Tech Brew Ride Home - Thu. 04/08 – Now The Chip Shortage Has Come For Apple?

Episode Date: April 8, 2021

If the chip shortage is now biting even Apple, things are getting real, y’all. Twitter apparently took a run at buying Clubhouse. Facebook has a new Clubhouse like product called Hotline. Lenovo’s new phone convinces me gaming phones are truly a thing. And are there signs we’re finally gonna see those Apple AirTags… or do the tea leaves reveal the exact opposite? Sponsors: Calderalab.com code TECHMEME at checkout Blockchain.com Links: MacBook and iPad production delayed as supply crunch hits Apple (NikkeiAsia) Apple MacBook and iPad production may be delayed over global chip shortage (AppleInsider) Twitter Held Discussions for $4 Billion Takeover of Clubhouse (Bloomberg) Facebook tests Hotline, a Q&A product that’s a mashup of Clubhouse and Instagram Live (TechCrunch) Lenovo’s Legion Phone Duel 2 has not one but two cooling fans (The Verge) YouTube is social media’s big winner during the pandemic (CNBC) Uber and Lyft ‘throwing money’ at US drivers to ease shortage (FT) Google I/O 2021 will be virtual and free to attend from May 18-20 (9to5Google) Apple Announces Find My Network With Support for Third-Party Devices (MacRumors) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. folks over at Shuffle liked our little podcast experiment last week so much so that they went ahead and ordered up an ad. This is that. This is me telling you to listen to today's episode inside the shuffle app. You can download it from the App Store. And then in real time, you can comment,

leave GIFs, start debates with other listeners about today's show. Mutant Podcast Army Assemble, listen to today's episode in Shuffle. I'll be in there myself later today. So let's talk about what happened today on the show that tells you what you miss today in the world of tech. Go to the app store and download shuffle. Welcome to the tech meme right home for Thursday, April 8th, 2021. I'm Brian McCullough today. If the chip shortage is now biting even Apple, things are getting real, y'all. Twitter apparently took a run at buying clubhouse. Facebook has a new clubhouse-like product called Hotline. Lenovo's new phone convinces me gaming phones are truly a thing,

and there are signs we're finally going to see those Apple air tags, or do the tea leaves reveal the exact opposite? Here's what you miss today in the world of tech. Niki Asia is reporting this morning that production of some MacBooks and iPads has been postponed due to the global component shortage, a sign that the chip issues are growing more serious. Yes, Apple is absolutely famously ruthless about securing its own supply chain. chain, often signing contracts to lock down components years and years ahead of time. So if even Apple is starting to feel the pinch, stuff is getting real, quoting and gadget. For the MacBook, the supply chain issue has affected a key manufacturing step, wherein components are mounted on

printed circuit boards before the laptop's final assembly. Meanwhile, iPad production has been pushed back due to the shortage of displays and display components. Niki says the chip shortage hasn't shown a discernible impact on product availability for customers yet and remains a supply chain problem. It remains to be seen whether that'll remain the case when the tech giant has reportedly pushed back a portion of its component orders for the devices from this half of the year to the second half. As analysts and tech executives have told the news organization, Apple is known for managing a complex supply chain and has the clout to quickly procure the components it needs. That even such a massive corporation was affected by this problem means,

it's becoming more serious and could have a bigger impact on smaller players in the coming months, end quote. And quoting Apple Insider. Reportedly, Apple has postponed an unspecified portion of component orders, moving them from the first half of 2021 to the second. The iPhone has so far escaped issues despite high demand from customers, but the NICA Asia sources say the situation is quite tight now. It had been expected that Apple might even benefit from the shortage in the long run because of its ability to procure components in great volumes. Analyst at Wedbush had predicted that Apple may potentially have stockpiled components to see it through the shortage, end quote. Well, maybe not, I guess.

Imagine if you're a smaller tech company, though. Where do you think your place in line is behind Apple? If you're, say, Sonos or Snap trying to make those AR glasses, etc.? Well, now we maybe have a greater understanding of some of those oddly specific numbers floated yesterday, vis-a-vis that rumor about Clubhouse may be doing a new round at a $4 billion valuation. Katie Roof and her colleagues at Bloomberg say Twitter was in discussions about acquiring Clubhouse at about that dollar figure, but the talks fell apart, quote, the companies discussed a potential valuation of roughly $4 billion for Clubhouse, the people said, asking not to be identified because the matter is private. Discussions are no longer ongoing, and it's unclear why they stalled, the people added.

A Twitter spokesman declined to comment. A clubhouse representative didn't immediately respond to a request for comment, end quote. So, in my opinion, this story is just getting weirder. Not that I think there's anything untoward going on here. It's just, is it clubhouse floating the whispers that these negotiations took place? Sure, I can see that strategically clubhouse might be worth $4 billion to Twitter. But I feel like it would be a stretch for Clubhouse to use that as a stocking horse to try to raise valuations for a new round, if that is indeed what is going on. Definitely something interesting to keep our eyes on. Does Clubhouse close a new round by, say, July 4th or not? And if they do, I feel like I could interpret that in any number of ways. And continuing our narrative tour today, Facebook's internal research and development group, the NPE team, has launched a public beta for something called Hotline, a web-based app that lets creators live stream video or audio, and then have those events recorded automatically.

