Here are a few of the stories from Monday and Tuesday that caught my attention. This is less heavy on the fun gadget stuff and more on the less fun “technology as news” stuff
Read MoreTech News Roundup for October 5, 2020
Here are a few of the tech stories I found interesting over the last few days. This was written early Monday morning, so anything from Monday during the day will not be included.
Apple Sues Canadian Company for Selling iPhones it was Paid to Recycle
Apple makes a big deal about how old iPhones that are traded in or returned to Apple are recycled. It has been a big part of the environmentally friendly image that company has tried to paint over the past several years. Apple doesn’t do all that recycling itself, it contracts at least some of the work out. Apple is alleging that a Canadian company it has paid to recycle iPhones has instead been reselling them back into the consumer channels. If this is true, it would be a breach of contract, and potentially putting sub-par or defective devices back into the world.
This is an interesting story about the sustainability of the electronics industry, and what happens to devices when we are done with them, or they no longer work.
Nest Audio Reviews
Google’s newest smart speaker has been reviewed by several outlets, and it appears to be a winner. It is touted as having much better sound than the now 4 year old Google Home, and infinitely better than the Google Nest Mini. At $130, it is also cheaper than the original Google Home’s launch price. If you want a smart speaker, this appears to be the one to get.
https://www.androidpolice.com/2020/10/05/google-nest-audio-review/
Galaxy S20 FE 5G Review
A phone I didn’t highlight when it was announced was the Galaxy S20 FE 5G. (The ”FE” stands for Fan Edition. Phone names are terrible this year). This is Samsung’s newest phone and is meant to fill the price gap between the standard S20 line and the highest end A series model, the A71. It achieves this by cutting back in a few places, but nothing most people would miss. The back is made of plastic instead of glass, which may actually be a plus for some people, the camera’s aren’t *quite* as good as the other S20 models, and the screen isn’t quite as good, but still very good. It has a huge 4500 mAH battery that is actually larger than the more expensive S20, and matches the even more expensive S20+
The reviews of this phone have been universally positive. With the highest end phones getting a significant price increase this year, thanks largely because of the expense of the 5G technology that most people can’t even really use, less expensive phones are becoming more and more interesting.
At $950, this is still an expensive phone, but it is much cheaper than the $1200 starting price for the arguably less capable S20.
With the caveat that I haven’t held it myself, the S20 FE 5G appears to be the phone to buy if you don’t want to spend the money the true high end phones demand, but want a phone that is nearly as good while making sensible sacrifices.
The Software That Runs On Spaceships Definitely Isn’t Windows
Not a lot to add here, just to say that this is a really neat read about the software that runs on spaceships and satellites, and how different it is from the software we run on our simple Earth computers. Space is hard.
A $6,000 Zeiss Camera With Android…. For Some Reason
I personally just enjoy the absurdity of this. Pre-orders have gone up in the US for a Zeiss full frame camera with a fixed 35mm lens that runs a variant of Android with built in apps for photo editing on device.
No one should buy this, it sounds absurd. But it’s hilarious and I’d love to get my hands on it because of it.
https://www.theverge.com/2020/10/5/21501940/zeiss-zx1-camera-preorder-price-date
Tech News Roundup for October 2, 2020
Here are a few of the stories that caught my attention over the last couple days
Read MoreTech News Roundup for September 30, 2020
Today’s update consists entirely of big announcements announcements from Google and Lenovo
Google Announces Phones, Speaker, Streaming Device
Google announced four new products today, we’ll start with phones. They are the Pixel 4a With 5G and the Pixel 5. Google’s naming scheme for phones is kind of a mess this year. Beyond the sheer mouth full that is the name of the Pixel 4a With 5G, it actually isn’t really all that similar to the Pixel 4a released a couple months ago. The 4a With 5G sports a Qualcomm 765G processor over the 730G found in the 4a, and has the biggest screen of all this year’s Pixel devices t 6.2 inches. That screen is also OLED while the Pixel 4a is an LCD. It also features two cameras, a standard camera and an ultrawide, the latter of which is lacking on the 4a. It has the same 6GB of ram as the Pixel 4a. The one disappointing thing is the battery, with the same 3800 mAH sized battery as the Pixel 4a. While that will likely be good enough for this phone, it would have been nice to see the largest phone in the lineup get a bigger battery.
