iPhone Release Now Late October; Autonomous Cars-MIT Says 10 More Years; Plex Bows 80 Free Channels in Live TV Service; Microsoft Revenue up 13% Thanks to Cloud

In a totally unsurprising rumor, Apple probably won’t launch its new iPhone line until late October. Macrumors.com reports that Mac Otakara is making that prediction based on sources in the supply chain. Most still think Apple will have an event around the third week of September announcing the phones. They have delayed models this late before (albeit not all or most of them.) The iPhone XR wasn’t available until late October. Unfortunately, the October date will just be for the LTE phones…the 5G models won’t drop until November.

Bad news if you were counting on your car to effortlessly chauffeur you around soon…an MIT task force now predicts we are at least 10 years away from fully autonomous vehicles. I will pause for you to have a ‘sad.’ ________ According to venturebeat.com, MIT launched a Task Force on the Work of the Future, which was an ‘institute wide’ effort to study the evolution of jobs during what the university terms ‘an age of innovation.’

In addition to technical challenges, the group points to cost as a barrier to adaption. The complicated sensor array autonomous vehicles require and powerful computers (which won’t be built at the type of mass volume as for example, advanced driver assistance systems, or ADAS) which prices the vehicles up substantially. The delay due to expenses doesn’t just apply to personal vehicles: One case study found that robo-taxis would struggle to remain cost-competitive with personal vehicle ownership in San Francisco due to expenditures on remote operators, licensing, insurance, maintenance, and other systems.

They DO see autonomous over the road trucks making inroads sooner…partly to the shortage of drivers, and partly because the driverless trucks could go from hub to hub, and then could be taken over by actual human drivers for the last few miles.

Plex has unveiled 80 free channels in its live TV service…the majority of which are available worldwide. Techcrunch.com says the channel lineup include Reuters TV, Yahoo Finance, Toon Goggles, Kidoodle TV, KidsFlix, fubo Sports Network, Cooking Panda, DrinkTV, IGN TV, AFV Family, Tastemade, Revry, FailArmy, Dove Channel, Docurama, The Pet Collective, WeatherSpy, Made in Hollywood, and others. Oooh, you can also get the Bob Ross Channel, so you can binge on ‘happy little trees’ to your hearts content! You can only tune in and watch the live TV shows…you can’t record the shows or movies.

The pandemic has caused havoc in many lives and business sectors, but some people are making bank…Amazon, mask makers, and now Microsoft has announced revenue up 13% to $38 billion due to cloud usage and gaming…all attributable to the coronavirus. Geekwire.com reports that Xbox content and services revenue was up 68% for the quarter.

Office software licensing and LinkedIn took hits due to the slowdown in the economy, however. Microsoft profits were off 15% at $11.2 billion, but that included a $450 million hit from closing retail stores and they had an unusual $2.6 billion tax benefit in the prior year’s quarter.

Facebook Messenger Can Now Use Face ID; Apple Looks to Periscope Telephoto in 2022; Galaxy Z Flip 5G Bows; Slack Sues Microsoft in EU Over Teams Tie to Office

Facebook has added an extra letter of security for their Messenger product on iPhones and iPads. According to theverge.com, the app itself can now be locked upon or shortly after closing, requiring you to use Face ID or Touch ID or a similar authentication method, giving a robust extra level of protection for your Messenger chats. This may be a real relationship saver for some, but you have to think that people that need to hide chats from a partner or lover ought to rethink their being in a relationship in the first place! Facebook calls the new feature App Lock. the feature is expected to bow on Android in ‘the next few months.’ Facebook is also working on giving users more control concerning who can message them, and will start blurring photos from people who message you without your approval…so you don’t have to, for example, see an unwanted dick pic. Instagram and WhatsApp already have a similar feature. No word on when Messenger will get this particular improvement.

