Blizzard tweaks loot boxes in Heroes of the Storm amid gambling controversy

Players of Blizzard’s Heroes of the Storm noticed something in the latest patch notes: the developers were removing the ability to buy loot boxes with real money. Given the battle that game publishers are fighting with officials across the globe over loot boxes, it’s possible this is an sign of things to come — an experiment Blizzard is running with one of its smaller games that could prevent trouble for its bigger ones, and gauge how an invested community of gamers will respond. According to the Heroes patch notes, “Loot chests are no longer available for Gem purchase… Rare loot chests…

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Apple’s privacy reputation at risk with new iTunes class-action lawsuit

Apple has marketed itself as a company that puts customers’ privacy first, but a new class-action lawsuit claims to the contrary. Leigh Wheaton, Jill Paul, and Trevor Paul — three iTunes users from Rhode Island and Michigan — filed a federal lawsuit against the Cupertino-based tech giant alleging that the company unlawfully collects and sells their iTunes listening information to third parties without informed consent. The claims, if true, are bound to puncture a hole in Apple’s pro-privacy stance, which it touted earlier this year with the ad slogan: “What happens on your iPhone stays on your iPhone.” Apple never shows… This story continues at The Next Web Or just read more coverage about: iTunes , Apple from The Next Web http://bit.ly/2WuCjFe

Microsoft once owned a chunk of Apple, here’s what it would have been worth today

Back in 1997, Apple wasn’t as shiny as we know it today. It was actually a little bit rotten. It was the year they asked Steve Jobs to return to save the company, as it was struggling to keep up with the competition, Microsoft in particular. In just two years, its sales had fallen from $11 billion to just $7 billion. To survive, the company had to determine what its core assets were, where it was most relevant, and what it should focus on more. And it had to forge new partnerships, even if that meant cutting a deal with the… This story continues at The Next Web Or just read more coverage about: Apple , Microsoft from The Next Web https://ift.tt/32sonws

TNW Podcast: Boris comes over to co-host; Slack’s Cal Henderson talks European tech

Welcome to the new episode of the TNW Podcast — the show where we discuss the latest developments in the European technology ecosystem and feature interviews with some of the most interesting people in the industry. In today’s episode, Andrii is joined by Boris Veldhuijzen van Zanten, co-founder, member of the board, and former CEO of TNW. The topics discussed include the jobs created by Dutch startups, giant state funding for energy projects, translations of the word ‘computer’, and a bunch of other things in between. In the interview section, we’re featuring a conversation with Cal Henderson, co-founder and… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web https://ift.tt/jUgcNFD

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