The Pixel 5 is the more feature packed phone announced today. It features the same Snapdragon 765G processor as the 4a with 5G as well as the same camera setup, but the Pixel 5 sports a slightly smaller 6 inch OLED screen but features a larger 4000 mAH battery. It has 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, and also features wireless charging and reverse wireless charging.
The Pixel 4a With 5G is available for pre-order at $680, and the Pixel 5 is available for pre-order at $800.
Next up is the Nest Audio speaker. This replaces the original Google Home smart speaker that came out all the way back in 2016. Google really wanted to highlight the audio quality of this speaker, as well as the design. It looks a lot more like a smaller version of the Google Home Max speaker, with a very nice tall profile covered in fabric. This could be a very good option for those who want a good sounding speaker, and it really does look far better than that original Google Home.
The Nest Audio is available for pre-order at $130
Lastly, but possibly the most interesting of the 4 products today, is the new Chromecast with Google TV. If I got too far into the weeds on this the entire branding would be confusing, but This is, finally, Google’s full competitor to Amazon’s Fire TV Stick devices. Google’s Chromecast devices were a really interesting idea when they debuted all the way back in 2014, allowing people to have a device that let them use their phone to start, stop, and control media playback. I use chromecasts extensively, but the lack of a user interface and dedicated remote meant that I could not recommend it to everyone. There have been many cases where I’ve recommended and/or puchased Amazon Fire TV sticks for people because I know they would be better served with a proper remote and interface on the TV.
The Chromecast with Google TV fixes that. It is still a Chromecast in that you can still just use your phone to send content to the device, but it is built on Android TV, with what Google calls the “Google TV” layer on top. (Seriously, these branding names.). Google TV is a different take on these kind of devices. While it does have dedicated apps for services like Netflix, Disney+, etc, instead of forcing users to go into each app individually to look for something to watch, Google TV attempts to amalgamate all the servivces you have into one user interface. So you might see a row of content for “action and adventure movies” that will recommend movies from across different services. I really like that idea, but we will have to see how well it works in practice. Lastly, it is worth mentioning that this is a 4k HDR capable device, and seems to be outright replacing the Chromecast Ultra in the lineup.
I wish this device had existed a year ago, but I’m glad it is here now. The Chromecast with Google TV is available for pre-order at $70, which is actually $20 cheaper than the Chromecast Ultra was. This is definitely a product that will eventually find its way into my home.
Lenovo Announces Fall Laptop Lineup
Lenovo announced its fall lineup of laptops of all price ranges. But there are two that I want to highlight. The first is the Thinkpad X1 Nano. This is a 13 inch ultrabook that is one of the lightest full featured Windows laptops on the market, at 1.99. pounds. Traditional high end ultrabooks have been between 2.7 and 3 pounds. The X1 Nano does make a couple sacrifices compared to the X1 Carbon line, sacrificing most connectivity. The X1 nano features just two USB-C ports.
This looks like a fantastic laptop, and as someone who is always interested in thinner and lighter devices in an every day carry bag, this is very interesting. It will be expensive, but for some, the weight and portability will be worth it.
The other big announcement was the release of the X1 Fold. The X1 Fold is the first computer with a folding display. When unfolded the X1 fold features a 13.3 inch display, and when propped up using an optional stand can function like a 13” laptop with the included bluetooth keyboard and trackpad. The device can also be used in various other form-factors, with the two halves of the display being roughly 10 inches diagonal. This could lead to some very versatile uses of the device, and I’m really interested to see if this form factor takes off.
This will be *very* expensive in Canada, at almost $4000. No one should buy this. But I want it.
Tech NEws Roundup for September 28, 2020
Here are a few of the tech stories that caught my eye over the weekend.
