Tech Brew Ride Home - Thu. 08/04 – Is Stage Manager Worth It?

Episode Date: August 4, 2022

Apple is delaying releasing iPadOS 16 just because it’s trying to make Stage Manager not suck. I wasn’t imagining it… the majority of the crypto hacks this year have been because of bridges. Would you pay $50k to be a guest on this show? The new OnePlus smartphone. And I’m gonna let you guess what Google did. Again. Sponsors: Storyblok.com/ridehome Links: Apple Plans to Delay Launch of iPadOS 16 Update by About a Month (Bloomberg) Solana Hack Blamed on Slope Mobile Wallet Exploit (Decrypt) Vulnerabilities in Cross-chain Bridge Protocols Emerge as Top Security Risk (Chainalysis) Twitter to revamp Spaces, tests themed stations and a daily digest (TechCrunch) Podcast Guests Are Paying Up to $50,000 to Appear on Popular Shows (Bloomberg) OnePlus 10T review: Speed above all (Engadget) Google Meet meets Duo Meet, with Meet in Duo but Duo isn’t going into Meet (The Verge) 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. Welcome to the Tech meme right home for Thursday, August 4th, 2022. I'm Brian McCullough today. Apple is delaying releasing iPad OS16 just because it's trying to make stage manager not suck.

I wasn't imagining it. The majority of the crypto hacks this year have been because of Bridges. Would you pay $50,000 to be a guest on this podcast, the new One Plus smartphone? And I'm going to let you guess what Google did again. Here's what you missed today in the world of tech. Mark German says Apple plans to delay iPad OS 16 by about a month, partly due to work on its multitasking features. It's targeting an October release for iPadOS 16 now alongside MacOS Ventura, quoting Bloomberg. The delay of the software is due at least in part to an ambitious effort to overhaul the iPad's multitasking capabilities. The update includes a feature called Stage Manager that lets users operate several tasks at the same time, resize Windows, and bounce between. different clusters of apps. During beta testing, the system has drawn criticism from some developers and users for its bugs, a confusing interface, and lack of compatibility with most iPads.

Staggering the release schedule will also allow Apple to put more engineering resources into completing iOS 16, the software update that will come included with the iPhone 14 in September. The change also would bring the iPad OS 16 release closer to the launch of new iPad hardware. The company is planning an updated iPad Pro with an M2 chip, along with a faster entry-level iPad with a USBC port, Bloomberg has reported. The MacK is getting the same stage manager feature as part of MacOS Ventura, but that version of the system has been less controversial. The Mac update is scheduled for release in October. The same month, Apple typically rolls out major Mac software upgrades. And watchOS 9, the latest Apple Watch software, is still slated for September alongside the iPhone update, end quote.

The whole stage manager thing is weird to me. I'm not really an iPad guy, but the Appleheads that I follow really seem to think that Stage Manager is dumb. It's either undercooked or not even well thought out or just not something that needs doing. And man, Apple loves to create different working environments for all sorts of things. I'm a Spaces guy on Mac from way back, but I don't need Launchpad. I don't need Stage Manager, but they keep shoving things like this down my throat. is like Google with messaging apps in this regard. More on that later. But I have to ask, is Stage Manager worth it at this point? Nobody seems to want it. Apple's had to delay a major OS update because of it. Maybe at this point Apple should just throw in the towel and admit that this was a swing and a miss. The Solana Foundation says the exploited addresses and wallets we discussed yesterday were, quote, created, imported or used in Slope Mobile Wallets. And there's, quote, no evidence. The protocol itself was compromised. So, Solana is like, it's not the project, it's not us, we swear. Nervous laughter, wipes sweat from brow,

quoting decrypt. On Wednesday afternoon, the official Solana status Twitter account shared preliminary findings through collaboration between developers and security auditors and said that, quote, it appears affected addresses were at one point created, imported, or used in Slope mobile wallet applications. This exploit was isolated. to one wallet on Solana and hardware wallets used by Slope remains secure, the thread continues. While the details of exactly how this occurred are still under investigation, private key information was inadvertently transmitted to an application monitoring service. There is no evidence the Solana Protocol or its cryptography was compromised.

The account added. Some Phantom wallets were also drained of their soul and tokens in the attack. However, it appears that those wallets holders had previously interacted with Slope wallet. But Phantom has reasons to believe that the reported exploits are due to complications related to importing accounts to and from slope. The Phantom team tweeted today. And chain analysis gets at something that I've mentioned a couple times recently. Bridges. What's up with them? Two billion dollars in crypto has been stolen from cross-chain bridges across 13 hacks in 2022 so far,

accounting for 69% of total funds stolen thus far this year, quoting CoinDesk. Cross-chain bridges are used to send tokens between blockchains and are a popular tool used by the crypto community. Chainalysis said that the underlying technology of cross-chain bridges is still in its infancy, and that many new models are being tested, leaving it open to attack. The most notable of the 13 cross-chain attacks this year was the Ronan Bridge exploit, which saw the protocol lose $625 million in ETH and USDA after being targeted by North Korean Hacking Group Lazarus. This week, hackers exploited in Nomad, a popular bridge, that is used to transfer assets from Moonbeam and Evmos to Ethereum.

