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Hello, friends, and welcome to Week in Review, TechCrunch\u2019s regular digest of the top tech news over the past several days. Sign up here<\/a> to get it in your inbox every Saturday. It\u2019s where we highlight the key stories in the week that was (Apple Vision Pro<\/a>, anyone?) and other goings on around the TC universe, like the analyses on TC+, our premium subscription service, plus TechCrunch\u2019s growing collection of podcasts.<\/p>\n It\u2019s an embarrassment of content, if I do say so myself \u2014 and hopefully a welcome reprieve for those on the East Coast who\u2019ve been inundated with smoke from the Canadian wildfires. In a sliver of good news, AirNow.gov tells me that the air quality in New York City has returned to moderate levels, which I\u2019d say is something to celebrate.<\/p>\n Now with the introductions out of the way, let\u2019s get on with the news.<\/p>\n Apple Vision Pro:<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>TC\u2019s intrepid editor-in-chief, Matthew, went hands-on with the Vision Pro<\/a>, Apple\u2019s first attempt at an augmented reality (AR) headset, announced at the company\u2019s annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC<\/a>) keynote \u2014 and came away impressed. A roughly 30-minute demo convinced him that Apple has delivered nothing less than a genuine leapfrog in capability and execution of XR, or mixed reality \u2014 high praise, to be sure. Darrell and Brian have<\/a>\u00a0other thoughts<\/a>, which you can also hear them discuss on this week\u2019s TechCrunch Podcast<\/a>.<\/p>\n New features in iOS 17:<\/strong><\/a> The Vision Pro<\/a> might\u2019ve dominated the headlines at WWDC\u00a0on Monday. But, as Ivan reports, Apple is also going to launch a major update to iOS later this year. The upcoming iOS 17<\/a> will introduce a number of different \u201cnice-to-have\u201d features, like personalized call poster, StandBy mode, live voicemail and improved sticker experience.<\/p>\n Massive medical breach: <\/strong><\/a>Hackers stole half a million people\u2019s personal and health information during a ransomware attack on a tech vendor earlier this year. Zack\u00a0writes that Intellihartx, a Tennessee-based company that handles patient payment balances and collections, filed a notice with the Maine attorney general\u2019s office that patients had information stolen in the cyberattack targeting its vendor, Fortra.<\/p>\n WhatsApp launches Channels:<\/strong><\/a> Meta\u2019s rolling out a broadcast-based messaging feature called Channels on WhatsApp \u2014 similar to a recent update it sent out to Instagram<\/a> \u2014 as the social juggernaut experiments with giving more conversational avenues to its 2 billion users. Ivan<\/a> reports that there\u2019s an obvious angle \u2014 the company\u2019s aiming to earn money from the feature down the road.<\/p>\n Apollo no more: <\/strong><\/a>The popular third-party Reddit app\u00a0Apollo\u00a0is\u00a0shutting down as a direct result of Reddit\u2019s recently announced new API pricing plans<\/a>. Apollo\u2019s developer, Christian Selig, says that the pricing would end up costing Apollo $20 million per year to continue to operate its business, an unsustainable ask for an indie developer.<\/p>\n Automated driving greenlit:<\/strong><\/a> Mercedes-Benz received a permit from California regulators that\u2019ll allow the German automaker to sell or lease vehicles in the state equipped with a conditional automated driving system that allows for hands-off, eyes-off driving on certain highways. Kirsten notes that Mercedes-Benz is the fourth company to receive an autonomous vehicle deployment permit in California and the first authorized to sell or lease vehicles with an automated driving system to the public.<\/p>\n Sequoia splitting:<\/a> <\/strong>Sequoia plans to split into three entities \u2014 Sequoia Capital in the U.S. and Europe, Peak XV Partners in India and Southeast Asia, and HongShan in China \u2014 as the storied venture firm separates the Asia units from the mothership to help navigate an increasingly complex geopolitical landscape. The split comes amid the growing geopolitical tension between China and the U.S., the world\u2019s two largest economies.<\/p>\n NestAway sells for less:<\/strong><\/a> Proptech firm Aurum is acquiring NestAway, a\u00a0once high-flying Indian startup<\/a> operating in the same space, for up to $10.9 million, in a deal that marks a near complete erosion in value for the startup\u2019s investors. Eight-year-old NestAway raised $115 million over the years and was valued at $227 million in a funding round in 2019.<\/p>\n Looking for a TechCrunch podcast to pass the time? You\u2019ve come to the right place. Check out Equity<\/a>, which this week recapped WWDC and covered Affirm partnering with Amazon, Cava\u2019s IPO, all things SEC and crypto, and how real estate can affect the climate crisis. Found<\/a> hosted Eli Ben-Joseph, the co-founder and CEO of Regard, a startup that uses AI to streamline the clinical side of medicine that\u2019s hoping to reduce physician burnout. Meanwhile, Chain Reaction<\/a> interviewed Paul Grewal, the chief legal officer at embattled crypto company Coinbase.<\/p>\n TC+ subscribers get access to in-depth commentary, analysis and surveys \u2014 which you know if you\u2019re already a subscriber. If you\u2019re not,\u00a0consider signing up<\/a>. Here are a few highlights from this week:<\/em><\/p>\n Investments from the ashes:<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>As smoke from the Canadian wildfires envelops<\/a> large swathes of the East Coast, millions of people find themselves trapped inside, gazing out on orange skies and hazy cityscapes. It\u2019s a jolt to investors\u2019 systems, potentially. Tim writes that \u2014 if the past is prologue \u2014 VCs should prepare themselves for a tidal wave of climate tech startups next year.<\/p>\n European startups slow:<\/strong><\/a> The venture slowdown has long been established to be a global phenomenon, and per a new report from VC firm Atomico, this \u201cadjusted market reality is here to stay\u201d \u2014 including in Europe. There\u2019s been a clear decline, but not necessarily cause for alarm, Anna writes<\/a>.<\/p>\n Beating the SaaS blues:<\/strong><\/a> Data indicates that public software companies have\u00a0added fewer sources of annual recurring revenue<\/a> in the first quarter of 2023 than they did a year earlier. But not every startup is reporting lackluster results. Alex writes<\/a> how Samsara, which went public in late 2021, recently proved<\/a> that it\u2019s still possible to expand fast, and perhaps even more impressively, that it\u2019s possible to hold on to value even if you listed at the end of a VC bubble.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nMost read<\/h2>\n
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