Hasta La Gadget!

Just about everyone is familiar with VHS tapes, but multiple other formats once competed for its throne, not the least of which were giant LaserDiscs.

Apple may have begun more rigorously enforcing its policy against unused and dysfunctional apps. Back in 2016, the company vowed it would go out of its way to remove applications that had stopped working, not kept up with its latest guidelines or become outdated. After not drawing much attention over the last few years, that policy came back into the public consciousness this week. In a series of tweets spotted by The Verge, a handful of indie developers shared an email notice from Apple prompting them to update their games.

“This app has not been updated in a significant amount of time and is scheduled to be removed from sale in 30 days,” the company states in the email. “You can keep this app available for new users to discover and download from the App Store by submitting an update for review within 30 days.”

Apple notes developers can continue to earn revenue from microtransactions even if it removes their app or game from the store. Moreover, their programs will continue to work for those who have them downloaded to their devices. Some people who shared screenshots of the notice on Twitter expressed concern that the policy disproportionately affects smaller developers.

“This is an unfair barrier to indie devs,” Protopop Games developer Robert Kabwe said. “I’m sitting here on a Friday night, working myself to the bone after my day job, trying my best to scrape a living from my indie games, trying to keep up with Apple, Google, Unity, Xcode, macOS changes that happen so fast my head spins while performing worse on older devices.”

On a support page dedicated to its App Store Improvements initiative, the company states the policy is designed “to make it easier for customers to find great apps that fit their needs.” It also notes it wants to ensure all the software you found on the platform is “functional and up-to-date.”

Obviously, there isn’t an easy answer to the situation. From the perspective of an iOS user, it’s not great when you buy a new Apple device and find apps that aren’t optimized to take advantage of the hardware. I encountered that situation when I bought my 2020 iPad Air and downloaded Klei’s tactical espionage RPG Invisible, Inc. Playing the game for the first time, I was disappointed when I found out the studio had not updated the game to support the iPad Air’s 2,360 by 1,640 resolution. In fact, Klei hasn’t updated the iOS version of Invisible, Inc. since 2016. That hasn’t stopped me from enjoying the game, but I wish I could play it without black bars letterboxing the interface.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 brought in more of the franchise’s lore that Sega has been building on over the years; not just in the form of the Blue Blur’s friends Tails (Colleen O’Shaughnessy) and Knuckles (Idris Elba), but the Master Emerald that serves as the driving force behind several Sonic games. With a third film and…

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Twitter may be warming up to the idea of selling itself to Elon Musk. According to The Wall Street Journal, the company is re-examining Musk’s takeover bid after the billionaire announced he had the financial backing to get the deal done. When Musk first announced he was ready to pay $43 billion to buy the social media giant, noting at the time it was his “best and final offer,” Twitter was widely expected to reject the proposal. The company even went so far as to adopt a so-called “poison pill” strategy to ward off a hostile takeover attempt.

But Twitter is now “taking a fresh look” at Musk’s offer and is more likely to engage in negotiations, according to The Journal. The outlet reports the two sides are meeting on Sunday to discuss the proposal, but a handful of hurdles could complicate negotiations. For instance, company executives could insist on Musk agreeing to monetary protections if the deal falls through.

Twitter declined to comment on the report. When Musk first announced his bid, the company said it was committed to a “careful, comprehensive and deliberate review” of the offer. It’s very likely we’ll learn how Twitter plans to proceed sometime in the next few days. The Journal reports the company will weigh in on the situation when it reports its first-quarter earnings on Thursday, “if not sooner.”

The anti-queer movement across the United States that’s been making headlines in recent weeks is part of a larger effort across the globe to stamp out queer people, particularly those who are trans. As transphobic legislation is being enacted in the political sphere, organizations have been creating funds to help…

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