Tech Brew Ride Home - Tue. 10/13 – The iPhone 12 Event: All The Deets

Episode Date: October 13, 2020

All the details from the iPhone 12 event. PC shipments go into the category of “doing well in covid times.” Disney announces a reorg to emphasize its streaming strategy. And following up on that whole Foxconn factory in Wisconsin promise. Hint: it looks like vaporware. Sponsors: BuyRaycon.com/tech ForHims.com/tech Links: Techmeme Headline Cluster About the iPhone 12 Pro Techmeme Headline Cluster About the iPhone 12 Techmeme Headline Cluster About the iPhone 12 mini PC shipments climb in Q3, Gartner and IDC report(ZDNet) The Digital Divide Starts With a Laptop Shortage (NYTimes) Disney says its ‘primary focus’ for entertainment is streaming — announces a major reorg (CNBC) Wisconsin denies Foxconn tax subsidies after contract negotiations fail (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 Tuesday, October 13th, 2020. I'm Brian McCullough. Today, all the details from the iPhone 12 event. PC shipments go into the category of doing well in COVID times. Disney announces a rework to emphasize its streaming strategy and following up on that whole Foxcon factory in Wisconsin thing. Hint, it looks like vaporware. Here's what you missed today in the world of tech. Alrighty then. The iPhone 12 lineup is here. Let me give you the top of the top. line headlines and then we'll drill down. First of all, four new phones in total. From the smallest and

cheapest to the biggest and most expensive, we've got the iPhone 12 Mini and iPhone 12, and then the iPhone 12 Pro Pro Pro Max. We'll find it useful to group them together in pairs like that going forward. The 12 Mini starts at $699 and the 12 starts at $799. They're basically the identical phone, just two different sizes. And then the 12 Pro starts at $999 for 128 gigabytes, while the 12 Pro Max starts at $1,099. Obviously, you get more storage on each of these if you pay a bit more. All of the phones are available for pre-order on October 16th. But confusingly, when they're actually available to ship is all Caddywampus. The 12 and 12 Pro ship October 23rd, but weirdly the top and bottom ends of this lineup, the ProMax, and the 12 Mini, ship November 13th.

Okay, all four phones get 5G, naturally, and Apple spent a ton of time doing the usual 5G hype, like literally the usual hype that we've heard all these years. Doctors will be able to do remote doctor stuff. Gaming will be able to happen anywhere, blah, blah, blah. They weirdly gave a ton of time just to Verizon to tout their 5G network, which I think we just talked about their 5G is the least rolled out in North America thus far. Whatever. On to the design. All of the phones get flat edges full-on reminiscent of the iPhone 5. In fact, using the frame as the antenna came back as a selling point. But this time for 5G, of course.

Weirdly, Apple touted how all the phones will use 5G only when necessary to save battery life. It'll switch back and forth automatically in the software. But that's, of course, again, because 5G isn't really rolled out yet. All of the phones are getting the A-14 bionic chip. Same chip as in the new iPad Air uses the 5-nanometer process, has nearly 40% more transistors than the A-13, has a 6-core CPU, 4-core GPU, the neural engine has 16 cores, double from before, can do 11 trillion operations per second, blah, blah, blah. Now, for the differences in the four phones. The iPhone 12 has got a 6.1-inch OLED display and 460 pixels per inch. It comes in five new colors, black, white, green, red, and blue. Apple says it's 11% thinner, 16% lighter than the iPhone 11, but it comes in

essentially the same size because of smaller bezels. As for the OLED display, it has 460 pPI, twice as many pixels as the iPhone 11. Peak brightness is also twice as high in HDR, 1,200 Nits, Dolby Vision, HLG, and HDR10 are supported. What do you actually get if you step down to the iPhone 12 from the iPhone 12? Basically the exact same phone, exact same colors. It's just smaller. It's got a 5.4-inch screen, and yet it's smaller in the hand than the iPhone 8, which had a 4.7 inch screen. Apple calls this the smallest and thinnest 5G smartphone in the world. Both the 12 and 12 mini have the same dual camera system on the back. The ultra-wide camera has got 120-degree field of view. The wide camera has a 1.6 aperture. There's a seven-element lens on the wide, which Apple says delivers 27% improvement in

