Some Prime Deliveries Delayed; Apple Virtual WWDC; Apple Cardholders-Skip March; Verily Coronavirus Website; Goodyear ‘Self-Regenerating’ Tire

Amazon says some Prime delivery service is getting hit with delays. Also, theverge.com reports the online giant is running out of stock on some household staples because of the coronavirus. Amazon hasn’t indicated if employees or contractors choosing not to go to work is part of the issue. I ordered a non-critical item over the weekend with a Tuesday promise, and now it will be here Wednesday. Not a big deal, but if you do order something critical to you, keep in mind that they are experiencing delays. Amazon has set up a relief fund to help support its contractors and gig workers. It amounts to up to two weeks of pay if the worker is diagnosed with the virus or put into quarantine. Amazon seeded the fund with an initial donation of $25 million.

Joining most other tech giants, Apple announced that this June’s WWDC will be presented as a completely online experience. No date was announced yet, but we expect them to bow the latest iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS. According to 9to5mac.com, Apple will release complete details and the schedule, as well as the dates in coming weeks. Apple also kicked in a million to local San Jose organizations to help mitigate economic losses due to no physical WWDC.

If you have an Apple Card, and are not able to work due to the virus, Apple and Goldman Sachs are giving you the option to skip your March payment without interest charges. You do need to contact Apple Customer support and enroll in their Customer Assistance Program to qualify, though.

Although the president said last week that Google would be rolling out a website dealing with COVID-19, that isn’t exactly the case. 9to5google.com says there is no nationwide site as yet, but an Alphabet subsidiary called Verily has gone live with a site today that allows San Francisco Bay Area residents to take an online COVID-19 screener survey. People who “meet eligibility and requirements for testing will be directed to mobile testing sites based on capacity” and take a nasal swab test. It wasn’t clear this morning if the testing was to be handled directly over the Verily site or separately by the testing provider. Verily will expand the coverage as “more testing kits and sites become available,” though only California is currently referenced due to the state partnership.

Goodyear has revealed its reCharge Concept tires. According to businessinsider.com, they are self-regenerating and have artificial intelligence features, which allow tire treads to change according to the environment and climate. Goodyear says they have designed the tire with three main goals: personalization, sustainability, and hassle-free use. As the tire is still in the development stage, there’s no word on when it might actually hit the market.

I’m Clark Reid