Roku Announces a Slew of New Hardware and Software
On Monday Morning Roku announced a bunch of new stuff, getting ready for the 2020 holiday season. The company updated it’s Roku Ultra set top box that features Dolby Vision Support and improved Wifi Performance.
Next up is the Roku Streambar. This one is interesting because it is a $190 soundbar with Roku’s streaming platform built in. This will allow someone with an older TV an inexpensive option to get both improved sound as well as a streaming media platform. I have a Roku TV and its interface is not my favorite, but nevertheless this is a good option.
Lastly, Roku announced that it is bringing support for Apple’s AirPlay 2 and HomeKit services to “many” of its streaming devices and Roku TV’s later this year.
Dell Updates XPS 13 Laptops
Dell has announced updates for the XPS 13 laptop line to include Intel’s new 11th generation “Tiger Lake” processor. For the standard XPS 13, this is a fairly minor upgrade with no physical changes, but for the XPS 13 2 in 1, the design is finally being update to match the updated XPS aesthetics introduced earlier this year. The XPS 13 is Dell’s most premium laptop, so these will be expensive. The cheapest configuration will likely start around $1300, with prices going up quickly from there. These are universally regarded among the best Windows laptops out there, but you have to be willing to pay the premium
Google Says Using Third Party App Stores Will Be Easier on Android 12
In a move that I’m sure has nothing at all to do with the Epic Games Lawsuit against Google, the company now says that as of Android 12, installing and using third party app stores will be easier. The company says it will make this easier “without compromising the security” of Android. Details are light, and Android 12 isn’t due to be released for almost a year, so it will likely be quite some time until we see exactly what Google means here. I’m sure this is all just a coincidence.
https://www.theverge.com/2020/9/28/21472139/google-android-12-app-store-installation-payment-fees
US Judge Issues Temporary Injunction on Tik Tok Ban
Just a few hours before the Trump Administration’s ban on Tik Tok downloads in the US was due to take effect, a US Federal Judge issues a temporary injunction blocking the ban. The order is under seal so we do not know the exact reasoning behind the ruling. But the judge did say during the hearing that it was “likely” that the Trump Administration was overstepping its legal authority.
As you can imagine, Tik Tok is happy, and the Trump Administration is not.
Tech News Roundup for September 25, 2020
Here are a few of the stories that caught my attention in the last couple days
Google Takes Harder Stance on 30 Percent Play Store Cut
In a move I will call unusual, Google is actually getting more strict on the 30% policy in its Play Store for Android. Google has the same 30% policy that Apple does, but it has applied it much more loosely over the years. Google has looked the other way if apps and services used their own payment methods instead of using the Google Play Store where Google takes a 30% cut. As of next week, Google will be informing developers that it will begin enforcing that policy. Apps like Netflix and Spotify, among others, use their own payment method to allow Android users to subscribe from within the app. All developers will either need to switch to Google Pay, or stop taking subscriptions through their apps.
This is a very curious move in light of the scrutiny and legal actions being taken against Apple and Google for these exact practices. That Google would move even more towards that model is….. strange.
It should be worth noting that this only effects apps distributed through the Google Play Store. Android does allow for apps to be installed outside of an app store, or entire third party app stores to be installed. Apps installed through these methods are not subject to the Google Play 30% cut because they are not distributed through that method. That is Google’s legal argument.
https://www.androidcentral.com/google-set-double-down-controversial-30-play-store-cut
Amazon announced 234987234 Products
That may have been a bit of an exaggeration, but not by much. Amazon has, for a couple years had a fall hardware event where it updates a slew of hardware products, and introduces new ones. This year, it was conducted virtually, and there was a lot. I won’t go through everything in detail, but there are a few things of note.
Amazon’s first smart home device, the echo smart speaker, gets its biggest redesign ever. Instead of cylindrical devices, the new Echo and Echo dots are spherical, which gives them a much more pleasing look.
