The New Yorker’s decision to give away its archives -- at least dating back to 2007 -- appears to be paying off. “It wasn’t a massive increase in readers between July and November,” Nicholas Thompson, editor of NewYorker.com tells Nieman Lab. “The free ride was all part of the magazine’s relaunch of NewYorker.com, with the idea of introducing the redesigned site to old and new readers by giving people a chance to wander through the stacks for five months.” 

For Apple’s Watch strategy to be profitable, analysts say it needs sell a lot of the pricier high-end models, i.e., the gold ones. Throwing a verbal wrench in its plans, however, Kevin Rose is warning people not to pay the roughly $7,000 markup, lest they be branded a “douche.” As the Digg founder and tech influencer writes in TechCrunch: “I would imagine the value to the consumer is that of broadcasting wealth.”

Swatch co-founder Elmar Mock has seen the future, and it’s light on Swiss watches. In their place, everyone’s going to be wearing Apple Watches, Mock tells Bloomberg Businessweek. “Apple will succeed quickly,” he said. “It will put a lot of pressure on the traditional watch industry and jobs in Switzerland.” Within a few years, Mock guesses that Apple could be selling upwards of 30 million watches a year. 

Earlier this month, word spread that Twitter was chatting up live streaming app Periscope about a potential acquisition worth upwards of $100 million. Now, a source is telling Business Insider that Twitter quietly closed the deal, though said sources wouldn’t talk sale price. Other sources tell BI that the deal cost Twitter between $50 million and $100 million.

WhatsApp is reportedly banning those who make user of third-party client applications. Not so, the Facebook’s unit tells TechCrunch. “here’s been no larger policy shift since we last reported on [WhatsApp’s] crackdown on third-party app usage earlier this year,” it writes. In January, WhatsApp began banning users from its service when they were found to be using a third-party (unofficial) WhatsApp mobile application.” 

Despite its best efforts, Yik Yak’s bullying problem only appears to be getting worse. More alarming still, “Since the app was introduced a little more than a year ago, it has been used to issue threats of mass violence on more than a dozen college campuses,” The New York Times reports. As a result, a growing number of college campuses as banning the anonymous, location-based social network. 

Giving Verizon and other carriers notice, Google is moving ahead with its experimental wireless service, The Wall Street Journal reports. At least initially, “it will work only on the company’s latest Nexus brand smartphone and not on other phones using Google’s Android operating system,” WSJ points out, citing sources. “The service, designed to switch among Wi-Fi and cellular networks, will initially be available only on the latest Nexus 6 smartphone.” 

Image sharing Web site Imgur is expected to debut a new iPhone app, on Thursday. “This isn't the first time that Imgur has tried to launch a mobile app, but Imgur thinks that this is the first time it got it right,” The Verge reports. The new app “reimagines the experience of browsing through its massive collection of photos, GIFs, and other images.” Users will be presented with an endless row of “cards,” each with its own picture and title. They can then swipe to see more pictures. 

HBO is reportedly in discussions with Apple to bring Apple TV onboard for the launch of its streaming service, “HBO Go.” Together with Major League Baseball Advanced Media, the cable veteran will be ready to debut the service by April, International Business Times reports. “When it launches, consumers will be able to subscribe to HBO Now directly from HBO for the first time, rather than through a cable, satellite or telco TV distributor.” 

With the Apple Watch soon to hit shelves, Apple is preparing its retail “geniuses” to sell, sell, sell! “Apple has revealed its retail selling strategies to employees, including a focus on 'three key features' and a plan to encourage Watch customers to upgrade or switch to new iPhones,” 9To5Mac reports. “According to selling guidelines provided by sources within Apple Retail, Apple believes that ‘many customers have already decided they want an Apple Watch,’ and will use the Watch to ‘position the benefits’ of purchasing a compatible iPhone model.”