Uber targets commuters with cheaper pooled rides, price-lock pass

Boston Globe

14-05-2025

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TECH
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Apple readies feature that lets Vision Pro users scroll with their eyes
A woman tried on a pair of Apple Vision Pro goggles in an Apple Store in Pittsburgh.
Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press
Apple Inc. is developing a feature for its Vision Pro headset that lets users scroll through software with their eyes, aiming to enhance the device with a novel interface. The eye-scrolling capability is being tested as part of visionOS 3, an upcoming version of the Vision Pro's operating system, according to people with knowledge of the matter. Already, the headset lets users navigate the software by looking at objects and then selecting them by pinching their fingers. The idea is to leverage the Vision Pro's existing eye-tracking hardware and software to take the system a step further, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the technology is still under wraps. Apple is planning to introduce the new Vision Pro operating system at its annual developer conference starting on June 9. — BLOOMBERG NEWS
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STREAMING
Max, once known as HBO Max, is calling itself HBO Max again. Got it?
The HBO Max streaming service is displayed on a laptop computer in an arranged photograph taken in New York on May 28, 2020.
Gabby Jones/Bloomberg
It's not Max. It's HBO Max — again. In a surprise pivot, Warner Bros. Discovery executives announced Wednesday that the streaming service Max would be renamed HBO Max, reinstating the app's old name and abandoning a contentious change that the company introduced two years ago. The reason for the change, executives explained, was straightforward. People who subscribe and pay $17 a month for the streaming service wind up watching HBO content such as 'The White Lotus' and 'The Last of Us,' as well as new movies, documentaries and not a whole lot more. 'It really is a reaction to being in the marketplace for two years, evaluating what's working and really leaning into that,' Casey Bloys, the chair of HBO content, said in an interview. HBO, a trailblazer of the cable era, has been on a very bumpy ride to finding an identity in the streaming era. There was HBO Go (2008), HBO Now (2015), HBO Max (2020), Max (2023), and now, once again, HBO Max (2025). — NEW YORK TIMES
CONSUMER SAFETY
Ford recalls nearly 274,000 Navigator and Expedition SUVs due to risk of loss of brake function
Ford is recalling nearly 274,000 of its Expedition and Lincoln-branded Navigator SUVs across the United States due to an issue that may cause a loss of brake function while driving, increasing crash risks. According to documents published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the front brake lines in these now-recalled cars 'may be in contact' with their engine air cleaner outlet pipe due to a potential installation defect. That can result in a brake fluid leak and/or a loss of brake function. The recall covers 223,315 Expeditions and 50,474 Navigators between model years 2022 and 2024. Ford expects that just 1 percent of these vehicles have the defect, per a recall report dated Friday. Ford is not aware of any accidents or injuries related to this recall — but the Michigan-based auto giant had received 45 warranty reports of front brake line leaks as of April 17, NHSTA documents note. As a remedy, Ford and Lincoln dealers will inspect the front brake line of impacted vehicles and replace it or the air cleaner outlet pipe if necessary, free of charge. Dealer notifications were planned to begin Wednesday, the recall report notes, with owner letters set to be mailed out between May 26 and May 30. In the meantime, drivers can also confirm if their specific vehicle is included in this recall and find more information using the NHTSA site or Ford's recall lookup. The company's number for this recall is 25S47. — ASSOCIATED PRESS
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LABOR
Burberry to cut about a fifth of workforce in turnaround bid
A sign at a Burberry Group Plc luxury fashion store on Regent Street in London.
Simon Dawson/Bloomberg
Burberry Group Plc plans to cut almost a fifth of its workforce as its new chief executive tries to turn around the British trench-coat maker, after its push into high fashion flopped amid slumping global demand for luxury goods. The London-based company plans an additional $80 million of savings in the next two years, affecting as many as 1,700 roles — equivalent to 18 percent of its global workforce. The savings are on top of the $53 million set out by chief executive Joshua Schulman in November. Most job cuts will be office roles in the UK, Schulman told reporters on a call Wednesday, though global retail positions will be affected. — BLOOMBERG NEWS
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TRADE
In UK-US deal, hormone-fed beef is off the menu
As Britain and the United States finalize the first bilateral trade deal to follow President Trump's global tariff blitz, British trade negotiators are still refusing to let American beef and chicken treated with hormones and chlorine into British supermarkets, a top US official acknowledged Tuesday — suggesting that Trump's efforts to bend countries to his will on trade will have limits when they clash with hot-button local food customs. US Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, who said during the Oval Office announcement of the deal last week that she wanted Britain to take 'all meats,' seemed to soften that stance following talks in London this week. During a news conference Tuesday, Rollins suggested that American exporters might make concessions
and wean themselves from ranching and processing practices that are standard in the United States but rejected by British and European regulators. Britain have not released details on all the products the agreement will cover, but it allows 'reciprocal' market access for beef, according to the British government. British officials have been adamant that restrictions will remain on importing hormone-fed beef and chlorine-rinsed chicken — two US products that have been an irritant in transatlantic trade talks for years. — WASHINGTON POST
INTERNATIONAL
Thai officials seize over 200 tons of illegally imported electronic waste from the US
Thai officials displayed samples of illegally imported electronic waste from the United States which they said they seized at Bangkok Port during a press conference in Bangkok.
Sakchai Lalit/Associated Press
Thai officials on Wednesday said they seized 238 tons of illegally imported electronic waste from the United States at the port of Bangkok, one of the biggest lots they've found this year. The waste, which came in 10 large containers, was declared as mixed metal scrap but turned out to be circuit boards mixed in a huge pile of metal scrap, said Theeraj Athanavanich, director-general of the Customs Department. The waste was found on Tuesday after the containers became the subject of a routine random inspection, officials said. A UN report last year said electronic waste is piling up worldwide. Some 62 million tons of electronic waste was generated in 2022 and that figure is on track to reach 82 million tons by 2030, the report said. It said only 22 percent of the waste was properly collected and recycled in 2022 and that quantity is expected to fall to 20 percent by the end of the decade due to higher consumption, limited repair options, shorter product life cycles, and inadequate management infrastructure. Theeraj said Thai authorities are looking to press charges including falsely declaring imported goods, illegally importing electronic waste, and planning to re-export the waste back to its country of origin. — ASSOCIATED PRESS
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