Pop up, or ‘periscope’ lenses have been tried on smartphones before, but never by the likes of an Apple or Samsung. Now, macrumors.com reports that noted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says Apple is lining up suppliers for a periscope type telephoto lens on the 2022 iPhones. He sees Semco out of Korea and Sunny Optical from China as the likely suppliers. The advantage of a periscope type telephoto lens is that you can get a much higher optical zoom. Many phones have 2X or more optical zoom, then up to 10X in digital zoom, which is noticeably poorer in quality. Right now Huawei has a periscope zoom with 5X optical zoom, and they have a 10X version in the pipeline. Apple has patents on what they call a ‘folded telephoto camera lens system’ dating back to 2016.

The latest, greatest Samsung Galaxy Z Flip has been officially announced, complete with 5G, new colors, and again with an eye-watering price of $1449 (which is actually only a $70 bump over last year). 9to5google.com says the folder gets an upgraded Snapdragon 865+ processor. New colors are ‘Mystic Bronze’ and ‘Mystic Gray.’ It will be available at AT&T, T-Mobile, Best Buy, and Amazon. Samsung says it will be available August 7th.

Slack has brought an antitrust action against Microsoft in Europe, alleging that Redmond is unlawfully leveraging its dominant Office suite to give Microsoft Teams an unfair advantage over collaboration products like Slack’s. According to geekwire.com, Slack is claiming that Microsoft has “created a weak, copycat product and tied it to their dominant Office product, force installing it and blocking its removal, a carbon copy of their illegal behavior during the ‘browser wars.’” Microsoft has yet to respond to the suit, and in the meantime Slack says it is also talking to US authorities about antitrust issues with Microsoft.

Spotify Launches Video Podcasts Worldwide; Apple-100% Carbon Neutral Supply Chain by 2030; Samsung Will Drop 5 Devices at August 5th Unpacked; Microsoft Cuts LinkedIn Jobs

Spotify has launched video podcasts worldwide. Techcrunch.com reports that this new feature will allow both free users and paid subscribers to view video content from a select group of creator podcasts. In a move to differentiate from YouTube, all users…not just paid subscribers…will be able to listen to the video content in the background while doing other things on their device. Spotify says its users will all be able to moves seamlessly between the video version and audio. Podcasts available now include Book of Basketball 2.0, Fantasy Footballers, The Misfits Podcast, H3 Podcast, The Morning Toast, Higher Learning with Van Lathan & Rachel Lindsay, and The Rooster Teeth Podcast. If you don’t see them available now, you should soon..it is a rolling start.

Apple has been 100% carbon neutral for a couple years now, but is looking to go beyond that. According to 9to5mac.com, Apple is committing to a 100% carbon neutral supply chain by 2030. Cupertino started in on greening its supply chain in 2015. Apple has said that carbon removal programs will be a part of this, which they admit isn’t the same as not generating it in the first place…but it’s still a giant move towards a greener future they they hope other manufacturers will emulate.

Prognosticators now think Samsung will unveil 5 devices at Unpacked on August 5th. Engadget.com says it looks like 3 new phones…Galaxy Note 20, Note 20 Plus, and Note 20 Ultra. In addition, they are expected to show a pair of true wireless headphones named Galaxy Buds Live, and a new smartwatch.

Microsoft is cutting about 960 LinkedIn jobs, amounting to 6% of the workforce there. According to zdnet.com, a lot of the cuts are due to the coronavirus pandemic, and its impact on demand for hiring. Microsoft acquired LinkedIn in 2016, but has mainly taken a hands-off approach to the division. LinkedIn will continue to migrate all its workloads to Microsoft’s Azure over the next few years.

Win 10X Rollout Spring 2021; Zuck-No Secret Trump Deal; Nissan’s $40,000 300 Mile Range SUV; GM Plans Full-Size e-Pickup

Microsoft is targeting Spring of 2021 for the release of Windows 10X. Zdnet.com notes this is not a new OS, but a variant of Windows 10 with a more modular forma and a new, simpler interface. It was apparently originally planned to be released on dual-screen devices like the now postponed Surface Neo. Now, it appears the OS will roll out for both single screen and dual screen devices, but won’t be widely released until Spring of 2022. Microsoft had no comment on what would be coming to ‘regular’ Windows 10.

