Here are today's top Tech stories: 

• Apple presents redesign of smartwatches to avoid U.S. import ban.
• Microsoft overtakes Apple as the most valuable public company.
• GameStop will shut down its NFT marketplace.

Beth
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U.S. Customs and Border Protection has approved a redesign of Apple's newest smartwatches that allows the company to continue selling the devices in the U.S. According to a legal filing, Apple plans to disable pulse oximetry features on newly sold Watch models through software, allowing it to avoid an import ban.

More:

• The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) recently found that Apple infringed on tech company Masimo's patents for technology that reads blood oxygen levels, known as pulse oximetry.
• The agency issued an import ban on Apple's Series 9 and Ultra 2 watches.
• Shortly after Apple stopped selling the watches in the U.S., a federal appeals court paused the ban, allowing sales to continue while the case goes through the courts.
• In court, Apple argued that a redesign of the watches should negate the ban. Apple developed a software workaround and presented it last week to the customs agency, which approved it, although the ITC has the authority to overrule the decision if it disagrees.
• The redesigned watches do not contain the disputed pulse oximetry technology.

GameStop is shutting down its NFT marketplace, citing "continuing regulatory uncertainty of the crypto space." The marketplace, which launched in July 2022, will no longer be usable as of Feb. 2.

More:

• At that time, customers will no longer be able to create, purchase, or sell NFTs, according to a notice posted to GameStop's website.
• As the NFTs were minted on the blockchain, they will continue to be accessible and sellable through other platforms, the company noted.
• GameStop has now made a complete exit from the NFT business.
• Last year the company discontinued its crypto wallet, also citing regulatory uncertainty. The self-custodial Ethereum wallet allowed users to manage cryptocurrencies and NFTs.
• The company's heavy investment in NFTs faced challenges, including a failed partnership with FTX and consumer backlash.

Apple has decided to merge its Siri testing team in San Diego with another team located in Austin, Texas, possibly resulting in layoffs for employees who choose not to move to Austin. According to Bloomberg, the San Diego staff was caught off guard by the move as they were originally told they would be relocating to another campus in San Diego.

More:

• Most of the San Diego team of 121 employees do not plan to move, Bloomberg reported.
• The employees can still apply for other positions.
• Workers who do relocate will receive $7,000 stipends. Those who don't will receive severance pay of four weeks plus an additional week per year worked, along with six months of health insurance.

Zoom out:

• Unlike other tech companies, Apple has largely managed to avoid workforce reductions in recent years.
• In 2023, the company slowed its pace of hiring and laid off a small number of corporate retail employees and contractors
• At the time, CEO Tim Cook said Apple was not currently planning mass layoffs and would only do so as a "last resort."

Microsoft could auto-launch Copilot, its AI assistant, as a sidebar in Windows 11 during boot-up. The company is now testing the change in its latest Dev Channel preview of Windows 11, allowing testers to give feedback before a wider release. 

More:

• Microsoft plans to automatically launch Copilot only on "widescreen devices" at first, though it hasn't clarified whether it applies to 16:9 and 16:10 displays or exclusively to ultrawide displays like 21:9.
• Users could also disable the automatic launch by navigating to Settings > Personalization > Copilot.
• The change has drawn some criticism online. A user on Reddit wrote that it is "guaranteed to be the most annoying feature ever implemented."
• Microsoft is also adding a dedicated "Copilot" key to keyboards on some new Windows 11 PCs. The key, which will summon Microsoft's AI-powered assistant with one click, is described as "the first significant change to the Windows PC keyboard in nearly three decades."

QUICK HITS

• Are you creating the unique user journeys your customers demand? You can by Mastering Personalization with AI.*
• Swiss IT company SoftwareOne Holding AG has rejected a $3.5B takeover offer from Bain Capital, choosing to stay independent after months of negotiations. 
• Lost Boys Interactive, the developer of games like Tiny Tina's Wonderlands, has laid off an undisclosed number of employees.
• Swarovski showed off smart binoculars that identify bird species using AI technology.

* This is a sponsored post.