Apple to sell spare parts to consumers to repair apple products
Apple said it will for the first time start selling spare parts and tools to the general public to perform their own repairs on some iPhones and Mac computers.
The self-service repair programme comes after years of pressure from consumer groups which have resulted in Apple providing greater access to repair manuals and genuine parts.
In 2019, Apple started a programme where independent repair shops can buy its parts, tools and manuals.
Apple said there are now 2,800 independent shops in its programme in addition to its 5,000 directly authorised repair providers.
Under the self-service programme, Apple customers will be able to buy those parts directly to perform their own repairs after reading a manual.
Russia admits destroying satellite with space missile strike
Russia’s defence ministry has admitted to destroying one of its satellites during a missile test but rejected US accusations that it had endangered the International Space Station (ISS).
US officials accused Russia of a “dangerous and irresponsible” strike on a satellite that had created a cloud of debris and forced the ISS crew to take evasive action.
The move reignited concerns about an escalating arms race in space, encompassing everything from laser weapons to satellites capable of shunting others out of orbit.
“The Russian defence ministry successfully conducted a test, as a result of which the Russian spacecraft ‘Tselina-D’, which had been in orbit since 1982, was destroyed,” the military said in a statement.
US officials said they were not informed in advance of the anti-satellite missile test – only the fourth ever to hit a spacecraft from the ground – which generated over 1,500 pieces of trackable orbital debris.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said that the danger was far from over and the debris would continue to threaten satellites and activities on the ISS.
TikTok takes extra steps to curb dangerous challenges
TikTok is trying to strengthen the detection and enforcement of rules against dangerous online challenges and hoaxes, the BBC has reported.
Just over one in five teenagers has participated in an online challenge, a survey commissioned by TikTok suggests.
But only one in 50 has taken part in a “risky and dangerous” – and fewer than one in 300 a “really dangerous” – one.
The survey looked at teenagers’ broad online experience, without focusing on any one platform.
There has been widespread concern about the proliferation, across various platforms, of potentially harmful online challenges.
Last year, the “skull-breaker” challenge, shared on TikTok, was linked to injuries.
And this year, doctors warned of the risk to life and limb of the “milk-crate challenge”, which invited the foolhardy to climb pyramids of milk crates.