low-light conditions. The dual-camera system gives you smart HDR-3. And Apple said all of the iPhone 12 models will have night mode for the first time. Night mode, in fact, will now work on all the cameras, including the ultra-wide and selfie cameras. So night mode on the front camera as well. What then would make you jump up to the pro pair? Well, there you get the three cameras on the back. On the 12 Pro, you get a 12 megapixel ultra-wide camera, a 1.6 aperture wide camera, and a 52-millimeter equivalent telephoto camera supporting 4x optical zoom. Again, the 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max all have the three cameras. It's just that the max has a 65-millimeter equivalent, focal length. It can do 5x telephoto zoom. The wide camera has a 47% larger sensor. And also, it has

sensor shift optical image stabilization built in, which is crazy cool to see on a phone. There's new optical image stabilization. It's used on the sensor instead of just on the lens. It's got two second stabilized exposures, new deep image file computed at time of capture without shutter delay. Sharpening, white balance, other elements can be adjusted in post. So essentially, allowing you to do raw image capture, but with Apple's other bells and whistles. Also, it supports Dolby Vision HDR. Did I mention 10-bit HDR recording? The pro phones are pro because you're getting a pretty friggin' pro camera system. But that's not all, because let's go back to the display and the build. The iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max feature premium materials. The band around the edge is

stainless steel. The four finishes are silver, graphite, gold, and blue. In other words, These two are a bit more shinier, is the bottom line. And as for the display, the iPhone 12 Pro is a 5.8 inch screen. The iPhone Pro Max is a 6.1 inch screen. Both are Super Retina HDR displays. So basically, the two Pro Phones are Pro Camera Systems, Pro Finishes and Materials, the largest screens of the four, though it is worth noting that if you want the very best camera, you have to go all the way up to the Pro Max.

If you want the best cameras, but you want a smaller form factor, you're out of luck. It's sort of weird that Apple has done that thing again where only the biggest phone gets the best cameras. Both pros also get a LiDAR scanner. What do it do? You'll be able to use the LiDAR for autofocus in low light scenes, six times faster focus times and low light. In fact, on both photos and video, the LiDar also helps with depth in night mode portrait shots. And then, of course, there's all the usual promises of AR, which they always hype up, but never has really delivered much as far as I can tell. So now that we've differentiated the pairs, the 12 and 12 Mini and the 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max,

let's do some bits and pieces that all of the new phones get. They all get something new from Corning called Ceramic Shield. Apple claims this new glass will deliver four times better drop performance. Also, MagSafe was not orphaned when it left the Mac. It is now part of the iPhone 12 series. Basically, every iPhone 12 has a magnet on the back, the better to attach wallets, cases, etc. With the cases, it's not about prying your phone into some plastic anymore. You can just pop, click them right onto the back. But also, MagSafe is for charging. There are new cases that let you charge through the case.

And Apple made a combo folding charge case for charging the iPhone and Apple Watch at the same time. And it is official. No more AC adapters coming in any of the iPhone 12 boxes. no headphones either. They will come with a USBC to lightning cable, but that's it. No, we did not get USBC charging on the phones themselves, and removing the headphones and power adapters, allows the boxes to be smaller, has a big impact on environmental, blah, blah, blah, but also, of course, reduces costs per unit shipped for Apple, of course. Those Apple tiles thingies did not come again. Not sure what's up with that.