Bridges are an attractive target because they often feature a central storage point of funds that back the bridged assets on the receiving blockchain, the report said, and quote. Yes, but still, why are bridges so insecure? There was an event here in New York City yesterday for the new 1 plus 10T smartphone. Reminder to companies that if you invite me to events, I can have the opportunity to cover them more personally. if you will. Anyway, Sam Rutherford adding gadget already has a review up for the new phone. Here's the Dietz. $649 gets you a Snapdragon 8 plus Gen 1 and fast-wired charging, but water resistance

is weak, and the 2-mapixel macro camera is a bust, apparently, quote, when OnePlus does a mid-year refresh of its phones, typically you end up with a slightly snappier device with a handful of slight refinements. But with the new 1 Plus 10T, it feels like a lot was sacrificed for the sake of going all in on speed. Updates include a faster Snapdragon 8 plus Gen 1 chip, a 120 hertz display with an

adaptive refresh rate, even faster charging, and some tweaks for improved wireless connectivity. Unfortunately, 1 Plus's signature alert slider and wireless charging have been removed and water resistance is weak. So while the 10T is a solid device with an affordable price of $649,

It doesn't have the same mass appeal as some of One Plus's previous offerings. For the 10T's design, One Plus recycled the template it created for the 10 Pro, but with some cost-saving tweaks. You get Gorilla Glass 5 in front and back with the jade green model sporting the smooth, shiny finish you'd expect. But on our Moonstone Black review unit, One Plus used two different processes to add a textured finish, the company says, was inspired by basalt. This makes the phone sparkle in the sunlight, which might be nice. for Twilight fans or people who aren't planning on immediately throwing this thing in a case. That said, I think you could get a similar effect with glitter, but more than that, it makes the back of the phone kind of feel plasticy as if it came out of a cheap 3D printer.

Don't get me wrong, this is a really minor offense, but if I were buying one, I'd go with the jade version. The 1 plus 10T also features three cameras in back with a smooth out hump, a speedy in-screen optical fingerprint scanner and stereo speakers that are relatively loud, though there isn't much to say about its overall audio quality. Sadly, what you won't find is an alert slider, which is a feature that has been present in nearly every Oneplus phone since the Oneplus 2 way back in 2015. One Plus claims its removal is due to space requirements for larger antennas, a bigger battery, faster charging, and more, and that the slider will make a return on future devices. But all of that kind of makes not having it on the 10T feel even stranger,

while also removing one of the few features that gives the phone a bit of personality. For the kind of people who crave speed, the OnePlus 10T is an interesting device. It has top-of-the-line performance, a big OLED screen, and stupidly fast charging for just $650 for 8 gigabytes of RAM and 128 gigabytes of storage, or 750 for the 10 gigabytes plus 256-gigabyte configuration. Its camera quality is solid, too, even though I wish OnePlus had opted for a zoom lens instead of a macro, and its battery life is truly superb. The disappointing part are some of the cuts made to achieve.

all this speed. You don't get One Plus's signature alert slider, there's no support for wireless charging, and its water resistance is mediocre. Another annoying wrinkle is that Oneplus has yet to detail carrier compatibility for the U.S. The company says more info will be available closer to launch. Stay tuned for updates. So while it's super fast, the Oneplus 10T isn't as well-rounded as phones like the Pixel 6. To complicate things even more alongside the 10T's release, Oneplus is permanently reducing the one plus 10 pro's starting price from $899 to $799.99. That puts the 10T in a tough spot between great values like the $500 pixel 6A or the $600 pixel 6 and more full-featured phones like the S-22 and One Plus 10 Pro.

But if you got to go fast and won an affordable phone with excess haste, the 10T might be exactly what you need, end quote. A couple of podcast stories for you, by which I mean the podcast industry itself. First up is our beloved Twitter Spaces about to change, quoting TechCrunch. Twitter is developing an updated version of its audio chatroom's product known as Spaces, TechCrunch learned, and Twitter confirmed. The company said it's currently working on a new experiment for the Twitter Spaces tab in its app, but declined to discuss the specifics of that change.

