Tech Brew Ride Home - Thu. 05/20 – Hello F-150 Lightning; Goodbye IE; Hello Again, RSS…

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 TechMeme ride home for Thursday, May 20th, 2021. I'm Brian McCullough today. The newly announced electric F-150 is maybe the biggest EV effort since the launch of Tesla. Google is launching its first ever retail store. Internet Explorer is finally going to that great recycle bin in the sky. But could Google be breathing new life into RSS feeds in web browsers? Here's what you miss today in the world of tech. Last night, Ford officially unveiled its electric. F-150 pickup truck called the lightning in perhaps the biggest stab at mainstream acceptance for electric vehicles by a major legacy car company yet. Why do I say this? Quoting the New York Times.

Starting point is 00:01:20 Ford's F-series trucks, including the F-150, make up the top-selling vehicle line in the United States and typically generate about $42 billion a year in revenue, according to a study commissioned by Ford, or more than twice what McDonald's brought in last year. The F-150 will put electric vehicles in a totally different realm, said Michael Ramsey, a Gartner analyst. It's huge for Ford, but it's also huge for the whole industry. If you're going to electrify the whole vehicle fleet in the United States, the F-150 going electric is a big step in that direction, end quote. The F-150 Lightning is aimed at small businesses and corporate customers, such as building contractors

Starting point is 00:01:58 and mining and construction companies, that buy lots of rugged pickups. These buyers typically care not just about the sticker price. of a truck, but also how much it costs to operate and maintain. Electric vehicles tend to cost more to buy but less to own than conventional cars and trucks because they have fewer parts and electricity is cheaper than gasoline or diesel on a per mile basis. With an electric motor mounted on each of its axles, the vehicle will offer more torque, in effect faster acceleration than any previous F-150 and will be capable of towing up to 10,000 pounds. Its battery pack can put out 9.6 kilowatts of energy, making it able to power a home for about three days during an outage,

Starting point is 00:02:42 according to Ford. For contractors and other commercial truck users, the lightning will be able to power electric saws, tools, and lighting, potentially replacing or reducing the need for generators at work sites. It has up to 11 power outlets, end quote. More details on the specs from TechCrunch, quote, the F-150 Lightning will be offered in four trims, which include the base XLT, Lariat, and Platinum Series, and two battery options. The truck, which has an aluminum alloy body, is powered by two inboard electric motors, comes standard with four-wheel drive and has independent rear suspension. Ford is only releasing two prices at the moment. The base version will be priced at $39,974 before any federal or state tax credits, while the mid-series XLT model will start

Starting point is 00:03:33 at $52,974. According to the reservation site, a fully loaded lightning will go for $90,474. All of these prices exclude the destination fees and taxes. The overall length of the standard range battery model, specs from other trims are yet to be published, is 232.7 inches, one inch longer than the gas-powered F-150. The lightning's wheelbase is essentially the same, with just one-tenth of an inch separating it from its combustion engine and hybrid cousins. One notable difference between the electric and gas 4x 4-4 versions of the F-150 is the ground clearance. The lightning has ground clearance of 8.9 inches compared to 9.4 in the original F-150.

Starting point is 00:04:16 That half-inch loss is possibly caused by the metal skid plates that are meant to protect the battery and inboard motors from the terrain. The standard battery range truck delivers a targeted 426 horsepower and 775 pound feet of torque. The F-150 lightning equipped with the extended range battery helps push the horsepower to 563 and has the same torque, which Ford says is the most of any F-150 ever. The vehicle's battery has a targeted range of 230 miles in the standard and pops up to 300 miles in the extended version. One question remains, how will the range be affected by towing a boat or trailer? Ford doesn't provide that information and until the EPA gives its estimated range and people start towing cars, boats and snowmobiles, it might not be clear. Ford does point to two features meant to help drivers understand just how far

Starting point is 00:05:08 they can travel before charging. The first is called onboard scales, which uses sensors on the truck to estimate payload, so drivers know the weight of what they're hauling. Now, payload, the weight a truck can carry, is different from towing capacity, which is the weight it can tow. But on board scales work alongside yet another feature called Intelligent Range, which takes into consideration towing info, payload, weather, and more, according to Ford. isn't backing away from payload and towing capacity either. Ford notes that the new frame on the truck uses the strongest steel ever put in an F-150 frame and supports a maximum 2,000 pound payload and up to 10,000 pound towing capacity, end quote. There's also the usual bells and whistles that