and guess what, the iPhone 11 is sticking around, so the full iPhone lineup is now thus. iPhone SE from $399, iPhone 10R from $499, iPhone 11 from $599, then the iPhone 12 Mini at $699, the iPhone 12 at $799, and then the iPhone 1212 Pro at $9.99 while the iPhone 12 Pro Max starts at $1,099. Those are the phones, but also spare a thought for the HomePod Mini, which was announced today, which is now round, looks like Magic 8 Ball size, but with nice fabric materials like everyone does these days, and a new price, $99. Apple clearly hopes that this will help the HomePod finally compete with the Echo and Google Home, but really, this is what Apple should have released years ago. Remember, the original HomePod was $350, and because of that, captured only 5% or so of the smart speaker market. At $99, you could make the case

finally for throwing a HomePod Mini into basically every room of your house, especially as Apple won't be spying on you like the others will. But then again, $99 is still twice as expensive as the top of the line, Echo Dot. Oh, and the HomePod Mini will not support Spotify, which, you know, dun dun, dun, done, done. Basically, the takeaways from today are that the iPhone 12 pros are high-end cameras masquerading as smartphones. The iPhone Mini is the thinnest and lightest 5G smartphone on the market and likely the smallest iPhone form factor we're ever going to see. MagSafe for iPhone 12 looks like it'll blow up the charger and phone case ecosystem in useful ways. The HomePod Mini might finally give the HomePod a chance in the marketplace. Oh, and 5G. Did I mention

5G? Because Apple sure did about a million and a half times. In other news, further confirmation that another sector that has gotten a boost in COVID times is the good old PC industry. In Q3 of 2020. Gartner says that PC shipments in the U.S. were up 11.4% year over year, while IDC said PC shipments were up 14.6% year over year globally. People needed extra machines to work from home with, quoting ZDNet. In the U.S., according to Gartner, HP was the top vendor with nearly 30.8% market share, followed by Dell with 25% market share. The list of top vendors was rounded out by Lenovo, Apple, and Acer. data includes desk-based PCs, notebook PCs, and ultra-mobile premiums such as Microsoft's

Surface, but not Chromebooks or iPads. Nonetheless, Gartner noted that Chromebook shipments grew by roughly 90% with demand driven by distance learning due to the pandemic, especially in the U.S. market, quote, consumer demand and institutional demand approach record levels in some cases, IDC's Jitesh Ubrani said in a statement, quote, had the market not been hampered by component shortages, notebook shipments would have soared even higher during the third quarter as market appetite was yet unsatiated, end quote. H.P and Lenovo vied for the top spot among vendors in Q3, according to IDC. Lenovo carried 23.7% of the global market with more than 11% growth, while HP claimed 23% of the market to take the second place spot. Del, Apple, and Acer

rounded out the top five vendors on IDC's list, end quote. Indeed, just one small, indicator of the unusual demand we're seeing right now is the surge in demand for low-cost laptops for education purposes, which has created chaos, according to the New York Times. A surge in worldwide demand by educators for low-cost laptops and Chromebooks, up to 41% higher than last year, has created months-long shipment delays and pitted desperate schools against one another. Districts with deep pockets often went out, leaving poorer ones to give out printed assignments and wait until winter for new computers to arrive. That has frustrated students around the country, especially in rural areas and communities of color, which also often lack

high-speed internet access and are most likely to be on the losing end of the digital divide. In 2018, 10 million students didn't have an adequate device at home, a study by education nonprofit common sense media found. That gap, with much of the country still learning remotely, could now be crippling. Sellers are facing stunning demand from schools and countries from Germany to El Salvador said Michael Borum, an education technology analyst at the British company Future Source Consulting, Japan alone is expected to order 7 million devices, end quote. This could also be thought of as a COVID-Times story, I suppose, although you'll hear in a second they're claiming otherwise. Disney announced a major reorganization of its entire corporate structure, saying its primary focus is now on streaming,

as the pandemic has dramatically impacted its theatrical and theme park businesses. Quoting CNBC. On Monday, the company revealed that in order to further accelerate its direct-to-consumer strategy, it would be centralizing its media business into a single organization that will be responsible for content distribution, ad sales, and Disney Plus. Shares of the company jumped more than 5% during after-hours trading following the announcement. I would not characterize it as a response to COVID, CEO Bob Chappek told CNBC's Julia Borsden on closing bell on Monday. quote, I would say COVID accelerated the rate at which we made this transition, but this transition was going to happen anyway, end quote. JPEC said the reorganization could result in some reduction of