However, screenshots of one of the earlier versions of this test include what appear to be thematic audio stations as well as a personalized audio digest. The test shows a revamped look and feel for spaces that organizes the audio rooms into topics like music or sports, for instance. These are represented with colorful cards and imagery from the programs. Oddly, the images appear to represent traditional podcasts in some cases. There's also a feature dubbed Your Daily Digest, which includes a selection of programs that can be played with the click of a button. The tab also shows you who's listening much as it does now. The company said an official announcement would be further down the road after concepts are finalized,

but didn't offer a time frame. From our best guesses, the updated version of Spaces appears to be building upon Spaces support for topics launched last year. This allowed creators to tag their audio programs with up to three topics from a general list. This spring, Twitter also made it easier for users

to see more about the spaces when they tapped into the space by placing a space bar at the top of the screen that displayed who's hosting, the topics, and other information. Now it could be experimenting with using topics to better group different spaces together. In any event, it's clear that the company is thinking about how to better introduce spaces of interest to listeners, and one way to do this could be through a better organizational system and user interface improvements, end quote.

And then secondly, in Bloomberg yesterday, Ashley Carman had a piece about how some podcast hosts are charging money from people that want to come on their show as a guest. Some podcasts are charging as much as $50,000 a pop for a podcast appearance. quote, the phenomenon appears to be thriving in podcasting. Online platform Gestio has raised more than $1 million to build a marketplace devoted entirely to brokering paid guest appearances. Travis Chappell, Gustio's founder and chief executive officer, points out that people often pay public relations firms to pitch them to podcasts as potential guests. He believes their money is better spent going directly to the podcaster. Since 2020, according to Chappell, Gestio has paid out more than $300,000 to podcasters and guests. In just the past six months,

for podcasters on the platform have made more than $20,000 from appearance fees, including one who took in $50,000. Although Chappell hasn't set a standard price, he suggests podcasters charge $100 to $150 per thousand listeners of their program. The top earnings show is Entrepreneurs on Fire, a daily program that highlights various businesses. John Lee Dumas, its host and creator, says he mostly receives guest inquiries through his website and currently charges $3,500 for an appearance. Payment serves as a kind of filtering tool. Once people were accepted by us and made the investment in being on the show, they were ready to play, Dumas says. Like, they prepared for the interview, they showed up on time,

they delivered massive value, they had great giveaways and calls to action for my audience. The appearance fees are really just an additional great revenue stream. That's a nice to have, definitely not a need to have, he says, and quote. So let me just state right now for the record that no guest of this show has ever paid to come on this show. In fact, I've never received money for any guest of any podcast I've ever done. I do get pitched guests from PR people all the time, and I turn most of them down. Heck, most weeks, Chris and I are scrambling to get people to come on the spaces with us. So I will state, again, for the record, I do not currently have plans to charge people money to be interviewed by me on this podcast.

If that ever changes, I will tell you. But between you and me, if someone wanted to pay me $50, $50,000, to come on this show, honestly. Seriously, honestly, would you blame me at all if I took the money? Finally today, well, I'm just going to let the Verge tell you, quote, in June, Google announced that it's bringing the features of meat into the Duo app, and that transformation begins today. Google isn't technically getting rid of either app, duos getting rebranded as Meat with the features from both apps, and Meat is staying meat. Yes, it sounds pretty confusing, but by the end of this process, there will be just two apps.

Meat Original, the standard meat app that will eventually get phased out, and the new meat that combines both meat and duo. The combined app will let you conduct both group and one-on-one calls as well as hold meetings. If you already have Duo installed, you won't have to do anything. Last month, Google pushed a Duo update that adds the features from Meet, and today Google's rolling out an update on iOS and Android that will change the Duo logo to the Meet icon. By September, anyone who downloads the Google Meet app will receive the new Meet slash Duo combo. Google notes that Duo.com will redirect to meet.gookle.com slash calling over the next few months. Now, if you're a meat user, you don't have to do anything right now if you just want to keep using it as it has always existed without any additional perks from Duo.

Google may eventually end support for the original meet, so just keep that in mind if you wish to continue using the app as is. Google says it will inform original meat users when they should migrate to the new app experience, but doesn't specify when that will happen, end quote. So if I'm following all of this, Google has an app called meat, and it decided to change the name of Duo to meet, so now it has two products called meat. Look, if I told you at this point that I honestly believe Google is straight up trolling or gaslighting me directly, personally?

Would you think I was insane? So thanks to the dozens of you who got in touch yesterday to tell me that this whole Mac keyboard with touch ID thing is a known thing. Some folks have gone so far as to physically pry open the touch ID module to free it to be a standalone tool. Other folks, I kid you not, this seems to be the easiest solution, have velcroed or taped their magic keyboards to the underside of their desks so they can hit touch ID when they need it, but still use other keyboards that they prefer.

By the way, did I wake up early and take an hour off producing this show at 10 a.m. Eastern this morning, just so I could play the new Mario Kart courses with my college buddies online. I can't lie to you. I did. Sorry if this show is hitting you about an hour later than usual. Talk to you tomorrow.