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Tue. 09/15 – The Apple “Time Flies” Event Sep 15, 2020

Show notes

A full rundown of the Time Flies event from Apple. New Apple Watches, including an Apple Watch SE. Refreshed iPad, but redesigned iPad Air that is giving the iPad Pro a run for its money. An Apple Fitness+ subscription program. An Apple One subscription bundle. And meanwhile, Sony cuts PlayStation 5 production, we have a date for Google’s Pixel 5 launch and why it might actually be a good idea to put your data center at the bottom of the ocean.

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Techmeme Headline Rundown of the Apple Event
Sony Cuts PlayStation 5 Forecast by 4 Million Due to Chip Woes (Bloomberg)
Sen. Hawley calls for US to reject Oracle’s TikTok deal (The Verge)
We’re Heading Toward the Worst Possible Outcome on TikTok (Intelligencer)
Google to launch Pixel 5, new Chromecast, and smart speaker on September 30th (The Verge)
Microsoft pulls underwater data center back to the surface to assess benefits of deep-sea cloud (GeekWire)

Mon. 09/14 – Has Oracle Saved TikTok (In The US)? Sep 14, 2020

Show notes

Has Oracle saved TikTok, in the US at least? Let me explain why it’s not actually buying anything, probably isn’t solving the security problem Microsoft says it would have, and China is keeping its hands on the algorithm. On a normal day, news of Nvidia buying ARM would have been the headline. Airtable is an interesting raise. And who has more pie on their face: OnePlus or US Customs agents?

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(Bonus) The TikTok Sales Saga With @Kantrowitz Sep 12, 2020

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The TikTok saga. It’s gonna end. Or it’s gonna happen. Or it’s gonna… something in the next few days. Will it be sold? Will it not be? Will it be banned in the US. There are so many angles here. So many interesting ways to tease out something that is unprecedented in the world of Tech. Alex Kantrowitz pinged me to talk about it and he’s a good dude to do so because he wrote a book about the big tech platforms, and, as we get into… this is so rare. A big up and coming platform that is just, for weird a-historical reasons, being offered up on a platter for the other powers that be to… maybe take over? I quoted Alex when he was at Buzzfeed for years. But as we discuss at the end, Alex has gone solo! Check out his newsletter Big Technology. Check out his podcast, Big Technology.

Fri. 09/11 – Microsoft Says The Hackers Are Coming For The Election Sep 11, 2020

Show notes

Microsoft warns that hackers working for Russia, China and Iran are escalating their attacks surrounding the upcoming US Presidential election. I lied…. Apple has blinked in the Epic Games/App Store battle, at least a little bit. A profile of everyone’s favorite note taking startup, Roam. And, of course, the weekend longreads suggestions.

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Weekend Longreads Suggestions:

Apple's Rising Class of Leaders Will Shape a Post-Tim Cook Era (Bloomberg)
Your Phone Wasn’t Built for the Apocalypse (The Atlantic)
Esports Pros Have ‘Dream’ Jobs—but Game Publishers Have All the Power (Wired)
How Netflix's Reed Hastings Rewrote the Hollywood Script (Forbes)
I was skeptical about attending Burning Man in VR, but it’s great (Fast Company)

Thu. 09/10 – “Campus” Is Facebook, But For College Kids (Insert Joke Here) Sep 10, 2020

Show notes

Facebook goes back to its roots by going back to school with Campus. The Long-Term Stock Exchange is ready for its closeup. The former head of the NSA is joining Amazon’s board. The second-gen Motorola Razr is here. And an in-depth review and assessment of whether or not Microsoft’s Surface Duo knows what it wants to be.

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Facebook reinvents Facebook with the launch of Campus for college students (The Verge)
Former NSA chief Keith Alexander has joined Amazon’s board of directors (The Verge)
Former NSA chief Keith Alexander has joined Amazon’s board of directors (The Verge)
Motorola’s second-gen foldable Razr adds 5G, better cameras, and a chance at redemption (The Verge)
Bose announces $279 QuietComfort Earbuds and $179 Sport Earbuds (The Verge)
MICROSOFT SURFACE DUO REVIEW: DOUBLE TROUBLES (The Verge)
TikTok, U.S. Discuss Ways to Avoid Sale (WSJ)

Wed. 09/09 – Clarifications And Follow-Ups Sep 09, 2020

Show notes

Clarifying the news on the new Xbox consoles, as well as next week’s Apple event. Apple sues Epic Games for breach of contract. Android 11 is here if you can get it. A new Yubikey now has USB-C goodness. And more indications that 5G is going to continue to be super, annoyingly disappointing.