staff, but not likely at the same scale as was seen at the company's Parks Division last month. Disney was forced to lay off around 28,000 workers after it became clear that its Disneyland parks in California would not be reopening soon. As part of this reorganization, Disney has promoted Karim Daniel, the former president of consumer products, games, and publishing. He will now oversee the new media and entertainment distribution group. He'll be in charge of making sure streaming becomes profitable as the company continues to invest heavily in its various streaming products. Daniel will hold the reins to all of the company's streaming services and domestic television networks, including all content distribution, sales, and advertising. We are tilting the scale

pretty dramatically towards streaming, Chepex said on closing bell, noting that the company is looking at all investments, including dividends, as it seeks to increase its spend on new content. JPEC said the board of directors will have final say on Disney's dividend payouts. Only last week, activist investor Dan Loeb called on Cheapeck to end the company's annual $3 billion dividend to divert more capital to new Disney Plus content, end quote. Yeah, if a company as old as Disney is putting even the dividend on the table, then you know they're either serious about transformation or a little desperate, or maybe both. both. But also, RIP movie theaters? I thought this quote from Cheapeck was telling, quote,

we're putting the consumer first, he told CNBC on air, we're trying to, as they say, skate to where the puck is going to be, end quote. How much you want to bet, far from home was the last MCU movie that will debut first in theaters. Black Widow coming to Disney Plus in three, two, one. Lastly, a little follow-up on something because I think it's important to follow up on this and see the story through, or not through, as the case might be here. Remember when Foxcon got a whole bunch of headlines and political kudos for saying it was investing billions of dollars in the state of Wisconsin, hiring a bunch of people, and maybe starting up a factory or two? Yeah, so Foxcon has been denied the promised Wisconsin tax subsidies after it failed to hit high. benchmark in 2019, quoting the verge. Through the many twists and turns of Foxcon's troubled Wisconsin project, one thing has long been clear. The company is not building the promised 20 million square foot

gen 10.5 LCD factory specified in its contract with the state. Even before President Trump broke ground on the supposed factory in June 2018, Foxcon said it would instead build a far smaller factory than it had proposed. The discrepancy between what Foxcon is doing and what it said it would do in its contract has only grown since then, and it has brought Wisconsin and the company to an impasse. Documents obtained by the Verge show that attempts to renegotiate that contract have so far failed, and today the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, which oversees the deal, rejected Foxcon's application for tax subsidies on the grounds that Foxcon had not carried out the Gen 10.5 LCD factory project described in its original contract.

WEDC also noted that even if whatever Foxcon is currently doing had been eligible under the contract, it had failed to employ the minimum number of people needed to get subsidies. Foxconn needed to employ at least 512 people at the end of 2019 to receive subsidies and claim to have hired 550, but WEDC estimated that only 281 would qualify under the terms of the contract, end quote. Yeah, always, always, always. major factory investments or tax subsidy-seeking projects with a grain of salt. It can often just be a really, really cheap PR stunt for companies that never have to follow through and still come out way ahead. The whole Foxcon thing seems to be a real Potemkin village at this point, as at Scapolidi

said on Twitter, quote, time after time, businesses from manufacturers to sports teams violate their tax break agreements with towns and cities, raking in profits and leaving the taxpayers with the burden. Finally, someone had the guts to stand up to this corrupt practice, end quote. Foxcon and the politicians touting this deal promised 13,000 jobs. There have been, according to this report, end quoting, Patrick Leary on Twitter, quote, 281 jobs. Everyone who worked on or around this project lied to the people of Wisconsin deliberately, end quote. BT Dubbs, Amazon Prime Day, is on today and tomorrow. And while this podcast is not in the business of collecting deals, every other one of your favorite tech news sites in the whole world is doing just that,

mainly so they can collect affiliate fees. So if you want and you're in the mood, check out the deals before they're gone, y'all. Talk to you tomorrow.