, he said he wanted to clean up spam accounts on the platform and preserve it as a venue for free speech.
But the billionaire, a prolific Twitter user known for his impulsive style, balked at the purchase just a few weeks later, citing concerns that the number of fake accounts on the platform was higher than Twitter claimed.
Twitter executives denied the accusations, arguing that Mr Musk – the world’s richest person with a net worth of more than $220bn – wanted out because he was worried about the price.
The back-and-forth followed a sharp downturn in the value of technology stocks, including Tesla, the electric car company that Mr Musk leads and is the base of much of his fortune.
The fight, which was scheduled to go to trial 17 October, saw the two sides face off in lengthy court filings, private messages and bitter public spats on Twitter, where Mr Musk has more than 100 million followers.
In one such exchange, Mr Musk responded to Twitter boss Parag Agrawal with an emoji for faecal matter.
Preparation for the trial had ensnarled many of the biggest names in tech, as lawyers for the two companies demanded communications about the deal.
Mr Musk, who could have paid a $1bn break-up fee to walk away, was set to be interviewed ahead of the trial this week.
Some industry watchers, who were taken by surprise by the development, questioned whether the latest twist was a concrete offer or a delay tactic.
A dramatic turnaround
It’s hard to keep track with this deal. On, off, now – it appears – on again.
However there’s a lot to read into Twitter’s brief statement.
The “intention” to go through with the deal suggests a nervousness that this is a delaying tactic from Musk’s team.
The statement effectively can be read as – ‘We are going to pursue this sale, whatever Elon Musk says or does’.
The way Twitter also, so pointedly, says it will sell the company at $54.20 suggests they are still worried about Musk lowballing.
So far Musk has been a highly erratic negotiating partner – hot and cold. Keen one minute, looking for the exit the other.
You can see why Twitter is playing it cautiously.
At Twitter, which has been thrown into turmoil since Mr Musk first turned his attention to the firm, staff told the BBC that their bosses were initially silent on the matter, even as the report spread widely.
Investors have long been sceptical that the takeover would go forward, especially since Mr Musk was seen as offering a heady price for a firm struggling to attract users and grow.
Twitter shares had been trading below $43 apiece at the start of the day.
News that Mr Musk had proposed to honour the original agreement sent shares in the company soaring almost 13% before trading was halted.
Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives said Mr Musk’s chance of winning in court was “highly unlikely”.
“Being forced to do the deal after a long and ugly court battle in Delaware was not an ideal scenario and instead accepting this path and moving forward with the deal will save a massive legal headache,” he wrote in a report after the news.
But he added, that Mr Musk’s ownership of the platform, a top venue for politicians and journalists to spread news and opinion, would still likely cause a “firestorm of worries and questions” in Washington and beyond.
Uber’s former chief security officer has been convicted of failing to tell US authorities about a 2016 hack of the company’s databases.
A jury in San Francisco found Joe Sullivan – fired from Uber in 2017 – guilty of obstruction of justice and concealing a felony.
Increasingly, companies negotiate with ransomware hackers.
But investigators said they must “do the right thing” when their systems are breached.
The conviction is a dramatic reversal for Sullivan, who had at one point in his career prosecuted cyber-related crime for the San Francisco US attorney’s office.
After Sullivan’s conviction his lawyer, David Angeli, said “Mr Sullivan’s sole focus, in this incident and throughout his distinguished career, has been ensuring the safety of people’s personal data on the internet,” the Washington Post reported.
But prosecutors said the case was a warning to companies.
“We expect those companies to protect that data and to alert customers and appropriate authorities when such data is stolen by hackers,” US attorney Stephanie M Hinds said.
Ms Hinds accused Sullivan of working to hide the data breach from US regulator the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), adding he “took steps to prevent the hackers from being caught”.
At the time, the FTC was already investigating Uber following a 2014 hack.
When it was hacked again, the attackers emailed Sullivan and told him they had stolen a large amount of data, which they would delete in return for a ransom, according to the US Department of Justice (DOJ) .
Staff working for Sullivan confirmed data, including about 57 million Uber users’ records and 600,000 driving-licence numbers, had been stolen.
According to the DOJ, Sullivan arranged for the hackers to be paid $100,000 (£89,000) in bitcoin in exchange for them signing non-disclosure agreements to not reveal the hack to anyone,
The hackers were paid in December 2016, even though they had refused to provide their true names.
The payment was disguised as a “bug bounty”, a reward used to pay cyber-security researchers who disclose vulnerabilities so they can be fixed.
The Washington Post reported that the process enabled Uber to gather clues about the two hackers. The firm eventually identified the pair – both of whom have since been convicted of criminal offences – in January 2017 and required them to sign new agreements in their own names.
This conviction has sent shivers down the spines of many cyber-security executives.
With organised ransomware gangs, government-backed hacking teams and anarchist kids targeting companies, being a chief information security officer is already a daunting job.
Sullivan being personally convicted for a decision taken on behalf of his employer sets a scary precedent, some say.
For observers, the crimes Sullivan committed in 2016 also read as odd by today’s standards.
Negotiating with hackers and paying them to keep quiet is literally done every day now by corporations hit by ransomware gangs.
The key difference here, the jury found, is that Sullivan tried to cover it up.
Giving cyber-criminals what they want no longer carries the seriousness it once did, but companies, then and now, must always be transparent about how they respond to cyber-incidents that affect them and their customers.
The DOJ said that Sullivan “orchestrated these acts despite knowing that the hackers were hacking and extorting other companies as well as Uber, and that the hackers had obtained data from at least some of those other companies”.
A new management team at Uber eventually reported the breach to the FTC in 2017 after carrying out their own investigation.
In 2018, Uber paid US states $148m to settle claims that it had been to slow to reveal the hack.
Shock ruling
The verdict was a surprise to many working in computer security. At the time Sullivan had reportedly informed some senior figures at Uber about the threat.
The court also heard that internal legal advice had suggested that there was no need to disclose the hack if the attackers were identified, and agreed to delete the data and not spread it further.
Responding to the judgement, Dr Ilia Kolochenko, founder of ImmuniWeb, and a member of Europol Data Protection Experts Network, wrote, “The Uber case is just another illustrative example of the unfolding global trend to hold cyber-security executives accountable for their companies’ data breaches.
“Serious misconduct, such as deliberate concealment of a data breach despite the regulatory requirement to report the breach to mitigate harm, may even entail criminal sanctions.”
Dr Kolochenko said cyber-security executives should urgently check that their employment contracts address issues such as coverage of legal fees in case of a civil lawsuit or prosecution in relation to their professional responsibilities. The contracts should also contain a guarantee that their employer will not sue them – as victimised companies may also do this in case of security incidents, she added.
Sullivan has not yet been sentenced, and may appeal against the judgement.
