Media Coverage

Defective "taptic engines" slowed the rollout of the Apple Watch. It wasn’t long after pre-orders for Apple’s much-anticipated Watch began that trouble emerged. Reportedly within hours of going on sale on April 10, the wait times jumped by weeks and then months. Some models eventually were listed simply as unavailable. A hint at one of the problems came in late April, when the Wall Street Journal reported that the Watch’s taptic engine – a key component designed by Apple that reproduces the sensation of being tapped on the wrist – was defective in models produced by AAC Technologies in China. That severely limited the Watch’s availability.

Arizona, Florida and many other states across the South are reporting record spikes in COVID-19 cases, while cases continue to drop in Maryland and other northeastern states. Maryland took steps to control cases so the state’s outbreak never reached the peaks seen in places like New York and Massachusetts before beginning a downward trend in April.

Many people are using COVID-19 quarantine to get projects done at home, meaning plenty of online shopping for tools and supplies. But do you buy blind? Research shows 97% of consumers consult product reviews before making a purchase. Fake reviews are a significant threat for online review portals and product search engines given the potential for damage to consumer trust. Little is known about what review portals should do with fraudulent reviews after detecting them. 

Right at this moment, in the context of a debilitating mental health crisis already plaguing much of the western world, it’s hard to reflect on coronavirus as anything other than disastrous for our collective psychological well-being.