DoorDash files its S-1, and has a surprisingly good business, it looks like. The US backs down on TikTok. Is the whole Ant IPO thing, not business but personal? Why you should probably wait to download macOS Big Sur. How much Disney+ continues to kill it. And of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: Calm.com/techmeme TinyCapital.com Links: DoorDash files to go public (TechCrunch) U.S. Backs Down on TikTok (WSJ) China’s President Xi Jinping Personally Scuttled Jack Ma’s Ant IPO (WS...
Nov 13, 2020•19 min
Why Google sunsetting the free version of its Photos service has so many people riled up. Apple’s TestFlight update should make beta testing apps easier. Amazon’s Alexa Care Hub should make caring for elderly relatives easier. A “bank on rails” is an interesting raise. And is the HomePod mini worth buying? Sponsors: TinyCapital.com VistaPrint.com/techmeme Links: Google Photos will end its free unlimited storage on June 1st, 2021 (The Verge) Google warns Google Drive users: Use it, or lose your f...
Nov 12, 2020•17 min
So wait, is TikTok facing shutdown again, as soon as tomorrow or… what? Some analysis on how well those M1 chips might actually perform. Ring doorbells are catching fire. The Hyperloop takes its first passengers for a ride. And does China now ALSO think that big tech has gotten too big? Sponsors: VistaPrint.com/techmeme TinyCapital.com Links: TikTok hasn’t heard from the Trump administration in weeks, prompting latest CFIUS petition (CNBC) Apple Announces The Apple Silicon M1: Ditching x86 - Wha...
Nov 11, 2020•17 min
Apple’s One More Thing Mac Event. The EU sues Amazon for antitrust. The Slingbox is no more. And, apparently, the MagSafe Duo charger is no good. Sponsors: TinyCapital.com Wipers123.com , promocode: ride Links: EU accuses Amazon of breaching antitrust rules (FT) Slingbox discontinued, services sunsetting (SlashGear) Walmart and Cruise launch pilot to deliver orders via self-driving cars (Venture Beat) Apple MagSafe Duo Charger Review: Useful, but expensive and underwhelming (TechCrunch) Learn mo...
Nov 10, 2020•17 min
Apple is not happy with a key parts supplier. If you’re running an old version of android, you might be shut out of some important websites soon. Is SoftBank’s Vision Fund, back, baby? Is the Raspberry Pi 400 any good to use? And what can Silicon Valley expect from a Biden administration. Sponsors: KiwiCo.com promocode: "ride" for 50% your first month TinyCapital.com Links: Apple Freezes New Business for Pegatron on China Labor Abuse (Bloomberg) Zoom and other ‘stay-at-home’ stocks are getting c...
Nov 09, 2020•18 min
You know the drill... Sponsors: Canva.me/ride Metalab.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Nov 07, 2020•1 hr 7 min
Is it too soon to start talking about the iPhone 13? It’s review day. Reviews of the iPhone 12 Mini, iPhone 12 Pro Max, and the PlayStation 5. Why I think the DOJ suing to block the Plaid acquisition is such a big deal. And of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: Masterworks.io , promocode ride Metalab.co Links: Kuo: iPhone 13 to Come in Same Four Model Sizes As iPhone 12, Pro Models to Feature Major Upgrade to Ultra Wide Camera (MacRumors) Sizing up the iPhone 12 mini and 12 Pro...
Nov 06, 2020•21 min
WhatsApp gets disappearing messages ten years after Snapchat! A new entry-level, ultra-lightweight drone from DJI. Productivity laptops are getting interesting designs, ala gaming laptops. Ethereum 2.0 is coming. How and why Jack Ma pissed off the Chinese government. The Xbox Series X reviews are in. And Justice Department just sued to block Visa from buying Plaid. But that just broke, so I’m telling you it happened now. We’ll analyze it tomorrow. Sponsors: Fundrise.com/techmeme Canva.me/ride Li...
Nov 05, 2020•19 min
Californians pass Proposition 22, and voters in Massachusetts strike a blow for the right to repair. You no longer need a phone to listen to Spotify on your watch. And why Walmart might partner with Comcast to make TVs, countries might force Netflix to produce content inside their own borders, and Hollywood is losing visual effects talent to Silicon Valley. Sponsors: Canva.me/ride Metalab.co Links: Uber, Lyft Win California Bid to Keep Drivers as Contractors (Bloomberg) Massachusetts voters pass...
Nov 04, 2020•20 min
So, that November 10th Apple event might see a full slate of Mac laptops with Apple Silicon inside. Why has Ant Group’s IPOs been called off? Why has Walmart called off plans to allow robots to roam its store aisles? And someone explain to me why Spotify’s proposed new algorithm changes aren’t a modern form of Payola? Sponsors: Cava.me/ride CuriosityStream.com/ride promocode: ride Links: Apple to Launch MacBooks With Own Chips Next Week (Bloomberg) China Halts Ant Group’s Blockbuster I.P.O. (NYT...