Quoting TechCrunch. The web-based application could be described as a mashup of Instagram Live and Clubhouse, as it allows creators to speak to an audience who can then ask questions. through either text or audio. However, unlike Clubhouse, creators can opt to turn their cameras on for the event instead of being audio only. At Facebook, Hotline is being led by Eric Hazard, who joined Facebook when it acquired his app, TBH, a positivity-focused Q&A app that grew to 2.5 million daily active users in nine weeks and saw over 1 billion poll answers before exiting. With Hotline, Hazard is once again developing a product in the Q&A space. But this time, the new app is taking Instagram. from an up-and-coming social network clubhouse. In fact, Hotline's user interface will look familiar to anyone who's already used Clubhouse, Twitter spaces, or any of the other audio-only social networks when it's viewed on mobile. At the top on mobile, or to the left side on desktop, there's a speaker section where the event host is featured in a round profile icon or live video stream.

Below, or to the side on desktop, are the event's listeners. But there are also several differences between hotline and existing apps like Clubhouse. For starters, the app today has users sign in with Twitter, then verify their identity via SMS. The listeners section, for example, is divided up between those who are just watching the event as represented by their profile icons or those who are asking questions. At the top of this section, you're presented with the lists of questions that users have asked, which others can upvote or downvote accordingly. The creator can then look to this section to find out which questions to answer next and can pull listeners on to the stage area with them for a conversation. At present, users can type in their questions,

then join the host on stage when it's their turn. Currently, guests are represented by their profile icon and our audio only when on stage, but in the settings, there's an option for listeners to toggle on video that's not yet functional for today's test. As the questions are asked, users can react with emoji, including clapping hands, fire, heart, laughter, surprise, and thumbs up, end quote. And as I see, and as I see, said, the events are recorded automatically. The host gets two recordings sent to them of the event in MP3 and MP4 format to immediately post to, say, Facebook or YouTube or TikTok or, you know, a podcast. Anyone can join the beta right now for free, and there's currently no limit on

audience size for the events. Pencil this one in. Google has announced I-O. It's going to run May 18th to May 20th, with registration opening, I believe, today. Maybe it's already open, but it will remain a virtual event at least this one more time, quoting 9 to 5 Google. Google I.O. 2021 will feature consumer and developer keynotes focused on company and product news, followed by technical sessions for product announcements and how to adopt new features. These will be scheduled throughout the three-day event and available on demand. The full lineup will be made available in late April. Users will have to register for workshops that are instructor-led and feature Q&A, while Ask Me Anything Sessions

will be an opportunity to ask Google product experts questions. Meetups, quote, casual open facilitated forums hosted by Google that enable attendees to connect with each other, end quote, will also require registration and reservation, end quote. As I've said a million times, I don't know that I'll ever end up getting a foldable phone, and I never wanted to actually buy one of those weird LG. phone experiments, but I appreciate anyone who does experimentation in phones. I like phones to be weird, because even if I never get the weird phone itself, I'm always hoping some of the innovations eventually filter down to the mainstream, and then I'll get them someday in my boring old slab

of glass. So I salute Lenovo's new 6.92-inch Legion phone dual two, which has two, two, seven hundred and amp hour batteries, two USBC ports, and get this, two cooling fans. Yes, I said cooling fans. Also a pop-up camera, a Snapdragon 888, up to 18 gigabytes of RAM, all for 999 euro. This is a gaming phone. It's weird, which makes it cool, quoting the verge. Some of its features are carryovers from Lenovo's original Android gaming phone, the Legion phone dual, including the twin USBC ports and a pop-up selfie camera designed for streamers. Like the original duel, Lenovo also maintained the unusual choice of centering the phone's other two cameras around back, but now that raised camera bump houses a prominent intake fan

and a hidden exhaust fan, each with their own vents. Lenovo says the split design keeps the heat away from your hands. Those fans, alongside a vapor chamber, help the dual-2 funnel cool air to and from the new Snapdragon 888 processor, up to 18 gigabytes of LPDR5 RAM, and up to 512 gigabytes of UFS 3.1 storage. It runs on Lenovo's ZUI, or Zwee, 12.5, which the company says is based on Android 11. The dual two comes in either titanium white or Ultimate Black, but really it's the camera bump, Legion logo, and fan hole that make the dual two look like nothing else on the market, except perhaps the ASIS ROG phone 5 Ultimate with its unusual rear screen and optional fan attachment snapped on.