The Echo Show 10 is a smart home device with a 10” display. Google and Amazon have been making these types of devices for a couple years now, but the twist with the Echo Show 10 is that the screen is mounted on an articulating arm which can move automatically to face the user using the front facing camera. This has interesting use cases for areas like the kitchen, where a recipe can be kept on the screen and swivel back and forth so it always faces the person who needs to look at it.
The weirdest launch was the Amazon Ring Always Home Cam. This product is a security camera which is attached to a drone that is designed to fly inside a house. The idea, according to Amazon, is that when no one is home the device can detect if there is movement, or work in conjunction with Amazon’s other Ring security products, and the Always Home Cam can lift off from its cradle and fly to where the disturbance may be, giving a mobile security camera. I think I’ll pass…..
Amazon also announced new Eero 6 mesh wifi routers, which update it’s popular eero wifi system with Wifi 6, as well as two new Fire TV sticks designed for 1080p TV’s to replace the older model that was significantly slower than the model designed for 4k TV’s.
https://www.androidcentral.com/everything-amazon-announced-its-september-2020-hardware-event
Amazon’s big announcement Was Luna, a Game Streaming Service
The big surprise announcement from Amazon was that it is getting into the Streaming Game… game… taking on Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass Game Streaming (seriously, that name) and Google Stadia. Luna is a streaming service for games and it is coming to Fire TV, PC, Mac, iPhone, and iPad at launch. Support for Android is “coming soon.”
The iPhone and iPad support raised some eyebrows because of the very public fights with Microsoft and Google over the App store rules. But Luna Is coming to those platforms via a Progressive Web App, which means it is accessible through the Safari Web Browser on iOS and iPadOS. It will be very interesting to see how well that works.
Luna is launching in early access in the US soon, with no word on when it will launch in other markets. The “introductory price” is $6 USD per month. There will be “more than 100” games available at launch, including some well known, if slightly older AAA titles.
I don’t know how this well end, but I think Amazon has a bigger chance of being successful in this space than Google does.
https://www.theverge.com/2020/9/24/21451371/amazon-luna-cloud-gaming-service-twitch-alexa-controller
Facebook Gets Small Win Against Apple
A few weeks ago it was reported that Apple blocked a Facebook app update on iOS because it told users that if they made a purchase for a paid event through the iOS app, Apple would take 30%. This was one of many instances of backlash against Apple over a short period of time. This week, Apple and Facebook have come to an agreement of sorts, with Apple agreeing to allow Facebook to use Facebook Pay for transactions for paid Facebook events created by small businesses. This exception to the App Store policies will be in place until the end of 2020. Apple says it is due to COVID-19 affecting many small businesses, and that this is a small step it can take to help.
Tech News Roundup for September 23, 2020
Here are a few of the tech stories I found interesting… on Tuesday. This is being written early Wednesday morning, so anything of note that happens during the day on Wednesday will be missing.
Tesla Battery Day Event Promises Cheaper Batteries, Vehicles… Eventually
Tesla CEO Elon Musk revealed plans for the company’s future direction in battery technology on Tuesday. Tesla has an ambitious plan to halve the cost of the battery cells that go into its vehicles, which constitutes a large portion of the cost of these vehicles. While the cost of the batteries in Teslas have already fallen 87% since the introduction of the original Roadster years ago, driving the costs even lower will help bring the costs down even further. Right now, batteries in Tesla Model 3 and Model Y cost about $156USD per KWh of energy. Tesla’s goal has always been to get that below $100 USD per KWh.
Tesla hopes to achieve this by creating new “tabless” batteries that have 5x the energy density of the current batteries in Tesla vehicles. Thse 4680 batteries, as Tesla calls them, should enable 6x the power and 16% greater range compared to the batteries currently used in the Model 3 and Model Y. It achieves this using the aforementioned “tables” design, which removes the bulky piece that connects the battery cell to the device it is powering with a much smaller connection that is more integrated into the whole product. Tesla plans to produce these 4680 batteries in house, which would be a first for the company. Tesla currently buys all of the batteries for its vehicles in North America from Panasonic, with Elon Musk stating that Panasonic’s production capacity has limited production of the Model 3 and Model Y. Moving to in house batteries will allow Tesla to better control its product stack.
