Tech Brew Ride Home - Mon 09/20 – New Kindles, Roku Sticks and Surface Pros!

Starting point is 00:00:00 On April 4th, 2023, around 2 in the morning, a man was found stabbed multiple times on a sidewalk in downtown San Francisco. Hey, who did this to you? What happened next turned the story into a political firestorm. Reports have identified the victim as Bob Lee, the founder of Cash App. From Bloomberg Podcasts, this is Foundering, the Killing of Bob Lee, beginning April 16. Welcome to the Tech meme right home for Monday, September 20th, 2021. I'm Brian McCullough today. Gadget news galore.

Starting point is 00:00:40 New Roku sticks officially announced. New Kindles officially leaked. New Surface Pros un-officially leaked ahead of this week's Microsoft event. Rumors of foldable pixels. The NTSB wants Elon Musk to pump the brakes on full self-driving and why the Emmys last night was a milestone for streaming platforms. Here's what you miss today in the world of tech. Just a whole slew of gadget news.

Starting point is 00:01:05 news up top this morning. First up, Roku officially announced the $50 streaming stick 4K and $70 streaming stick 4K plus, which adds a voice remote pro and Roku OS 10.5 with improved voice support, quoting TechCrunch. The new streaming stick 4K builds on Roku's four-year-old product, the streaming stick plus, as it offers the same type of stick form factor designed to be hidden behind the TV set. This version, however, has a faster processor, which allows the device to boot up to 30% faster and load channels more quickly, Roku claims. The Wi-Fi is also improved, offering faster speeds and smart algorithms that help make sure users get on the right band for the best performance in their homes where network congestion is increasingly a common

Starting point is 00:01:56 problem, especially with the pandemic-induced remote work lifestyle. The new stick adds support for Dolby Vision and HDR 10 plus, giving it the 4K moniker. This version ships with Roku's standard voice remote for the same price of $49.99. For comparison, Amazon's new Fire TV Stick Max, with a faster processor and speedier Wi-Fi is $54.99. However, Amazon is touting the addition of Wi-Fi 6 and support for its game streaming service, Luna, as reasons to upgrade. Roku's new streaming stick 4K plus adds the Roku voice remote pro to the bundle instead. This is Roku's new remote launched in the spring that offers rechargeability, a lost remote finder, and hands-free voice support via its midfield microphones so you can just say things like, hey Roku, turn on the TV, or launch

Starting point is 00:02:48 Netflix instead of pressing buttons. But separately, this remote is $29.99. The bundle sells for $69.99, which translates to a $10 discount over buying the stick and remote by themselves. Both versions of the streaming stick will be sold online and in stores starting in October. The Roku Ultra LT, $79.99 built for Walmart exclusively, has also been refreshed with a faster processor, more storage, a new Wi-Fi radio with up to 50% longer range, support for Dolby Vision, Bluetooth, audio streaming, and built-in Ethernet port. Plus, Roku notes that TCL will become. the first device partner to use the reference designs. It introduced at CES for wireless soundbars

Starting point is 00:03:31 with its upcoming Roku TV wireless soundbar. This device connects over Wi-Fi to the TV and works with the Roku remote and will arrive at major retailers in October where it will sell for $179.99. The other big news is Roku's OS10.5 software release. The update isn't making any dramatic changes this time around, but is instead focused largely on voice and mobile improvements. The most noticeable consumer-facing change is the ability to add a new live TV channel to your home screen, which lets you more easily launch the Roku channel's 200-plus free live TV channels instead of having to first visit Roku's free streaming hub directly, then navigate to the live TV section. This could make the Roku feel more like traditional TV for cord cutters abandoning their TV