Lenovo doesn't mention in its announcement whether the Dual 2's colorful back design is lit with a customizable light, but even without the glow, it seems ready to take up space on someone's desk alongside an RGB-lit gaming PC. The Dual's two USBC ports, one on the long side of the phone and one on the bottom, can be used for 90-watt fast charging if you buy an optional adapter, and Lenovo claims using them simultaneously can fill the phones two separate 2750 MAH batteries in 30 minutes. Using two cables to charge a phone at once is sort of a funny image, but those kinds of considerations go out the window when you buy a Legion phone dual two. Lenovo says a full charge should give you up to eight hours of intermittent gameplay.

As a whole package, the dual two shares more than a few similarities with its competitors. The AISRog 5 Ultimate also has multiple USBC ports, a unique method for simulating extra button inputs, Qualcomm's Snapdragon 888 processor, and an optional clip-on cooling fan. The Xiaomi Black Shark 4 Pro has even fancierg, magnetically lifting physical buttons, and an optional fan accessory as well. and some gaming phones have had built-in fans in the past look no further than the Nubia Red Magic 3 for a device with extra cooling from the get-go, end quote. So I have to apologize to you, listeners. I've let you down. I was vaguely aware that gaming phones were becoming a thing, but until today I wasn't aware how far along things had gotten. See, this is what happens when you miss a CES year, I guess. A few segments now about COVID times, trends.

First, according to Pew Research, YouTube usage grew from 73% of all U.S. adults in 2019 to 81% in 2021, with 95% of 18-to-29-year-olds using the service. As a comparison, only 21% of adults use TikTok. YouTube saw the most significant growth of any social media app among American users during the pandemic. The Pew Research Center reported Wednesday. YouTube's popularity is especially high among 18-to-29-year-olds. with 95% of them saying they use the service. Of that age group, 71% said they use Instagram, 70% say they use Facebook, and 65% say they use Snapchat. The study surveyed 220 people in that

age group, and the margin of error was plus or minus 7.3 points. Facebook usage remains high among Americans, with 69% of U.S. adults saying they visit the social network. That figure, however, has remained relatively flat over the past five years, according to Pew. The Pew report included TikTok and Next Door for the first time. The report said 21% of Americans use TikTok and 13% use Next Door, end quote. So the reason I'm sharing this is the takeaway here is, while other platforms tend to have bigger profiles and newer entrants get all of the buzz, YouTube remains, in some regards, one of the true 800-pound gorillas in the social media space.

And this is maybe an end of COVID-Times indication. facing a shortage of drivers. Uber is about to spend $250 million on a one-time, quote-unquote, stimulus for U.S. drivers, while Lyft is offering $800 bonuses for referring former drivers, quoting the Financial Times. Drivers have been slow to return to ride-hailing platforms for several reasons, observers say, including the recent arrival of government stimulus money and continued concerns over health and safety. Many former ride-share drivers are also likely to have taken up new jobs in the 12 months since demand crashed because of lockdowns. Now faced with a lack of supply to meet the rebound in passengers, the companies are resorting to throwing money at drivers.

According to data from Aptopia, the number of U.S.-based drivers logging on to Uber on a daily basis in the first three months of this year was down by about 40 percent on the same period in 2020 with Lyft enduring similar difficulties. The problems come as spending begins to return, having plummeted just over a year ago as the reality of coronavirus set in. Researchers at Edison Trends noted, quote, as of the week of March 29th, Uber had regained 53% of the ground lost in the big drop of spring 2020. Lyft had regained 51%, end quote. The imbalance has meant users who had become accustomed to rides appearing within just a few

minutes have had to deal with much longer weights. Severe shortages have been reported in Las Vegas, Cleveland, Boston, Chicago, Kansas, and many more locations. One customer in Minneapolis wondered if drivers had gone on strike. Others noted that fares had significantly increased as surge pricing kicked in, end quote. Finally today, a decent indicator that we might finally see those long-rumored Apple tiles, maybe at this year's WWDC. Apple has unveiled a revamped FindMy program with support for third-party devices

and says devices from Belkin, Chipolo, and Van Moof will be first to work with it, quoting Mac rumors. Apple has a strict set of rules for devices that are part of the Find My Network accessory program, and all third-party products must adhere to all of the privacy protections of the Find My network. Participating Find My products will be available to be found in the items tab, and will have a Works with Apple Find My badge. You will be able to see Find My accessories in the Find My App under the items tab where they can be tracked like Apple products. Third-party accessories can be added to the Find My app on devices running iOS 14.3 and later or MacOS Big Sur 11.1 and later. Find My accessories will be available to be tracked on a map and there will be an option to play a sound to locate a lost device.

items can be put into a lost mode, which locks them to an Apple ID and prevents another person from pairing to them. Items can be associated with a phone number and message in case someone finds it, and users can get notifications when an item's location becomes available, end quote. Actually, now that I've read that out loud, maybe I'm going to do a complete 180 reversal. Does this news make you think that maybe now we might never see air tags because, they've released this, why wouldn't they have announced this the same time they announced air tags? If you're participating in the shuffle app experiment today, if you're listening to my words right now in that app, leave your takes in either direction so I can get a sense of what

you all think the odds are. Talk to you tomorrow.