Topping tech headlines Wednesday, a new study predicts a rapid decline for Facebook, which researchers said will lose 80 percent of its peak user base between 2015 and 2017.

Using epidemiological models to track the spread of infectious diseases and publicly available Google search data, researchers were able to analyze the adoption and abandonment of online social networks. According to the study, Facebook has already “reached the peak of its popularity,” and has entered a period of decline, much like the one experienced by MySpace.

Meanwhile, the tech community on Friday will celebrate the 30th anniversary of Apple’s Macintosh computer, but Wednesday was also the 30th anniversary of Apple’s famous “1984” TV commercial. For more, take a look back at three decades of Mac commercials.

In other news, Snapchat rolled out a verification screen for new users, which asks people to pick out images that feature the Snapchat ghost icon to prove they are not a robot. The move reportedly comes after Texas high school student Graham Smith notified the company of “a flaw that left Find Friends vulnerable in spite of rate limiting and other quick-fixes they made.”

Be sure to check out PCMag Live from Wednesday in the video, as well as a few other stories making headlines in the links below.

• AMD Releases New 12-Core, 16-Core Opteron Chips: The Opteron 6338P and 6370P processors are software- and socket-compatible with systems and boards supporting existing Opteron 6300 Series chips.
• Mobile Money by T-Mobile Brings Un-Carrier Approach to Banking: The un-carrier on Wednesday unveiled Mobile Money by T-Mobile, a pre-paid debit card that it said will transform smartphones into personal money managers.
• 20.7MP Sony Xperia Z1s Smartphone Hits T-Mobile: Sony’s newest smartphone for the U.S. is now available exclusively at T-Mobile.
• Former WaPo Labs Team Launches Treasure ‘Trove’ of News: Trove launched its new social news reader app for iOS and the Web.
• Candy Crush Developer Fights ‘The Banner Saga’ Trademark: King’s newest target: Stoic Studio’s The Banner Saga trademark attempt.
• Spotify Predicts Grammy Wins for Macklemore, Lorde: If Spotify streams are any indication, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Imagine Dragons, and Lorde are poised to win big at the 56th annual Grammy Awards Sunday.
• Ford Teams With MIT, Stanford for Automated Driving Research: Ford is teaming up with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford University to work on automated car technology.
• Snowblower Shatters ‘Cube’ Glass at Fifth Ave. Apple Store: Apple iconic flagship retail store on Fifth Avenue in New York City was damaged Tuesday night during a snowstorm.