Starting point is 00:04:15 guide for the first time, end quote. This one is not an official release, but an official leak maybe. Amazon itself seemed to leak updated Kindle Paperwhite devices with larger 6.8 inch displays in two variants, 8 gigabytes for $149 Canadian, and 32 gigabytes for $209.99 Canadian, both with 17 LEDs. Quoting good E-reader. Amazon is going to be releasing a new Kindle Paperwhite in the next few days. The E-reader will have a 6.8 inch screen and will come in two variants. The Kindle Paperwhite 5 will have 8 gig, of storage and the Kindle Paperwhite signature edition will have 32 gigabytes of storage. The product listings are not live, but you can learn a little bit about the new devices on the product

Starting point is 00:05:06 description page of the Kindle Basic and Kindle Oasis. Currently, you can view those on the Canadian site. They have product pages, but they link to a 404 page right now. The new Kindle Paperwhite 5 and Paperwhite 5 signature edition will both employ a 6.8 inch screen with 300 pPI, and the screen will be flush with the bezel. They will have 17 white and amber LED lights, so you will be able to use the typical frontlit display, and it also has the same color temperature system the Kindle Oasis 3 employs. This lighting system is a huge upgrade. The Paperwhite 4 only has five LED lights. The signature edition will also have auto-adjusting light sensors, so they will automatically change the brightness of the screen based on the environmental lighting. It will also have

Starting point is 00:05:52 wireless charging capabilities, and Amazon will be selling a new key. kit. You will be able to connect to Wi-Fi to purchase audiobooks and e-books on the Amazon bookstore. The product listing page does not mention a cellular version for an extra fee. The Kindle Paperwhite 5 will retail for $149 Canadian and the 8-gabite model for $209.99 for the Kindle signature edition. The prices will likely be lower in the United States when the listing goes live in a couple of days. You can bookmark the product description pages right now, and they will likely be going live sometime in the next 24 hours, end quote. This is definitely not an official leak as the official Microsoft event is happening on Wednesday, but a possible retail listing

Starting point is 00:06:39 of the new Surface Pro 8 with a 13-inch 120 hertz display, narrow bezels, and two Thunderbolt ports has leaked ahead of Microsoft's event on September 22nd, quoting the Verge. The Verge reported last week that the Surface Pro 8 would ship without. USBA ports in favor of USBC and Thunderbolt. We also reported that Microsoft has been testing 120 Hertz displays for the Surface Pro lineup. The leaked image and specs line up with what we've heard from sources familiar with Microsoft's plans. The leak also reveals Microsoft is moving to removable SSDs on the Surface 8 Pro. That matches the Surface laptop 4, Surface ProX, and the business-only Surface Pro 7 Plus, and will make it easier for businesses to swap out drives.

Starting point is 00:07:26 End quote. Today I learned that Google is known to be working on its own foldable versions of its pixel phones. But just as I learned that today, I also got word of a second foldable, also in the works, quoting 9 to 5 Google. Last year, we uncovered the first real evidence of Google having a foldable device in the works in development under the code name passport. This device was slated, at least at that time to release in Q4 2021. In the time since then, details about the device have become more concrete, with minor tidbits about that foldable

Starting point is 00:08:06 even appearing in Android 12 beta builds. According to a source familiar with the development of Android, the upcoming mid-cycle release that we're tentatively calling Android 12.1 includes details about a second pixel foldable. This second device goes by the code name Jumbojack. We were able to corroborate the existence of Jumbojack in documentation previously viewed by 9 to 5 Google. There are multiple instances of JumboJack being used as a tester device, as at the time it was,

Starting point is 00:08:33 and perhaps still is, the only foldable running Android 12. For instance, Google used it to test the addition of posture to Android APIs, with posture being hinged positions like opened, closed, half opened, and flipped. One plausible explanation is that Jumbojack is simply an internal testing device. However, Google also explicitly refers to it as a pixel. Jumbojack will also seemingly feature two displays, and when this pixel is folded, the second display becomes unavailable. This suggests a design along the lines of the galaxy fold with a larger inner display and a smaller outer one.