Musk also promised that this new battery will power a new Tesla vehicle that will cost $25,000 USD. No other details were given about this new vehicle, but that price point is important. The current lowest price for a Tesla vehicle is a $35,000 USD Standard Range Model 3. That standard range model gets to that price by sacrificing about 25% of the range of the other Model 3 cars. Getting to $25,000 will make electric vehicles more affordable for more people, which should help adoption greatly.
Don’t expect the new batteries and new car any time soon, however. Elon Musk stated that it will likely be 2023 before we see these batteries being manufactured in quantity, which also means we won’t see the new, cheaper vehicle until at least then. Until then, Tesla will continue buying batteries from Panasonic, and Musk says it will actually increase the number it buys from the company. We will likely see incremental cost reductions in Tesla vehicles in the medium term, as Tesla improve the efficiency of its production process. Tesla did lower the price of the Model 3 and Model Y by about $3000 earlier this year, and the company has not been shy about reducing prices or increasing capabilities of its vehicles whenever it is able.
Qualcomm announces Snapdragon 750G Processor
As consumers and device OEM’s push back against the huge cost of the high end Snapdragon 865 chipset, Qualcomm is trying to alleviate that by releasing more processors in the lower cost 700 series. The 750G is the latest such product. The 750G will be faster than the 730 and 732G, but not quite as fast as the 765G.
The 765G chipset is very capable, and is more than enough for most users. The 750 appears to be a replacement for the 730 and 732G, which are capable today, but the 750G should hopefully add a little extra oomph which will add to their longevity.
Plus, it will help keep the price down, which everyone will appreciate.
Fitbit Sense Reviews Hit
The Fitibit Sense is Fitbit’s new high end fitness centric smartwatch, and reviews hit on Tuesday. Based on a few of them, the product seems very disappointing out the door. The hardware is praised, but the software is said to be riddled with bugs and half baked. The blood oxygen monitoring feature works with only one specific watch face, which is nonsense.
Before I was gifted the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 I had the Fitbit Versa, which was the first version of this line of watches. I found the fitness features to be very robust, but the actual smartwatch features quite basic. It was enough for me, but I did wish it had just a little bit more. The sense is aiming to improve on that, with more smartwatch type features and capabilities like GPS, voice control, and more advanced sensors. It even *improves* the battery life, going from 4 days on the Versa 2 to as many as 6 days on the Versa 3 and Sense. The design is very similar to a 40mm Apple Watch (unfortunately lacking a larger option) that looks quite good if you are ok with a square-ish watch instead of a round watch. However, Fitbit seems to have stumbled out of the gate with the Sense, which is disappointing. If you are entrenched in the Fitbit ecosystem, the Sense (or Versa 3) are the devices to get, but the software bugs will likely keep it from being a serious competitor to the Apple Watch and Samsung Galaxy Watches, at least for now.
https://www.theverge.com/21450123/fitbit-sense-review
Jabra Announces Elite 85t Headphones
In the tech world, while the focus on true wireless headphones usually falls on the headphones made by Apple, Samsung, and Google, the most popular and well known alternative to AirPods and Galaxy Buds has been the Jabra Elite series. The 65t and 75t were well regarded headphones, and now the followup 85t have launched. The 85t is an improvement on the 75t in every way, and should be a solid set of headphones for those looking. It features active noise cancellation, longer battery life, bigger speaker drivers, a wireless charging case, a vent to improve the fit in a user’s ear, and more microphones to improve call quality.
Jabra also announced that it will update the 75t to include active noise cancelling, but that it will be software based, as the 75t lacks the dedicated hardware.
https://www.androidauthority.com/jabra-elite-85t-elite-75t-anc-upgrade-1159792/
Tech News Roundup for September 21, 2020
Here are a few of the stories that caught my eye over the weekend
Read MoreTech News Roundup for September 18, 2020
Here are a few of the stories I’ve found interesting over the last couple days. This was written Friday morning, so anything that happened later in the morning or early afternoon will not be included
President Trump Will Ban TikTok and WeChat as of Sunday
President Donald Trump’s commerce department has issued an order that will ban Apple and Google from offering TikTok and WeChat for download on their respective app stores beginning Sunday, September 20.
