Revolutionary! Apple unveils Vision Pro, iOS 17 has jaw-dropping new features, and WhatsApp shakes up the game with the launch of Channels!

Hi folks, and welcome to Week in Review, TechCrunch’s regular roundup of the top tech news of the past few days. sign up here to receive it in your inbox every Saturday. It’s where we highlight the key stories of the week that was (Apple Vision Proanyone?) and other happenings around the TC universe, like reviews on TC+, our premium subscription service, plus TechCrunch’s growing collection of podcasts.

It’s an embarrassment of content, if I do say so myself, and I hope it’s a welcome relief to those on the East Coast who have been inundated with smoke from the Canadian wildfires. In good news, AirNow.gov tells me that air quality in New York City has returned to moderate levels, which I would say is something to celebrate.

Now, with the introductions out of the way, let’s get on with the news.

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Apple Vision Pro: TC’s intrepid editor-in-chief, Matthew, got down to business with the professional visionApple’s first attempt at an augmented reality (AR) headset, announced at the company’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) keynote speech, and came away impressed. A 30-minute or so demo convinced him that Apple has made nothing short of a real leap in the capability and execution of XR, or mixed reality: high praise, to be sure. Darrell and Brian have other thoughtsthat you can also hear them discuss in This Week’s TechCrunch Podcast.

New features in iOS 17: He professional vision could have dominated the headlines at WWDC on Monday. But, as Ivan reports, Apple is also releasing a major iOS update later this year. The next iOS 17 It will introduce a number of different “nice to have” features such as a personalized call sign, standby mode, live voicemail, and an enhanced label experience.

Mass medical non-compliance: Hackers stole the personal and health information of half a million people during a ransomware attack against a technology provider earlier this year. Zack writes that Intellihartx, a Tennessee-based company that handles patient billing and payment balances, filed a notice with the Maine attorney general’s office that patients’ information was stolen in the cyberattack targeting their provider. , Fortra.

WhatsApp launches Channels: Meta is rolling out a broadcast-based messaging feature called Channels in WhatsApp, similar to a recent update you sent to Instagram — as the social giant experiments with giving more avenues of conversation to its 2 billion users. Ivan reports that there is an obvious angle: the company’s goal is to make money from the feature in the future.

Apollo no more: The popular third-party Reddit app, Apollo, is being shut down as a direct result of Reddit’s recent announcement. new API pricing plans. Apollo developer Christian Selig says the price would end up costing Apollo $20 million per year to continue operating its business, an untenable demand for an independent developer.

Green light for automated driving: Mercedes-Benz has received a permit from California regulators that will allow the German automaker to sell or lease vehicles in the state equipped with a conditional automated driving system that allows unattended, unseen driving on certain roads. Kirsten notes that Mercedes-Benz is the fourth company to receive an autonomous vehicle deployment permit in California and the first authorized to sell or lease vehicles with an automated driving system to the public.

Redwood Division: Sequoia plans to split into three entities: Sequoia Capital in the US and Europe, Peak XV Partners in India and Southeast Asia, and HongShan in China, as the storied venture firm separates the mothership’s Asia units to help navigate an increasingly complex geopolitical landscape. . The split comes amid rising geopolitical tension between China and the United States, the world’s two largest economies.

NestAway sells for less: Proptech firm Aurum is acquiring NestAway, a once a high flying indian startup operating in the same space, for up to $10.9 million, in a deal that marks a near-total erosion of value for the startup’s investors. Eight-year-old NestAway has raised $115 million over the years and was valued at $227 million in a funding round in 2019.

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Looking for a TechCrunch podcast to pass the time? You have come to the right place. Verify Equitywhich this week rounded up WWDC and covered Affirm’s Amazon partnership, Cava’s IPO, all things SEC and cryptocurrency, and how real estate can affect the climate crisis. Found introduced Eli Ben-Joseph, Co-Founder and CEO of Regard, a startup using AI to optimize the clinical side of medicine that hopes to reduce physician burnout. Meanwhile, Chain reaction interviewed Paul Grewal, the legal director of embattled crypto company Coinbase.

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TC+ subscribers get access to detailed feedback, analysis and surveys, which you know about if you’re already a subscriber. If you’re not here consider signing up. Here are some highlights from this week:

Investments from the ashes: Like Canadian smoke wildfire envelopes Large swaths of the East Coast, millions of people find themselves trapped inland, gazing at orange skies and hazy cityscapes. It’s a jolt to investor systems, potentially. Tim writes that if the past is any prologue, venture capitalists should brace for a wave of climate-tech startups next year.

European startups are slow: The business slowdown has long been established as a global phenomenon, and according to a new report from venture capital firm Atomico, this “adjusted market reality is here to stay,” including in Europe. There’s been a clear decline, but not necessarily cause for alarm, Anna. writes.

Beating the SaaS blues: The data indicates that public software companies have added fewer yearly recurring revenue streams in the first quarter of 2023 than a year earlier. But not all startups report mediocre results. Alex writes how Samsara, which went public at the end of 2021, recently tested that it’s still possible to expand rapidly, and perhaps even more impressive, that it’s possible to hold value even if you’re listed at the end of a VC bubble.