Crypto Drops $130 Billion in 24 Hours; Apple-Biggest New Product Release Ever; WhatsApp to Let Chats Xfer From Android to iOS; EU Backs Limits on Tracking Ads

With a big market drop today due to Russian saber rattling near Ukraine and the Fed to bump interest a bit, another financial nosedive has been overshadowed. CNBC.com reports that crypto markets had about $130 billion in valuation wiped out in 24 hours over the weekend. Stocks have been correcting downwards since the first of the year, Bitcoin dropped about 4% and Ether fell 7%…both are now at about half of their all-time high marks. Investors are now eyeing Bitcoin to see if it falls through the $30,000 level. Bitcoin was at 36,458 15 minutes before markets close on Monday. 

According to macrumors.com, citing Mark Gurman over at Bloomberg, Apple is gearing up to release the ‘widest array of new Hardware products in Its history’ this fall. That would include the 4 refreshed iPhone models, and updated low-end MacBook Pro, a freshened iMac with a bigger screen, a new Mac Pro (running Apple silicon), a MacBook Air update, three new Apple Watches, a low end iPad and new iPad Pro models…plus the 2nd gen AirPods Pro! These will likely come out in two separate events…with the usual iPhone and Watch release in September, and the rest to follow in October or maybe November. This spring, Apple will probably drop a refreshed iPhone SE, iPad Air, and maybe a new, higher end iMac. It appears that by Fall, Apple will have migrated 100% of its computers to its own silicon, finally dropping all Intel chips. 

WhatsApp is apparently working on a feature that will allow people to migrate their chat history from Android to iOS. Theverge.com says such a feature has been sighted in the latest beta version for iOS (22.2.74.) This matches up with a similar feature observed in a beta of Android (2.21.20.11.) WhatsApp had previously had the ability to move chat histories from iOS to Samsung phones (that happened last September), then added the ability to transfer to Google Pixel phones and other Android 12 devices. 

The European Parliament has moved to install big limits on behavioral advertising. TechCrunch.com reports that the action came during a vote on amendments to the EU Digital Services Act. This would really ratchet up pressure on big tech…especially on Facebook And Google, which make most of their money through mass surveillance and microtargeting of Internet users. The two ad titans dodged a much bigger bullet as the EU dropped an amendment that would have meant a total ban on behavioral advertising. The upshot of these votes is that the elected representatives of EU citizens have signaled strong backing for significant restrictions to microtargeting and related ad tech practices (like manipulative consent flows) which — if they make it through into the final law — will put a significant squeeze on surveillance-based business models, increasing pressure for adtech reform.