Starting point is 00:09:06 One interesting aspect of Jumbojack is that it apparently includes some tweaks to Android 12 that won't be introduced to other foldables until Android 12.1. More specifically, the second pixel foldable handles split screen in a new way, likely akin to the work Samsung has done for its foldables. While the inclusion of these features, the head of Android 12.1, could speak to this foldable pixel. coming before that mid-cycle release, we've not yet seen any signs of Jumbojack appearing in the usual pixel apps. As for the Jumbo Jack codename itself, this seems to be a reference to the Jumbojack cheeseburger from Jack in the box. It's not clear whether these cheeseburger origins are a hint to its design, folding hamburger style like the Galaxy Z flip instead of hot dog style like the Galaxy Z fold, end quote. The head of the NTSB has urged Tesla not to roll

Starting point is 00:10:01 out its full self-driving update with the city driving tool before addressing safety deficiencies, quoting the Wall Street Journal. Jennifer Homendi, the new head of the National Transportation Safety Board, said Tesla shouldn't roll out the city driving tool before addressing what the agency views as safety deficiencies in the company's technology. The NTSB, which investigates crashes and issues safety recommendations, though it has no regulatory authority, has urged Tesla to clamp down on how drivers are able to use the company's driver assistance tools. Quote, basic safety issues have to be addressed before they're then expanding it to other city streets and other areas, she said in an interview.

Starting point is 00:10:41 Ms. Hohmendi also expressed concerns about how Tesla software is tested on public roadways. Ms. Homendi called Tesla's use of the term full self-driving, quote, misleading and irresponsible, end quote, adding that people pay more attention to marketing than to warnings in car manuals or on a company's website. In Tesla's case, she said, quote, it has clearly misled numerous people to misuse and abuse technology, end quote. Elon Musk has said Tesla's advanced driver assistance features prevent crashes and make driving safer. He has expressed mixed views about the full self-driving system in recent months, quote, we need to make full self-driving work in order for it to be a compelling value proposition. Otherwise, people are, you know, kind of betting on the future, he said in July,

Starting point is 00:11:22 responding to a question about customer interest in subscribing to Tesla's full self-driving package. Tesla didn't respond to requests for comment, end quote. Though again, that might be because Tesla recently shuttered its entire PR department, right? Interesting little tidbit from the Epic versus Apple ruling. We learned that gaming apps account for around 70% of App Store revenue. Also, as recently as Q3 of 2017, less than half of 1% of Apple accounts made up to 53.7% of all App Store billings. Quoting Mobile Dev Memo. The App Store is a mobile games distribution business. The vast majority of App Store revenues are generated by in-app purchases from games

Starting point is 00:12:12 because most other app categories are already exempted, effectively or explicitly, from paying a platform fee. These exemptions are applied by category, for example, apps that deliver fulfillment non-digitally like Uber, Airbnb, SkyScanner, DoorDash, etc. These apps don't pay a platform fee on revenues generated from within the app because the goods and services they provide to users are fulfilled non-digitally. Then there are the Reader apps, Netflix, Spotify, HBO Max, YouTube, etc. These apps provide access to a previously purchased or subscription-generated catalog of content. While these apps can use Apple's payments

Starting point is 00:12:47 tools to charge users for subscriptions, and they must pay the App Store platform fee when they do so, the largest of them, e.g. Netflix, don't at all, and most at least offer a web-based payment system. Thus, this category generates some revenue to the App Store, but much of the revenue generated by this category is exempt from the App Store platform fee. Prior to Apple's settlement with Japan's FTC, these apps could not link to non-app Store payments processes from within their apps, but now they can. And so the contribution to App Store revenue from this category is likely to shrink further. The categories that aren't exempt from App Store fees are games and so-called utility apps, like Tinder, Calm, etc. That, one, charge users for

Starting point is 00:13:28 content and functionality that is fulfilled within the app, and two, feature content that is interactive and not previously purchased. But per the above statistics, Apple has mostly already scoped the applicability of its platform fee primarily to games by having exempted other categories. And within the gaming category, the distribution of spend is heavily skewed toward extreme spending behaviors, from the ruling, quote, importantly, spending on the consumer site is also primarily concentrated on a narrow subset of consumers, namely exorbitantly high spending gamers. In the third quarter of 2017, high spenders, accounting for less than half of a percent of all Apple accounts, spent a vast majority of their spend in games via IAP and generated 53.7 percent of all