Also included in the order are provisions that state that internet service providers and content delivery networks will be barred from "enabling the functioning or the optimization" of the apps, and "directly contracted or arranged Internet transit or peering services." This essentially mens that TikTok will not be able to function in the United States.
This is obviously a significant escalation in Trump’s trade war with China, and is the kind of thing that the US has, in the past issued strong statements against when dictatorial governments in other parts of the world have done similar things.
This story is far from over.
PlayStation 5 Launches November 12
Sony announced that the PlayStation 5 will launch in Canada for November 12. The version without the disc drive will be $500 CAD, and the version with a disc drive will be $630 CAD. The PS5 is more expensive than the Xbox Series of consoles, but it should be noted that both models of PS5 offer the same hardware specifications, except for one model lacking a disc drive. This is in contrast to the Xbox Series, where the Series S has lower hardware specifications to achieve a lower price.
Pre orders have already opened, and supply appears quite limited.
https://mobilesyrup.com/2020/09/16/playstation-5-price-launch-date-canada/
LG Announces “Wing” Smartphone
After weeks of leaks and teases, LG has announced a wild smartphone it calls the Wing. The LG Wing features a screen that swivels 90 degrees perpendicular to the body of the phone, which reveals a smaller screen underneath. When flipped out, the phone has a “T” shape.
I don’t know who asked for this, I don’t know who will buy this, but I love crazy phone designs.
https://www.theverge.com/21444746/lg-wing-dual-screen-phone-hands-on-impressions
Nintendo Discontinues the 3DS
Nintendo has quietely discontinued the Nintendo 3DS family of consoles. The original version of the 3DS launched in early 2011, and was a followup to 2004’s Nintendo DS. The 3DS launched at the height of the 3D TV fad, hence the name, and featured a top screen that supported 3D visual that did not require 3D Glasses. Despite the heavy push, the 3D component never caught on, and it was largely abandoned within a few years. Nintendo even released two versions of the 3DS that they called the 2DS that lacked the 3D capabilities altogether. The 3DS sold 75 million units, while its predecessor, the Nintendo DS, sold 15 million. This means that in 16 years, Nintendo sold over 225 million dual screen portable gaming systems.
Perhaps the biggest surprise in this announcement was that it took this long. When Nintendo first released the Switch in 2017, it said the 3DS would remain on the market as a budget option, and targeted towards younger audiences. The 3DS has received virtually no software support since then, with no titles of note being released since the release of the Switch
I really liked both the Nintendo DS and Nintendo 3DS, and carried them with me for many, many years. I really enjoyed those devices, but their time has come. I still have my “New Nintendo 3DS XL” (Nintendo was really bad at naming things) and I still pull it out on occasion.
https://www.gamespot.com/articles/nintendo-3ds-has-been-officially-discontinued/1100-6482298/
Tech News Roundup for September 16, 2020
Tons of really interesting things over the past couple days, so much so that this is a bigger update than usual. Sony is also slated to reveal the pricing and release date of the Playstation 5, however that will take place after this is written, but possibly before it is published. I will cover that on Friday.
Apple Overhauls Watch Lineup and Fitness Services
Apple released two new models of Apple Watch on Tuesday, The Apple Watch Series 6, and the Apple Watch SE. The Apple Watch Series 6 is the higher end option, replacing last year’s Series 5. The Series 6 has several small updates. It features the Apple S6 processor that is based on last year’s A13, a newer, higher quality screen that is brighter in direct sunlight, and the ability to monitor blood oxygen levels. The Apple Watch SE is a more affordable option, featuring the S5 system found in last year’s Series 5, the same screen as the Series 6 sans the ability to have an always on screen, and lacking the ecg and blood oxygen monitoring features.
