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Tue. 11/17 – Amazon Pharmacy Aims To Conquer Another Huge Retail Sector Nov 17, 2020

Show notes

Amazon launches Amazon Pharmacy. Twitter launches Fleets, but the real news is they’re testing a Clubhouse clone with audio rooms. Airbnb finally files to go public. And running through the flood of reviews for the new Macs with Apple Silicon, I’m starting to become a believer. Apple might be able to revolutionize—and run away with—mobile computing with these chips.

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Amazon jumps into the pharmacy business with online prescription fulfillment, free delivery for Prime members (CNBC)
Twitter rolls out Stories, aka ‘Fleets,’ to all users; will also test a Clubhouse rival (TechCrunch)
Airbnb files to go public, turned a profit last quarter (CNBC)
Adobe releases Arm beta version of Photoshop for Windows and macOS (The Verge)
APPLE MAC MINI WITH M1 REVIEW: OVER-PERFORMER (The Verge)
APPLE MACBOOK PRO WITH M1 REVIEW: FLEXING ARM (The Verge)
MacBook Air M1 review: Faster than most PCs, no fan required (Engadget)
Yeah, Apple's M1 MacBook Pro is powerful, but it's the battery life that will blow you away (TechCrunch)

Office Hours Link (Tomorrow 9pm eastern):

https://zoom.us/j/91680804823

Meeting ID: 916 8080 4823

Mon. 11/16 – Is Big Sur Apple’s Vista? Nov 16, 2020

Show notes

Continued problems with Big Sur have some people wondering if this is Apple’s version of Windows Vista. But actual benchmarks continue to show Apple Silicon is probably a big win. All the details of the Galaxy S21 lineup have leaked. A monster new GPU for supercomputers. And a PC monitor that can actually double as a modern smart tv.

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MasterWorks.io: code RIDE to skip the waitlist
BuyRaycon.com/tech

Links:

macOS Big Sur Update Bricking Some Older MacBook Pro Models (MacRumors)
Apple Silicon M1 Emulating x86 is Still Faster Than Every Other Mac in Single Core Benchmark (MacRumors)
Exclusive: Specs and features of Samsung's Galaxy S21 smartphones (Android Police)
Nvidia launches A100 80GB GPU for supercomputers (VentureBeat)
Samsung’s new Smart Monitor is like a TV for your PC (The Verge)
HBO Max Is Finally Coming to Amazon Fire TV (Variety)
'Godspeed': 4 astronauts make history as SpaceX's 'Resilience' launches for International Space Station (USAToday)

Fri. 11/13 – The DoorDash S-1 Is Surprisingly Good Nov 13, 2020

Show notes

DoorDash files its S-1, and has a surprisingly good business, it looks like. The US backs down on TikTok. Is the whole Ant IPO thing, not business but personal? Why you should probably wait to download macOS Big Sur. How much Disney+ continues to kill it. And of course, the weekend longreads suggestions.

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DoorDash files to go public (TechCrunch)
U.S. Backs Down on TikTok (WSJ)
China’s President Xi Jinping Personally Scuttled Jack Ma’s Ant IPO (WSJ)
macOS Big Sur launch appears to cause temporary slowdown in even non-Big Sur Macs (Ars Technica)
Disney Plus Hits 73.7 Million Subscribers As They Reach Their One-Year Anniversary (The Streamable)

Weekend Longreads Suggestions:

Twitter Thread on ARM history (@kenfhirriff)
China Has Caught Up To U.S. In AI, Says AI Expert Kai-Fu Lee (Forbes)
Welcome Back to the Office. Please Wear This Tracking Device. (OneZero)
Students Have To Jump Through Absurd Hoops To Use Exam Monitoring Software (Motherboard)
Masayoshi Son Again Pulled SoftBank From the Brink. This Time He Had Help. (WSJ)
The Digital Nomads Did Not Prepare for This (NYTimes)

Thu. 11/12 – The Google Photos Free-For-All Is Over Nov 12, 2020

Show notes

Why Google sunsetting the free version of its Photos service has so many people riled up. Apple’s TestFlight update should make beta testing apps easier. Amazon’s Alexa Care Hub should make caring for elderly relatives easier. A “bank on rails” is an interesting raise. And is the HomePod mini worth buying?

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Google Photos will end its free unlimited storage on June 1st, 2021 (The Verge)
Google warns Google Drive users: Use it, or lose your files (Mashable)
Google Photos Just Made the Case for Breaking Up Big Tech (OneZero)
Apple updates TestFlight beta testing app with support for automatic updates (9to5Mac)
Amazon Alexa Care Hub update will make it easier to help aging family members (CNBC)
Railsbank, the Banking-as-a-Service, raises $37M in growth funding (TechCrunch)
APPLE HOMEPOD MINI REVIEW: PLAYING SMALL BALL (The Verge)

Wed. 11/11 – Groundhog Day! Is TikTok Going Dark Tomorrow? Nov 11, 2020

Show notes

So wait, is TikTok facing shutdown again, as soon as tomorrow or… what? Some analysis on how well those M1 chips might actually perform. Ring doorbells are catching fire. The Hyperloop takes its first passengers for a ride. And does China now ALSO think that big tech has gotten too big?