Nov 03, 2020•17 min
Raspberry Pi launches the Raspberry Pi 400. All the big platforms’ plans for election day and beyond. Huawei is gonna make its own chips because it has to. Gaming continues to lead the way into the future in so many ways. And the Kafkaesque nightmare of Google locking you out of all your accounts. Sponsors: MintMobile.com/ride Metalab.co Links: The Raspberry Pi 400 is a compact keyboard with a built-in computer (The Verge) What to Expect From Facebook, Twitter and YouTube on Election Day (NYTime...
Nov 02, 2020•19 min
Netflix raises prices. Because they can—and maybe because they should. Google wants to give you a free VPN. Samsung helps you find your galaxy of Galaxy things. A rundown of yesterday’s big day of tech earnings. And, of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: Monday.com/ride Mailmanhq.com Links: Netflix is raising the price of its most popular plan to $14 today, premium tier increasing to $18 (The Verge) Google One’s 2TB+ plans adding Android VPN, coming to iOS & Mac/Windows soo...
Oct 30, 2020•18 min
Major warnings about a rash of ransomware attacks on US hospitals. The new AMD chips. MOAAR consolidation in the chip industry. Can I introduce you to Quantum Computing as a Service? And a reminder that as Hollywood moves to streaming first, you don’t own anything. Seriously. You’re just renting. Sponsors: GetRoman.com/techmeme MailmanHQ.com Links: Building wave of ransomware attacks strike U.S. hospitals (Reuters) AMD’s new Radeon RX 6800 XT promises to go head to head with Nvidia’s RTX 3080 (T...
Oct 29, 2020•20 min
Does the iPhone 12 have secret reverse wireless charging just waiting to be turned on? More signs Apple might be building its own search engine. The headlines from today’s Section 230 Senate hearing. Is the DOJ gonna prevent Visa from acquiring Plaid? And how much would you pay Elon Musk to beam you internet from Space? Sponsors: Calm.com/techmeme MailmanHQ.com Links: Apple’s iPhone 12 seems to have a secret reverse wireless charging feature (The Verge) Apple develops alternative to Google searc...
Oct 28, 2020•16 min
AMD does indeed buy Xilinx for $35 billion dollars. The UK bans locked phones. Tinder rolls out video dating. Zoom finally rolls out encryption. A major breakthrough in OLED technology has major implications for VR and for porn. And why the no-code movement might actually usher in the true computing revolution we were promised all along. Sponsors: MailmanHQ.com Monday.com/ride Links: AMD Acquiring Xilinx In Bold, $35B Semiconductor Mega-Deal (Forbes) UK announces ban on sale of network-locked ph...
Oct 27, 2020•19 min
New AirPods and AirPods pro coming as soon as the spring? Facebook launches streaming gaming everywhere but guess where? Ant is the biggest IPO in history. SAP seems to be having Covid issues. And are you still working from home? Well, maybe keep an eye on your ISP’s data caps. Sponsors: MailmanHQ.com Metalab.co Links: Apple Developing Smaller AirPods Pro, Revamped Entry-Level Model (Bloomberg) Facebook launches cloud games but says Apple won’t allow it on iOS (CNBC) Ant Group to raise $34.5 bil...
Oct 26, 2020•17 min
Joshua Schachter is mostly known these days as a prominent angel investor, but his claim to fame is as the founder of del.icio.us, one of THE sites and startups that convinced me and a lot of other people that the internet space wasn’t dead, in the wake of the dotcom bubble. So, consider this in the spirt of the longreads. A profile of a key startup and entrepreneur, that got the web and the world to where we are today. Sponsors: BitTrustIRA.com/techmeme Monday.com/ride NewYorker.com/techmeme Le...
Oct 24, 2020•1 hr 3 min
Is PayPal making moves to become a major player in Crypto? A look at the two big ballot initiatives in California that Silicon Valley cares about and which the rest of the country might be affected by. Why YouTube is this election’s go-to place for campaigns to run ads, and of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: Masterworks.io Promocode: ride Monday.com/ride Links: PayPal in Talks to Buy Crypto Firms Including BitGo (Bloomberg) Uber, Lyft likely violated California labor law, ap...
Oct 23, 2020•18 min
Quibi’s dead baby. Quibi’s dead. Jony Ive is going to design stuff for… Airbnb? The Mate 40 Pro is the best flagship smartphone you’ll probably never want to buy. What if Snapchat conquers India? The Bahamas launches the first official cryptocurrency for an entire country. And look out cause Tesla is turning on the self-driving beta starting now… Sponsors: Monday.com/ride NewYorker.com/techmeme Links: Quibi's Open Letter Quibi Is Shutting Down Barely Six Months After Going Live (WSJ) In defense ...
Oct 22, 2020•19 min
Big news for crypto as PayPal adopts it, both for users to buy, but also, crucially, for them to spend. Facebook is testing a Nextdoor killer. Update on the Quibi deathwatch. Tech earnings snuck up on me and Evan Spiegel had a good night. And let’s end today with another review roundup. This time of the new iPad Air. Sponsors: KiwiCo.com/ride Monday.com/ride Links: PayPal to allow cryptocurrency buying, selling and shopping on its network (Reuters) Dropbox's family plan offers a shared 2TB for $...
