Waymo to Hit The Road Again; Apple Watch-No MicroLED Yet; BMW M5 EV Screamer; Zynga Buys Turkish Game Co

Previous rumors had the next iteration of the Apple Watch getting a Micro-LED screen, but it appears that will be delayed due to production issues caused by the pandemic. The Watch will continue to rock an OLED screen. Macrumors.com notes that Apple has been testing the Micro-LED screen since 2017. MicroLED screens can result in devices that are slimmer, brighter, and use less power. Still expected on the next Watch- faster performance, better water resistance, and improved wireless rates for faster Wi-Fi and cellular speeds.

Waymo’s self-driving mini-vans will be returning to Bay Area roads for the 1st time since early March when they shut down due to the coronavirus. Service will begin on June 8th, but not for passengers. According to theverge.com, they will be delivering packages for two Bay Area non-profits, Draw Together, which provides art kits to Bay Area kids, and Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired. Doing deliveries allows Google’s self-driving division to side-step restrictions that would otherwise keep them off the road. The vans are already rolling again in the Phoenix again.

BMW apparently has a 1006 hp, all electric M5 on deck for 2024. Electrek says the fully EV will be in addition to the plug in hybrid BMW has had since 2017. The range on this bad boy will be 435 miles, and it will have one front electric motor and two in the back. It will be capable of the faster 350Kw charging. A few weeks ago, people in the car industry were scratching their heads at BMW’s cancellation of their Vision M hybrid supercar. This full electric version is the likely reason.

Zynga is buying Turkish developer Peak for $1.8 billion in what is by far it’s biggest acquisition ever. Businessinsider.com reports that the company has had two titles…’Toon Blast’ and ’Toy Blast’, that have consistently ranked in the top 10 to 20 games on Apple’s App Store the last couple years. The deal is $900 million in cash, and $900 million in Zynga stock. They expect to close on the deal in the third quarter. Zynga says the acquisition should boost its margins and round out its games offerings. With the shelter-in-place from the coronavirus, Zynga had it’s best ever 1st quarter earnings with revenue up 52% year over year.