After a missed update on Thursday, here is a larger than normal roundup of some of the stories I’ve found interesting over the past several days.
Microsoft Announces Surface Laptop 4
Microsoft announced updates to its Surface Laptop line, the Surface Laptop 4. This product release is notable because Microsoft’s strategy for Surface remains… unfortunate. The Surface Laptop 4 features Intel’s current 11th generation lineup at the high end, the AMD options are the last generation Ryzen 4000 series processors, not the current generation 5000 series. The Surface Laptop 4 also retains the same physical design that the Surface Laptop has had since launch, meaning the device features just a single USB-A port, a single USB-C port, and the aging Surface Connect power connector.
The Surface Laptops are solid devices, but Microsoft launching new products that are already behind on technology while rivals push ahead is… unfortunate.
https://mobilesyrup.com/2021/04/13/microsoft-surface-laptop-4-announcement/
Nvidia Has a New CPU for Datacenters, Taking on Intel
Nvidia has announced a new ARM based processor for datacenters. This is a huge shot at Intel, and an attempt to take some of the very lucrative market from that company. Nvidia’s datacenter processors are designed to be paired with Nvidia Graphics processors’s and will facilitate GPU compute, which is becoming a much larger part of datacenter computing resources.
The idea here is to put in lower power CPU’s that can do the work that the more power hungry Intel CPU’s are currently doing. This will not replace Intel CPU’s in all workloads, nor is it meant to. But for certain workloads this could be a huge benefit for GPU compute in datacenters.
LG Promises Android Updates Even After Exiting Phone Business
Despite shutting down its smartphone division, LG has said it will remain committed to updating the existing smartphones it has released, committing to Android 12 and 13 updates for several of its high end phones. This is good news for those who do own LG phones.
Discord Removing 18+ Content from iOS App
Discord has announced that it is taking the step of blocking all Discord servers which feature 18+ content from being accessed on its iOS app, and only on its iOS app. The company has not said exactly why it is taking this step, but it is almost certainly due to Apple’s App Store policies. Tumblr faced a similar situation a couple years ago, and instead of blocking 18+ content on its iOS app, the company attempted to remove all 18+ content from all of Tumblr.
For companies like Discord and Tumblr, the threat of being removed from the Apple App Store is a huge cloud over their heads, and it is likely Discord is taking this step as a proactive attempt to keep Apple from banning its app from the App store.
These are some of the reasons why Apple is under active investigation from multiple governments for anti-competitive behavior and monopolistic practices.
Google Play Movies and TV Shutting Down on Some Smart TV Platforms
Google has announced that it is shutting down it’s Play Movies & TV app on several smart TV platforms. However, the company is also reminding users that they can access purchased content through the YouTube application on those platforms.
This looks to be part of a long term strategy google is undertaking to kill the Play Movies & TV brand and apps. In the US, the app on Android devices has been renamed to Google TV, and functions more as a controller for smart TVs. Google has been slowly consolidating all of it’s media under the YouTube brand, starting with Google Play Music shutting down in favor of YouTube Music last year. It is likely that Google Play Movies & TV will end up following the same path, though it is likely a ways off yet.
https://9to5google.com/2021/04/12/google-play-movies-roku-samsung-lg-vizio/
Roku Updates Several Products
Roku has announced a slew of new products and OS updates. The Roku Express 4k+ is a low cost streaming box capable of 4k video playback, and is Roku’s cheapest 4k device yet. The Roku Streambar Pro is an update to the company’s soundbar with a Roku built in, a good option for those looking for a smart TV upgrade and a sound upgrade all at once. Roku also announced a new upgraded remote, an optional update for its devices that includes voice control, a rechargeable battery, and a headphone jack so users can listen to audio from the Roku devices through headphones plugged into the remote.
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2021/04/new-roku-express-4k-plus-voice-remote-pro-announced/
Microsoft Buys Nuance
Microsoft has bought Nuance for $19.7 Billion USD. Nuance may not be a household name, but the company makes AI software, and was actually the company responsible for the first versions of Apple’s Siri voice assistant before Apple took development in house.
This is Microsoft’s second biggest ever acquisition, and while it’s not clear yet why the company wanted Nuance so much that it was willing to pay almost $20 Billion, they must have some idea of what they want to do with it, and the Microsoft services they want to integrate it into.
https://www.thurrott.com/microsoft/249023/microsoft-acquires-nuance-for-19-7-billion
Apple Event Scheduled
Apple has announced a “Springs Loaded” event for April 20th. Nothing is confirmed as of yet, but the iPad Pro is due for an update, and the iPad Mini is long overdue for an update as well.
https://www.engadget.com/apple-event-april-20-2021-ipad-mini-ipad-pro-m1-imac-160658784.html