iTunes won't be available in the Microsoft store this year, despite a previous announcement that it would, ZDNet reports. An Apple spokesperson confirmed that it needs "a little more time" to get the iTunes integration onto Microsoft products right.
Why it matters: Microsoft needs to get more apps in its store to lure users. It's especially important for users of the slimmed down Windows 10 S operating system because as Axios' Ina Fried has previously pointed out, "without a new version of iTunes, there would be no (authorized) way to directly connect an iPhone to such devices."
Why it matters: This might be the first public acknowledgment from the company that its product — and category in general — can have detrimental effects on people.
Erik Huggers, CEO of music video site Vevo is leaving the company, effective immediately. CFO Alan Price will be interim CEO, the company said in a statement.
The statement was short on reasons, saying only that Huggers "has decided to step down to pursue new opportunities."
The backstory: Huggers had been pushing the company, which gets most of its revenue by distributing its videos on YouTube, into trying to become a destination in its own right. It will be interesting to see which direction Vevo goes from here.
Facebook has deployed a new feature on its site which will allow users more control over who and what they see in their feeds, according to Facebook's Director of Research David Ginsberg, and Research Scientist Moira Burke.
Why it matters: Research showed that users' mental health in relation to social media depended on how they used it. Passive consumption of their feed resulted in worse mental health, while active interaction with friends and family was "linked to improvements in well-being."
Twitter shares soared yesterday, a day after Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein tweeted a photo of himself with Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey at the tech company's HQ in San Francisco, Bloomberg reports.
Why it matters: "Disney had explored the possibility of buying Twitter when the company considered selling itself last year ... Goldman Sachs was said to have advised Twitter in those discussions."
Amazon confirmed Thursday that it will again sell the Apple TV set-top box and Google Chromecast dongle. The company had stopped selling the devices amid disputes with both giants.
Why it matters: There's a lot of frenemy stuff at play here, with Google, Apple and Amazon all selling their own streaming devices, but also looking to offer their own services on one another's devices. Apple doesn't offer its programing on rival devices, but does move a lot of hardware through Amazon.
Medicine is poised to be one place where AI makes a mark. In a study published this week, researchers report that a machine algorithm was as good — or better — than pathologists at detecting the spread of a type of breast cancer.
For all the talk about the promise of AI radically changing medicine, this is one of the first peer-reviewed studies to back claims that algorithms can detect abnormalities in pathology slides, says Eric Topol from the Scripps Research Institute.
The bottom line: Radiologists and pathologists are likely to be the first in medicine affected by AI. But researchers working on the technologies don't see them replacing doctors, and instead aiding them. And even that role will require more data about the impact on the medical profession and whether AIs are accurate enough to diagnose patients.
Kellyn Smith Kenny, Uber's vice president of marketing, is heading to Hilton Worldwide as the hotel company's chief marketing officer, she announced on Thursday. She joined the ride-hailing company last year after more than a decade at Capital One and Microsoft.
Why it matters: Smith Kenny is the latest executive to depart this year. Others include its CEO, head of finance, head of public relations, chief legal officer and head of ride-sharing.