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Xbox Series X launches on November 10th for $499 (The Verge)
Microsoft is adding EA Play to Xbox Game Pass (Engadget)
Nintendo Boosts Switch Production by Another 20% (Bloomberg)
Apple to Hold Sept. 15 Online Launch Event to Reveal New Watch (Bloomberg)
Apple doubles down in fight with Fortnite creator Epic Games, seeks damages for breach of contract (CNBC)
Fortnite is launching a concert series it hopes will become a ‘tour stop’ for artists (The Verge)
Google’s new ‘Verified Calls’ feature will tell you why a business is calling you (TechCrunch)
Taboola and Outbrain end talks to merge after nearly a year (CNBC)
Yubico’s new USB-C security key with NFC could be the one key to unlock them all (The Verge)
Fastest Mobile Networks 2020 (PCMag)

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Tue. 09/08 – Xbox Series X and (Series S!) Details Revealed Sep 08, 2020

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The details around the new Xbox’s have been revealed. China wants to draw definitive global lines in the tech cold war. Google makes a big bet on the “no code” movement. Content pirates have suffered a historic setback. Was Masa Son pumping up the entire stock market. And we know when the iPhone event will be.

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Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S release date and price finally revealed (WindowsCentral)
Leaked Xbox Series S commercial reveals 1440p, ray tracing, and 512GB SSD (The Verge)
China Launches Initiative to Set Global Data-Security Rules (WSJ)
Google binds no-code tools, API management and serverless computing into new development platform (Silicon Angle)
Scene Bust Triggered Historic Drop in ‘Pirate’ Releases (Torrent Freak)
SoftBank’s Bet on Tech Giants Fueled Powerful Market Rally (WSJ)
SoftBank, Robinhood and a Margins Singularity (Margins Newsletter)

(Bonus) The WHOLE EV Space With EV News Daily Podcast Sep 05, 2020

Show notes

As I said on Friday, my goal this week was I wanted to learn more about the EV space. Yes, there’s Tesla, but we only talk about Tesla. And remember, I got turned on to the whole SPAC phenomenon because a lot of EV startups were going the SPAC route to get themselves publicly traded stocks that they hope will go hockey stick like Tesla stock. So, I reached out to Martyn Lee of the EV News Daily podcast. If you’re into the whole EV space, check out the EV News Daily podcast. As mentioned, it’s a daily just like this podcast is, but if you’re into the EV space, Martyn has you covered absolutely comprehensively. My thanks to Martyn for this great chat.

Subscribe to the EV News Daily Podcast!

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Fri. 09/04 – Ad-Pocalypse (Not) Now Sep 04, 2020

Show notes

The Attorney General seems to want an antitrust case against Google within weeks. Apple has delayed the Ad-pocalypse. Why the games industry is where Epic has all the leverage against Apple. Will a new display tech bridge the gap between e-ink and traditional displays? And of course, the weekend longreads suggestions.

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Justice Dept. Plans to File Antitrust Charges Against Google in Coming Weeks (NYTimes)
Apple to Delay iOS Change Roiling Mobile Ad Market (The Information)
Apple App Store Draws New Scrutiny in Japan, Epicenter of Gaming (Bloomberg)
Oculus halts headset sales in Germany (GamesIndustry.biz)
TCL's new paper-like display can also play videos (Engadget)

Weekend Longreads:

Thu. 09/03 – Will Only One iPhone (The Expensive One) Get The Fastest 5G? Sep 03, 2020

Show notes

Will only one iPhone get the fastest version of 5G? Facebook moves into an election posture. Do Geofencing warrants violate the 4th Amendment? New Intel chips. New Snapdragon chips. Have you noticed we’ve been talking about the chip industry a lot lately? Today I’ll explain why. Also, a fully-functional Game Boy without a battery. Powered only by the sun and the energy of your button presses.

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