More interestingly, Apple introduced a new subscription service for fitness tracking, called Fitness+. Fitness+ expands and enhances the fitness capabilities already offered. This new service features guided workouts and fitness plans aimed towards building a full fitness program for a user. Fitness+ is directly aimed at services like Peloton, which requires purchasing their exercise equipment along with a subscription service.
The Apple Watch Series 6 starts at $529, the Apple Watch SE starts at $369, and Fitness+ is $12.99/month or $100 for a year.
Personally, if I was in the Apple ecosystem the Apple Watch SE is what I would be looking at. Unless you really, really want the ecg and blood oxygen monitoring, it looks to be the better value.
https://www.theverge.com/2020/9/15/21431365/apple-watch-series-6-price-features-specs-release-date
https://www.theverge.com/2020/9/15/21432363/apple-watch-se-price-features-specs-series-3-successor
https://www.theverge.com/2020/9/15/21437578/apple-fitness-plus-classes-subscription-health
Apple Announces Two New iPads
Apple also announced new iPads. First off, Apple updated the entry level iPad to feature the A12 Bionic processor. While the A12 Bionic is now two years old, it is a solid processor for what the iPad needs to do, and is a substantial upgrade over the 4 year old A10 found in the previous version of the iPad. That appears to be the only change to the iPad this time around. It starts at $429 for a laughable 32GB of storage.
The more interesting, but also disappointing update was the iPad Air. The new 4th generation iPad Air looks very much like the iPad Pro. It features an all screen design, USB-C charging, and supports all of the accessories that the iPad Pro supports. The two standout features to me are the A14 Bionic processor and the TouchID fingerprint sensor integrated into the power button. The iPad Air is the first product to offer the A14, beating out the iPhones that usually debut with the new processor. The TouchID sensor in the power button is also a first for Apple, and a welcome addition over FaceID. The last interesting feature I will highlight is that the iPad Air has repositioned the speakers to have one on the top and bottom, which means that when holding the iPad landscape, there is proper stereo sound. The iPad Air 3 technically had stereo speakers, but they were both on the bottom of the iPad, meaning in landscape mode sound would only come out of one side of the device.
The iPad Air looks like a fantastic device, and offers much better value over the iPad Pro. The iPad Pro currently offers a higher refresh 120hz display, 4 speakers instead of two, better cameras, a LIDAR system, and FaceID instead of TouchID, which may or may not even be an advantage. Personally, I don’t see any reason to puchase an iPad Pro over an iPad Air in the current state.
The disappointing thing to me is the price. The iPad Air 3 started at $650 for 64GB of storage. The iPad Air 4 starts at $780, a significant price increase. The iPad Air is objectively a better device than the Air 3, but the price increase makes it a harder purchase to justify, and increases the price delta between the basic iPad and the next model up. Before Apple introduce the Air 3, there was a nearly $600 jump from the iPad to the iPad Pro, and the Air filled that gap. With the Air 4 now closer to the price of the iPad Pro than then iPad, there is now a significant gap between models once again. That makes it a much harder choice for consumers.
iOS and iPad OS 14 Release Today
Apple also announced during its event that iOS 14 and iPad OS 14 are available September 16th, which is today. This is an unprecedented release cadence, as Apple usually gives at least a week’s notice for the release date. This is notable because Apple does not allow developers to submit apps optimized for the new OS until it announces the release date, which means that generally most developers on the ball have their apps ready to go when the update drops. With only 24 hours notice, many developers are not ready, which means that this year there will be far fewer apps available that take advantage of the new features of iOS 14 at launch.
Apple Announces Apple One
Lastly, Apple announced Apple One. Which, contrary to the name, is a set of three subscription service bundles. This lets users who subscribe to multiple Apple services pay a discounted rate to bundle. There isn’t much to say here except that Apple has taken a strange route in having three separate bundles in a service called Apple One, and that It is very unfortunate that the bundle that includes Apple News and Fitness+ is so much more expensive. Apple was so close to getting this right, but didn’t.
