10 things in tech you need to know today

Good morning! Here is the tech news you need to know this Wednesday.

1. In the wake of allegations from five women alleging sexual misconduct, venture capitalist Shervin Pishevar announced that he is taking a leave of absence from his business interests. Pishevar will be stepping away for the time being from his investment firm, Sherpa Capital, his role on the board at Virgin Hyperloop One where he is a cofounder and co-executive chairman, and the boards of his portfolio companies.

2. Wall Street analysts at Nomura predicts Apple will launch a supersized 6.5 inch iPhone X next year, along with a successor to the iPhone X with a 5.8-inch OLED screen. These devices are expected to be similar to the current iPhone X, according to the analysts.

3. Amazon's application for a pharmaceutical wholesaler license in the US state of Maine has been cancelled. The cancellation occurred on December 1 and could have big implications for Amazon's potential ambitions in healthcare.

4. British health secretary and Conservative MP Jeremy Hunt has added his voice to the chorus of critics attacking Facebook for trying to attract ever-earlier users to its services, publicly telling the company: "Stay away from my kids." Facebook announced a new app this week called Messenger Kids.

5. Apple is continuing to hire away designers and engineers from one of its most important suppliers, British chip firm Dialog Semiconductor. Dialog is currently fighting to persuade investors that its agreement with Apple is safe.

6. Bitcoin broke above $12,000 (£8,959) in a record high. Price moves have been less pronounced among the other major cryptocurrencies.

7. JD.com, one of China's biggest online retailers, is planning to build 185 drone airports in Southwest China in a bid to increase services to rural areas. JD.com hopes the new drone airports would allow agricultural products from Sichuan to be delivered anywhere in China within 24 hours, and cut certain costs by up to 70%.

8. Microsoft has begun a renovation of its 32-acre Silicon Valley campus in Mountain View, California. The renovation project will focus on sustainability and improving employee access to outdoors spaces.

9. Apple bought Pop Up Archive, a small Oakland startup making tools for transcribing and organising podcasts. "Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans," an Apple spokesperson told Hot Pod, which is the Cupertino company's customary confirmation. The price couldn't immediately be learned.