Oct 21, 2020•17 min
The Feds have finally thrown the book at Google. But the DOJ has also targeted the infamous Sandworm hackers. Intel sells its NAND memory unit as consolidation in chips continues. Microsoft partners with Elon Musk to take its battle with AWS to space. What product is Google abandoning today? And the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro reviews are here. Which one should you get? NewYorker.com/techmeme Monday.com/ride Links: The DOJ sues Google for monopoly practices – and says there’s more to come (Protocol) Ju...
Oct 20, 2020•20 min
Apple wants to you to want your A-MTV. iMTV? I dunno. Apple has launched a music videos channel. The new Samsung Galaxies might be coming sooner than ever. The company bringing AR to car windshields. And why Japan saying it’s getting on the regulate tech bandwagon might be the tipping point for the entire sector. Sponsors: ExtraHop.com/techmeme Monday.com/ride Links: Apple Launches ‘Apple Music TV,’ a 24-Hour Music Video Livestream (Variety) iPhone 12 mini has 2,227 mAh battery, new models will ...
Oct 19, 2020•18 min
I don’t think I’ve made any bones about the fact that I blow hot and cold on crypto. Sometimes I grow frustrated that it always seems to be a lot of sound and fury, ultimately signifying nothing. Or at least, not amounting to much that touches normal people’s lives. I dunno if that’s a fair way to look at crypto or not. But at the same time, there is no single corner of tech that has more activity, that has more passion and energy and, just pure, crazy creativity. Lots of people in crypto have a...
Oct 17, 2020•35 min
Google now lets you whistle or hum to search, which sounds crazy I know, or crazy cool. Are we due for one more Apple event this year? The FCC wants to kill section 230 but actually can’t. Could you do machine learning with practically no data to learn off of? And of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: NewYorker.com/techmeme TinyCapital.com Links: Google’s new ‘hum to search’ feature can figure out the song that’s stuck in your head (The Verge) Apple might hold another event on ...
Oct 16, 2020•20 min
It’s hardware review Thursday! Reviews of the Xbox Series X, Google Pixel 5 AND 4a 5G. SOME of the new iPhones are getting extra RAM. Room-temperature superconductivity has been achieved for the first time and what that could mean. Landscape is an interesting raise. And Adam Neumann is back… and so is WeWork. Sponsors: NewYorker.com/techmeme TinyCapital.com Links: XBOX SERIES X PREVIEW: THE NEXT GEN FEELS LIKE A PC (The Verge) GOOGLE PIXEL 4A 5G REVIEW: MORE THAN JUST A BIGGER BUDGET PHONE (The ...
Oct 15, 2020•19 min
Picking up some odds and ends from yesterday’s iPhone event, including some eyebrow raising clarifications on price and availability. Zoom is indeed trying to be a platform by bringing apps to your calls. You know DeFi is hot when everyone is suddenly rebranding themselves as DeFi. And is Dropbox leading the way to a virtual work future? Sponsors: BlueNile.com , code RIDE for $50 off your purchase of over $750. ForHims.com/tech Links: The iPhone 12’s mysterious groove is a 5G mmWave antenna wind...
Oct 14, 2020•16 min
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, Gart...
Oct 13, 2020•20 min
Google’s Nest thermostat is ditching the iconic dial design. Will regulators first ask Google to divest itself of Chrome? A big takedown of a botnet that could have influenced the election. Update on Quibi’s shopping itself around. And why Covid has made Caterpillar hit the gas on robo-construction machines. Sponsors: Masterworks.io , select PODCAST, then promocode: RIDE ForHims.com/tech Links: Google’s Nest announces new smart thermostat with simpler design, lower price (The Verge) Feds may tar...
Oct 12, 2020•17 min
Again, could Gaming, and Microsoft specifically, be the thing that cracks the App Store open? More hints of consolidation in the semiconductor industry that is massively in flux. A major milestone in self-driving cars has been passed. Could hybrid cable-fiber networks compete with 5G. And in the weekend longreads suggestions, what operating systems do NASA’s spacecraft actually run on? Sponsors: ForHims.com/tech Monday.com/ride Links: Microsoft told employees it plans to release a browser-based ...
Oct 09, 2020•21 min
Bunch of new chip announcements from AMD. Facebook is pausing all political ads… after the election. Square puts its money where its mouth is when it comes to bitcoin. Triller is an interesting TikTok competitor. And what is it with photo startups always wanting to go all nostalgic and analog? Sponsors: ForHims.com/tech Monday.com/ride Links: AMD reveals its new Zen 3 Ryzen 5000 processors, including the ‘world’s best gaming CPU’ (The Verge) Facebook to temporarily halt political ads in U.S. aft...
Oct 08, 2020•17 min
