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Jess Weatherbed

Jess Weatherbed

News Reporter

Jess Weatherbed is a news writer, and part of The Verge UK-based team. While passionate about the future of technology, she originally trained as a prosthetics makeup and wig-making technician, fuelled by a love of animatronics and practical movie effects.

Jess started her career at TechRadar, covering news and hardware reviews across computing, PC gaming and streaming. Additional bylines can be found at GamesRadar, PCGamer, Creative Bloq and Space.com.

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iPhones are losing popularity in China.

According to IDC research, the rise of domestic smartphone brands has knocked Apple out of the top five spot. Apple, which now sits in sixth place, saw a 3.1 percent year-on-year decline even as the Chinese market grew by 8.9 percent. At least it’s doing better than Samsung which doesn’t even get a mention, despite dominating sales in the region a decade ago.


A chart shpwing a breakdown of brands that dominate the Chinese smartphone market.
Must be humbling for Apple to be included under “Others”...
Image: IDC Research
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Meta may be facing its first EU antitrust fine.

Reuters reports that Meta could be slapped with fines as high as $13.4 billion for tying classified advertisements service Marketplace with its Facebook social network.

The ruling, which is expected in the coming weeks, would come over 18 months since the European Commission accused Meta of “abusive practices” that enabled it to distort competition in the online classified ads market.


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Grindr is again blocked in the Olympic Village.

No, this isn’t another cardboard bed situation — the reasons for blocking the app make sense and mirror similar actions that Grindr took during the Beijing Winter Olympics in 2022, after it was used to out a number of athletes during the previous Rio Games.


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Samsung’s latest foldables and wearables are now (mostly) available.

The Galaxy Z Fold 6, Galaxy Z Flip 6, Galaxy Watch Ultra, Galaxy Watch 7, Galaxy Ring, and Galaxy Buds 3 revealed at Samsung’s Unpacked event went on sale globally today, though some regions / carriers may vary.

The exception is the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, which are delayed (until August 28th in the US) due to quality issues with the removable ear tips.


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The BBC is in a bit of a bind.

Deadline reports the broadcaster will lay off 500 staff by March 2026, with 2,000 jobs already cut over the last five years. The ad-free public service is hemorrhaging funding as Brits cancel their TV licenses.

The BBC is now aiming to become a “leaner, more agile organisation” after operating deficits increased to £263 million ($339 million) this year, despite the cash drawn in by Doctor Who and Bluey.