Starting point is 00:05:51 you're used to seeing now in an electric vehicle like a big touchscreen control panel on the dash. There's a voice control system. There's hands-free highway driving. There's over-the-air software updates plus roomy storage in the front trunk or frunk, which is freed up by not having to house the engine, of course. All this, and they didn't even throw a metal ball at the thing to shatter the passenger side glass like Tesla did when they debuted the cyber truck. But hey, some companies have more showmanship and panache than others do. Quick note of something that I'm not quite sure what to make of, but you know, eyebrows raised emoji. Zhang Yaming. co-founder of ByteDance says he is stepping down as CEO of that company and will be succeeded by

Starting point is 00:06:42 another co-founder, Rubo Liang, who currently serves as BiteDance's head of human resources, quoting from Reuters. In a surprise announcement to employees on Thursday, first reported by Reuters and later disclosed by the company, Zhang said the change would enable him to, quote, have greater impact on longer-term initiatives, end quote. He will move to a, quote, key strategy position at the end of the year, bite dance said. The 38-year-old will be succeeded by Liang, a longtime colleague and the current head of human resources at BytDance, one of the world's biggest private tech companies with an estimated value of about $300 billion in recent trades, end quote. Yes, ByteDance via its ownership of TikTok is probably the biggest startup in the world right now. So the eyebrows raised emoji part of this is, is this another example of the Chinese government stepping in to make sure it can exert control or at least direction of major Chinese.

Starting point is 00:07:37 tech startups. Seems like making sure you have the reins, or at least your trusted person behind the reins of the biggest startup in the world, would send a pretty strong signal, wouldn't it? Especially when you send the high-profile founder out to pasture, as it were. Google is opening its first ever physical retail store in New York this summer, which will let users buy pixel phones, nest products, Fitbit devices, and more, and actually get to, you know, try them out hands-on before doing so. I actually might have to check this out because I could be in the market for a new pixel phone this summer. It looks like the store will be right there in that huge building that Google has on 15th Street.

Starting point is 00:08:24 Though from the pictures, it looks like the store itself will be on the 9th Avenue side, which means it will be looking directly caddy corner at the Apple store that has been in the meatpacking district for several years now, quoting the verge. Google has experimented with small pop-up stores and booths before to sell its products, but today's store announcement marks a far more serious commitment to establishing a retail space. Like an Apple store, the new Google Store will showcase how Google's products work together, offer in-store experts to help troubleshoot problems, assist with setups, work on repairs, and feature how-to workshops to make the most of Google's products and services.

Starting point is 00:09:01 The Google Store in Chelsea is set to open to the public sometime over the summer. Google has yet to announce whether it will be expanding, beyond the single location, but presumably, if successful, the Chelsea store may just be the first of many, end quote. Let's check in on the Apple Epic Games trial since it's been a while. Phil Schiller of Apple wrapped up two days of testimony where he apparently mostly stuck to the script and countered Epic's harshest attacks about how Apple runs the app store according to trial watchers. And most recently, Craig Federigi also of Apple tried to make the case for the app store by comparison, by saying that malware on Mac OS has reached an, quote, unacceptable level recently,

Starting point is 00:09:52 and the problem is, quote, significantly larger than what Apple is seeing on iOS, quoting CNet. Federigi said he believes Macs are still more secure than PCs, but he made clear that the Macs facing a, quote, significantly larger malware problem than our iPhones, iPads, and Apple's other devices. Quote, it's an endless game of whack-a-mole, end quote. Apple's choice to essentially attack the security of its own software may seem shocking after the company spent years criticizing competing PCs as insecure. But Apple's now defending its app store for the iPhone and iPad in a California court where Epic is asking a judge to force major change. The court is considering whether Apple should be allowed to wall off its phones and tablets, only allowing apps to be installed through its app store. Epic said that Apple's approach is too restrictive and that competing technologies should be allowed onto its phones as well.

