Apple announces its best apps of 2020 – Heaven32

Apple Kicks off annual list of best apps, autonomous truck startup raises $ 350 million, BioNTech / Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine gets emergency approval in UK. This is your Daily Crunch for December 2, 2020.

The big story: Apple announces its best apps of 2020

There was different winners – all selected by the editors of the App Store – for different devices. Wakeout home workout app! was named iPhone App of the Year, Disney + was named Apple TV App of the Year, and Fantastical Productivity App was named Mac App of the Year. As for the iPad app of the year, it was perhaps the most obvious choice: Zoom.

In terms of user popularity, Apple said Zoom was the largest free iPhone app, followed by TikTok and Disney + (which should qualify as free for technical reasons), while the most popular free iPhone game was among We.

The giants of technology

Loon’s stratospheric balloons now learn to fly better thanks to Google’s AI – Alp habet’s Loon has been using algorithmic processes to optimize the flight of its stratospheric balloons for years, but the company is currently implementing a new navigation system.

Apple’s MagSafe Duo Charger Now Available – The MagSafe Duo appeared in Apple’s own store yesterday and has delivery estimates for this week.

Google says its news storefront will add free access to paid stories – So far, Google News Showcase has been launched in countries such as Germany, Brazil, Argentina, Canada, France, UK and Australia.

Startups, financing and venture capital

Autonomous truck startup TuSimple raises $ 350 million from U.S. rail, retail and freight giants. – TuSimple was one of the first autonomous truck startups to emerge in what has grown into a small but bustling industry.

Virta Health’s Behavioral Diabetes Treatment Service Now Worth Over $ 1 Billion – Virta aims to reverse the presence of type 2 diabetes and other chronic metabolic conditions by modifying a user’s diet and exercise.

Space Perspective raises $ 7 million for its plan to transport tourists to the edge of space – The Neptune spacecraft is designed to carry up to eight passengers on a six-hour journey that will include two hours spent at the upper edge of Earth’s atmosphere.

Extra Crunch advice and analysis

From survival to prosperity as a hardware startup – Six strategies from Minut’s CEO, Nils Mattisson.

A summary of the latest unicorn news – So far, the news slowdown in December.

(Extra Crunch is our membership program, which aims to democratize information about startups. You can register here.)

All the others

UK approves BioNTech / Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use – UK is the first country to approve the vaccine for widespread use.

Discovery to launch its own streaming service on January 4 – Discovery is the latest media company to launch a standalone streaming service and the latest to adopt the simple naming strategy of just adding a plus sign.

Gift Guide: Best Books for 2020 Recommended by VC and Heaven32 Writers (Part 1) – Includes many good books for tech and business readers, as well as my recommendation for the not-new, tech-free, but extremely good novel “Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell.”

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