Topping tech headlines Wednesday, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler plans to circulate a draft net neutrality proposal this week, ahead of a vote at the agency's May 15 open meeting.
The draft is similar to the 2010 Open Internet rules that were struck down by an appeals court earlier this year. But along with a baseline level of service, it allows for broadband providers to "enter into individual negotiations with content providers" on a case-by-case basis, provided those deals are "commercially reasonable." What constitutes a "commercially reasonable" deal, or a baseline level of service, however, has yet to be ironed out. And consumer groups are predictably up in arms.
In other news, Apple sold 43.7 million iPhones in the first quarter, marking a non-holiday and March quarter record. Apple iPad sales were down almost 10 million from the holiday quarter, but CEO Tim Cook remains confident about the company's tablet segment. He also confirmed that the Apple TV is no longer a hobby, having sold 20 million units and topping $1 billion last year.
Meanwhile, Google's new Street View time lapse feature shows you how a place has changed over the years. By adding historical imagery from past collections dating back to 2007, the search giant can show you a landmark's growth from the ground up, or an entire city's destruction by a natural disaster. A global rollout is expected over the coming days.
Be sure to check out PCMag Live from Wednesday in the video, as well as a few other stories making headlines in the links below.
- YouTube App Lands on More Roku Devices: Previously, the app was available only on the Roku 3.
- IBM Unveils First OpenPOWER Servers: POWER8-based servers can crunch Big Data workloads 50 times faster than x86-based systems, according to Big Blue.
- Amazon to Start Streaming HBO Shows Next Month: HBO GO will also be added to the Amazon Fire TV set-top box this year.
- Twitter Profile Redesign Available to All: Visit your Twitter account online to launch the updates, which provide a more full-page look.
- WhatsApp Tops 500M Global Users: All over the world, people are sharing more than 700 million photos and 100 million videos every day.
- Google Offered to Help Fund Samsung Patent Fight: A Google lawyer verified emails in which the search giant offered to pay some of Samsung's legal costs.
- NYPD Twitter Campaign Turns Ugly: A New York Police Department campaign to engage people on Twitter via the "myNPPD" hashtag backfired in a big way.
- U.S. Web Speeds Up, But So Are Attacks: Average Internet speed in the U.S. jumped 2 percent to 10 Mbps, according to data from Akamai.
- FTC OKs Facebook, Oculus VR Deal: "We're pleased the FTC has cleared our acquisition of Oculus," a Facebook spokeswoman told PCMag.