Three things for October 14
1. Supreme Court suspends census count early
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court voted to suspend the U.S. Census count before the Oct. 31 deadline.
Eight judges voted in favor of suspending the census count early, with Justice Sonia Sotomayor the only Justice to dissent.
The census count was originally scheduled to end on July 31 but was delayed by the onset of COVID-19.
In April, the Census Bureau announced the census count would continue through Oct. 31 to allow additional time for households to be safely counted.
“Marginalized populations in hard to count areas, such as rural and tribal lands … will disproportionately bear the burden of any inaccuracies,” said Justice Sotomayor.
99.8% of housing units have been accounted for in the 2020 census to date, exceeding the Census Bureau’s goal of 99%.
For more information about the census, or to complete the census, visit the United States Census Bureau website.
2. Apple unveils iPhone 12
On Tuesday, Apple Inc. unveiled the coming iPhone 12 series during a virtual event.
The series will include the iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max, and the iPhone 12 Mini. Prices for the newest iPhone will start at $699 for the iPhone 12 Mini and will go up to $1,099 for the iPhone 12 Pro Max.
The iPhones will be available in five colors: black, white, red, green and blue.
The iPhone 12 will return to the flat-edged design that consumers were introduced to with the iPhone 4 and will be thinner and lighter than its predecessor, the iPhone 11.
The iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Mini models will feature dual wide and ultra-wide lenses on the back, while the Pro and Pro Max models will feature dual wide and ultra-wide lenses as well as a third telephoto lens.
Each phone will be 5G capable and will be able to sense when 5G isn’t needed in order to conserve battery life. Battery life is expected to take a hit due to the 5G capabilities.
The iPhone 12 and 12 Pro will be available for pre-order on Oct. 16 and in stores on Oct. 23, while the 12 Mini and Pro Max will be available for pre-order on Nov. 6 and in stores on Nov. 13.
3. Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccine trials paused
On Monday, Johnson and Johnson announced the company’s COVID-19 vaccine trial would be put on hold due to the onset of “unexplainable illness” in one of the trial patients.
Chief Financial Officer of Johnson and Johnson Joseph Wolk said the pause will allow the data and safety monitoring board to thoroughly investigate the unexplained illness.
“At Johnson & Johnson, there is no greater priority than the safety and well being of the people we serve every day around the world,” stated Johnson and Johnson. “We are committed to providing transparent updates throughout the clinical development process of our vaccine candidate, in compliance with regulatory standards and our own high ethical and scientific principles.”
Johnson and Johnson began the phase three trial testing of its potential coronavirus vaccine last month, becoming the fourth vaccine-maker backed by the Trump administration’s COVID-19 vaccine program Operation Warp Speed to enter late-stage testing, according to AP News.