Oculus Quest 2 Announced
Facebook’s Oculus division has announced the second standalone Oculus headset, the Oculus Quest 2. This looks to be a substantial upgrade from the original Oculus Quest, featuring higher resolution displays that run at 90hz instead of 72 hz, a somewhat lighter design, and new redesigned controllers. But the most exciting change is the price. While the original Quest started at $400 USD, and $550 in Canada, the Quest 2 starts at a price of $300 USD. Canadian pricing isn’t official, but based on the current exchange rate that should translate to a $400 headset here.
VR is the kind of thing I should be already invested in, as cool new technology is my jam, but because early VR headsets required powerful PC’s, I would have had to spend several hundred dollars to upgrade my PC to spend several hundred more dollars to buy a headset. The Oculus Quest 2 might finally be enticing enough for me to jump in… when I can afford it.
https://mobilesyrup.com/2020/09/16/facebook-standalone-vr-headset-oculus-quest-2/
GoPro Hero 9 Black
After the tepid response to last year’s GoPro Hero 8 Black, GoPro has upped its game with the Hero 9 Black. It has addressed the majority of complaints people had with last year’s model, notably finally including a full colour front screen, and bringing back the ability to replace the lens cap should it be damaged. The Hero 9 Black is larger than the Hero 8, in part to accommodate the significantly larger battery (roughly 1700mah vs 1200mah). The Hero 9 Black can record 5k video at 30fps, 4k video at 60fps, and 1080p video at up to 240fps.
This is a monster action camera, but it comes with an increased price. The Hero 8 Black was a $400 USD device, and the Hero 9 Black is $450 USD, which translates to roughly $600 CAD.
https://www.theverge.com/21437419/gopro-hero-9-review
RTX 3080 Reviews
Reviews for the nVidia GeForce RTX 3080 have been published, and they are as good as advertised. The card, which will retail for around $925 in Canada offers an average of 60% better performance than the RTX 2080 Ti, which was a graphics card that cost in the area of $1800. This graphics card offers tremendous performance for the price. I’m personally still more interested on the coming RTX 3070, which will likely be in the area of $700, but it is good to see the huge gains in the leap from the 2xxx generation to the 3xxx generation.
https://pcper.com/2020/09/nvidia-geforce-rtx-3080-founders-edition-review/
Super Mario 3D All Stars Reviews
Publishers have released reviews of the Super Mario 3D All Stars compliation releasing this Friday on Nintendo Switch. 3D All Stars includes Nintendo 64’s Super Mario 64, Gamecube’s Super Mario Sunshine, and Wii’s Super Mario Galaxy in one $80 package. While Nintendo did not do any significant work to improve these titles on Switch, reviews state this is a good complication and a must buy for anyone who enjoyed the games when it released. I am personally very excited for this release, but won’t be picking it up right away because I’m still currently unemployed. But, I will need to buy it before March 31, 2021 because for some reason this is a limited time release, and is only available for purchase until then.
https://mobilesyrup.com/2020/09/16/super-mario-3d-all-stars-review-nintendo-switch/
Microsoft Launches Cloud Gaming on Android
On September 15 Microsoft officially launched Cloud Gaming on Xbox Game Pass. Available exclusively on Android because Apple is being anti-competitive, This service allows users of Xbox Game Pass to stream over 100 games via the internet to Android phones and Tablets. This is a good start for the service, but I have no idea at all why it is not available for Windows. I would get far, far more use out of it if there was a way to play cloud gaming on Windows. That has the potential to have tens of millions of Windows PC’s that would not otherwise be able to play these games access to them. We Wait.
https://www.thurrott.com/games/project-xcloud/240944/microsoft-launches-cloud-gaming
Apple and Epic Games update.
I’m not going to go too far into this, but Apple’s latest court filing in it’s legal battle with Epic Games amusingly states that Epic Games is pouring gasoline on itself and lighting itself on fire. So that’s where we are in this process.