Starting point is 00:14:10 App Store billings for the quarter, paying in excess of $450 each. In that same quarter, median spenders of $15 to $450 per quarter and low spenders, less than $15 per quarter, constituted 7.4% and 10.8% of all Apple accounts and accounted for 41.5% and 4.9% of all App Store billing, respectively, end quote. Finally, today I'm always ambivalent as to whether or not we should cover this. We probably won't next year. I don't think we did last year, and I'm only doing it now because there were some important milestones. But last night was the Emmys, and these days the Emmys are a streaming story. It was a big night for Netflix, winning its first and second ever. series awards back-to-back. Netflix took a total of 44 Emmys, tying the record for a single year,

Starting point is 00:15:04 as Apple TV Plus took home 10, its best year yet, and HBO and HBO Max took 19. Quoting and Gadget. Netflix has nabbed the most Emmys ever for a single platform with 44, including 11 for the Crown, more than double its nearest rival, HBO and HBO Max. The 2021 edition of the awards was also a watershed year for Apple TV, which took home 10 Emmys, including seven for its comedy series Ted Lasso. To be sure, a huge chunk of Netflix Emmy Harvest came from the 34 Creative Arts Emmys at won last week. However, it still took a further 10 primetime Emmys, including Acting Awards for Olivia Coleman, Julian Anderson, and Josh O'Connor in The Crown, along with Ewan McGregor in Houston. The Crown also won for writing and directing while taking

Starting point is 00:15:48 the prestigious Best Drama Series prize. Netflix's The Queen's Gambit starring Anna Taylor Joy one for Best Limited Series. Meanwhile, Apple TV Plus had its best Emmys yet with 10 total, including seven in prime time. It dominated the comedy series category with seven wins for Ted Lassow, including three in the acting category for Brett Goldstein and Hannah Waddingham, Best Supporting Actors, along with Jason Sudakis, Best Actor. Ted Lassau also took the award for Best Comedy Series. Thanks in large part to that series, Apple TV Plus fared much better than its rivals. Disney Plus did beat with 14 awards total up from 8 in 2020, but only one of those was a primetime Emmy, Hamilton for Best Pre-Recorded Variety Special.

Starting point is 00:16:32 Amazon and Hulu were completely shut out in 2021 after both won Emmys in 2020. HBO and HBO Max led all rivals with 130 nominations and took 19 Emmys, including nine in prime time. The biggest winners last night were Gene Smart for Hacks, Best Actress in a Comedy Series, and Kate Winslet for Mayor of East Town, Best Actress in a Limited Series. after she was controversially shut out of the Golden Globes nominations, Michaela Cole took the prize for best writing in a limited series for I May Destroy You. It was notable back in 2018 when Netflix managed to tie a cable network, HBO then pre-HBO Max,

Starting point is 00:17:09 for the most Emmy wins. This year it beat all rivals by a long way, and streaming platforms overall took the top four spots, and quote. Nine years ago, for comparison, a streaming platform had never won even, a single Emmy. Times do change, and thus we're covering it. So I think my daughter overestimates the influence of this podcast. Over the weekend, she told me that I should come on the show today and tell Nintendo to develop a certain kind of Zelda game. I can't remember the details, actually, but this is her dream version of Legend of Zelda, some combination of Majora's Mask and Skyward's

Starting point is 00:17:56 sword. I don't know. Anyway, Nintendo, if you're listening and you want to to big up a father in his daughter's eyes, get in touch with me, and I'll put you in touch with her, so that Penny can pitch you her ideas. Talk to you tomorrow.

Tech Brew Ride Home - Mon 09/20 – New Kindles, Roku Sticks and Surface Pros!

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