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TikTok hasn’t heard from the Trump administration in weeks, prompting latest CFIUS petition (CNBC)
Apple Announces The Apple Silicon M1: Ditching x86 - What to Expect, Based on A14 (AnAndTech)
Samsung tops U.S. smartphone market in Q3: report (Yonhap News Agency)
Roku Adds Apple AirPlay to 4K Devices, Which Gives Users New Workaround to Stream HBO Max and Other Mobile Apps (Variety)
Ring recalls 350,000 smart doorbells after some of them caught fire (CNN Business)
VIRGIN HYPERLOOP HITS AN IMPORTANT MILESTONE: THE FIRST HUMAN PASSENGER TEST (The Verge)
China drafts new antitrust guideline to rein in tech giants, wiping US$102 billion from Alibaba, Tencent and Meituan stocks (South China Morning Post)

Tue. 11/10 – The Apple Silicon Macs Are Here Nov 10, 2020

Show notes

Apple’s One More Thing Mac Event. The EU sues Amazon for antitrust. The Slingbox is no more. And, apparently, the MagSafe Duo charger is no good.

Sponsors:

TinyCapital.com
Wipers123.com, promocode: ride

Links:

EU accuses Amazon of breaching antitrust rules (FT)
Slingbox discontinued, services sunsetting (SlashGear)
Walmart and Cruise launch pilot to deliver orders via self-driving cars (Venture Beat)
Apple MagSafe Duo Charger Review: Useful, but expensive and underwhelming (TechCrunch)

Mon. 11/09 – Apple Mad At Pegatron Nov 09, 2020

Show notes

Apple is not happy with a key parts supplier. If you’re running an old version of android, you might be shut out of some important websites soon. Is SoftBank’s Vision Fund, back, baby? Is the Raspberry Pi 400 any good to use? And what can Silicon Valley expect from a Biden administration.

Sponsors:

KiwiCo.com promocode: "ride" for 50% your first month
TinyCapital.com

Links:

Apple Freezes New Business for Pegatron on China Labor Abuse (Bloomberg)
Zoom and other ‘stay-at-home’ stocks are getting crushed on the positive vaccine news (CNBC)
Many websites will stop working on older Android versions in 2021 (Android Police)
SoftBank Recovery Gains Ground With Vision Fund’s Record Profit (Bloomberg)
Raspberry Pi 400 review—the under-$100 desktop PC you didn’t know you needed (Ars Technica)
'Awakened a sleeping giant': Parler jumps to most popular app as conservatives rally support to leave Twitter and Facebook (Washington Examiner)
Biden’s victory was just what tech wanted. Now what? (Protocol)

(Bonus) Listener Call In III - Son Of The Call-in-a-ning Nov 07, 2020

Show notes

You know the drill...

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11/06 – Is It Too Soon To Start Talking About iPhone 13? Nov 06, 2020

Show notes

Is it too soon to start talking about the iPhone 13? It’s review day. Reviews of the iPhone 12 Mini, iPhone 12 Pro Max, and the PlayStation 5. Why I think the DOJ suing to block the Plaid acquisition is such a big deal. And of course, the weekend longreads suggestions.

Sponsors:

Masterworks.io, promocode ride
Metalab.co

Links:

Kuo: iPhone 13 to Come in Same Four Model Sizes As iPhone 12, Pro Models to Feature Major Upgrade to Ultra Wide Camera (MacRumors)
Sizing up the iPhone 12 mini and 12 Pro Max (The Verge)
DOJ files antitrust lawsuit challenging Visa’s $5.3 billion acquisition of Plaid (TechCrunch)
PLAYSTATION 5 REVIEW: A BIG, CONFIDENT STEP INTO NEXT GEN (The Verge)

Weekend Longreads Suggestions:

Ben Thompson’s Stratechery, Part 2 (Tim Wu)
The Xenobot Future Is Coming—Start Planning Now (Wired)
'This is revolutionary’: new online bookshop unites indies to rival Amazon (The Guardian)
How a not-yet-mature web covered the Florida recount in 2000 (Fast Company)
An Oral History of 'Marge vs The Monorail', the Episode That Changed 'The Simpsons' (Motherboard)

Tonight! 9pm Eastern/6pm Pacific, join the listener call-in episode here:

https://zoom.us/j/94445550255

Thu. 11/05 - WhatsApp Gets Disappearing Messages Ten Years After Snapchat! Nov 05, 2020

Show notes

WhatsApp gets disappearing messages ten years after Snapchat! A new entry-level, ultra-lightweight drone from DJI. Productivity laptops are getting interesting designs, ala gaming laptops. Ethereum 2.0 is coming. How and why Jack Ma pissed off the Chinese government. The Xbox Series X reviews are in. And Justice Department just sued to block Visa from buying Plaid. But that just broke, so I’m telling you it happened now. We’ll analyze it tomorrow.

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Links:

WhatsApp now lets you post ephemeral messages that disappear after 7 days (TechCrunch)
DJI Mini 2 drone arrives with 4K camera and ultra-portable design (SlashGear)
Fortnite set to return to iPhones via Nvidia cloud gaming service (BBCNews)
Ethereum 2.0 Set to Launch on December 1 (Decrypt)
‘The party is pushing back’: why Beijing reined in Jack Ma and Ant (Financial Times)
TikTok Parent ByteDance Seeks to Raise Cash at $180 Billion Valuation (Bloomberg)
Razer's first mainstream laptop still has an RGB keyboard (Engadget)
XBOX SERIES X REVIEW: A NEXT-GEN PC (The Verge)

Link for listener call-in episode TOMORROW night at 9pm eastern:

https://zoom.us/j/94445550255

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