Starting point is 00:10:41 Federi described Apple's restrictive approach as an important part of protecting the more than one billion iPhones in active use, quote, it's an attractive target, he added, noting the cameras, microphones, location data, and two-step authentication technology that are standard on smartphones these days, quote, all of these things make access or control of these devices potentially incredibly valuable to an attacker, end quote. Also, an app store exec apparently recently testified that Apple made more than $100 million from Fortnite. commissions between 2018 and Fortnite's removal from the App Store in 2020, though Censor Tower says Apple probably made closer to $354 million, which led some people to snark on Twitter that

Starting point is 00:11:23 the way some of these Apple executives paint their picture in their court testimony, they'd almost have you believe that every quarter when various divisions report to Tim Cook, the app store folks have to be all like, Tim, tons of money came in this quarter, but darned if we know where it actually came from. Microsoft has announced it is finally retiring Internet Explorer for good after more than 25 years of life, quoting the verge. The aging web browser has largely been unused by most consumers for years, but Microsoft is putting the final nail in the Internet Explorer coffin on June 15th, 2022, by retiring it in favor of Microsoft Edge. Quote, we are announcing that the future of Internet Explorer on Windows 10 is in Microsoft Edge, says Sean.

Starting point is 00:12:14 Linda Say, a Microsoft Edge Program Manager. The Internet Explorer 11 desktop application will be retired and go out of support on June 15, 2022 for certain versions of Windows 10, end quote. While the long-term servicing channel, or LTSC of Windows 10 will still include Internet Explorer next year, all consumer versions will end support of the browser. Microsoft doesn't make it clear and we're checking, but it's likely that we'll finally see the end of Internet Explorer being bundled in Windows either in June 22 or soon after. The alternative for most businesses will be Microsoft Edge with IE mode. Microsoft created its IE mode for Edge a couple years ago, and it has allowed businesses to adopt the new Chromium-based browser for older legacy websites. IE mode supports older ActiveX controls and legacy sites, which are surprisingly still used by many businesses.

Starting point is 00:13:05 Microsoft is promising to support this IE mode in Edge until at least 2029, end quote. So putting on the old history hat for a second, the browser wars between Netscape Navigator and Microsoft's Internet Explorer were the foundational conflicts of the beginning of the internet era, representing Microsoft being the first big established company to recognize that there was money to be made on the web, and also, of course, leading to the Microsoft antitrust trial. But as any web designer would tell you, the feature rot and just all around poor design of I. was an albatross that we all had to deal with for years. You had to design stuff to work with IE, even if it forced you to make really shitty UI and UX decisions because, well, you had to. Everybody was on Internet Explorer. Heck, designing for the AOL browser was even worse, but that's going even further back in history. Anyway, pour one out for Internet Explorer, though few people will probably be shedding any tears. And speaking of tech legacies and web design,

Starting point is 00:14:15 but almost in a tenant sort of way of going backwards and forwards in time. Google says it is testing a follow button in Chrome for websites that support RSS, with content appearing in the new tab page, quoting 9 to 5 Google. Web browsers used to feature feed aggregators, but those built-in capabilities have since been phased out. Google is now looking to reverse the trend with Chrome trialing a follow feature that more or less brings an RSS reader to the new tab page. As you browse websites, Chrome will show a follow button when you open the overflow menu from the top right corner. It appears at the very bottom and includes the site's Fabicon and name. Once subscribed, new content from these publishers

Starting point is 00:15:00 will appear in the new tab page as part of a following tab that makes use of cards with cover images, headlines, and shows when something was published. Compared to Discover, which is still available in Chrome as for you and its topic-based approach, users are actively choosing what sites they want to see. That said, the algorithmic feed will use your follows to surface content. The Chrome team wants to create deeper connections between publishers and readers while making it easier to, quote, keep up with your favorite websites. Google's follow solution leverages the browser many people have installed, as well as the existing open RSS web standard. That said, if a site doesn't use RSS, Google will fall back to its existing content index to keep users updated, end

Starting point is 00:15:42 quote. So not a few people noted that this sounds an awful lot like Google, bringing back Google Reader, that once popular thing that Google killed some years ago and somewhat not coincidentally, killed the golden age of blogging, quoting Knickscraft on Twitter. Google, let's get rid of RSS and cancel Google Reader to build a social network. Google failed to build a social network. Google, let's bring back RSS feed support in Chrome, end quote. But hey, at least they are returning to RSS. Anytime one of these major tech platforms even partially embraces open standards, it's cause for rejoicing these days. That's all for today. Talk to you tomorrow.

Tech Brew Ride Home - Thu. 05/20 – Hello F-150 Lightning; Goodbye IE; Hello Again, RSS…

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