In an interview with axios.com, Mark Zuckerberg insisted that he has no ‘secret deal’ with Donald Trump. According to Axios, the Facebook CEO said “I’ve heard this speculation, too, so let me be clear: There’s no deal of any kind,” Zuckerberg told Axios. “Actually, the whole idea of a deal is pretty ridiculous.” “I do speak with the president from time to time, just like I spoke with our last president and political leaders around the world,” he added.

He did point to a number of areas of disagreement with Trump, “whether it’s the immigration policies, which I think have not only been unfair, but I think put the country at a huge disadvantage going forward, compared to the opportunities that we should be going after … climate change, where I think moves like pulling out of Paris agreement were a huge step back for the world … things like his divisive and inflammatory rhetoric.” With the serious possibility of a Biden administration, which might be inclined to break up Facebook, the online giant has made some changes, including removing Trump ads and posts.

The EV wars are heating up further, as Nissan has unveiled a new Ariya e-SUV with 300 miles of range. Electrek.co says the crossover SUV has a base price of $40,000. The down side…it won’t hit showrooms until next summer. The rig will be available with FWD and all-wheel drive, and have options for two battery sizes…63kWh and 87kWh. It features a liquid cooled battery design, and will have 130kW DC quick charging. According to Nissan, it can gain 175 miles of range from a half hour charge. A ‘novel’ feature is Nissan’s one-pedal driving system. It will be equipped with driver monitoring to enable hands-off single-lane highway operation.

With the Bolt out on the roads, GM is well under way in rolling out EVs, and now a report indicates that a full-sized electric Chevy pickup is on the drawing board with a 400 mile range. According to theverge.com, the report describes a “Chevrolet BET Truck, which will be the brand’s first electric full-size pickup, offering 400+ miles of range on a single charge.” The truck could be out by next year, but more likely will drop in 2023…one of 20 EVs GM intends to introduce for that model year. So far, there’s no indication of the range the e-PU will have while towing…something many GM full-sized trucks are used for.

Apple has won its appeal against the EU, which had ordered that Cupertino pay $15 billion in back taxes, after the 2nd highest court in the EU threw out claims that the tax breaks were an illegal subsidy. Thenextweb.com reports that an EU commission hadn’t shown that Apple received an unfair advantage “to the requisite legal standard”. The Irish government had joined Apple in the appeal.

In something of a surprise move into hardware, Zoom has introduced Zoom for Home-DTEN ME, an all-in-one device claimed to be dead simple to set up and operate for home office workers to more easily do Zoom Meetings. According to techcrunch.com, the $599 device is a 27 inch screen…basically a tablet…preloaded with Zoom software and sporting 3 wide angle hi-resolution cams and 8 microphones. Zoom says you can take it out of the box, and launch it by entering a pairing code on a website on your laptop or mobile phone. The interface should then appear automatically on the Zoom device’s screen. You can link your calendar, so all upcoming meetings show up in a sidebar on the screen. It works with an existing Zoom license. They are taking pre-orders, and the gadget is expected to ship next month.

Apple has won its appeal against the EU, which had ordered that Cupertino pay $15 billion in back taxes, after the 2nd highest court in the EU threw out claims that the tax breaks were an illegal subsidy. Thenextweb.com reports that an EU commission hadn’t shown that Apple received an unfair advantage “to the requisite legal standard”. The Irish government had joined Apple in the appeal.

Photos used to train facial recognition tech were obtained without the subjects’ permission, according to a lawsuit. Cnet.com says Amazon, Google parent Alphabet, and Microsoft used the photos to train their facial recognition tech without permission in contravention of an Illinois biometric privacy statute. Three federal lawsuits have been filed on behalf of two Illinois residents, with the suits filed in California and Washington where the companies are based. No comment thus far from any of the tech firms.

Tesla is cashing in on tax breaks to build its Cybertruck factory in Texas. Austin officials have approved at least $60 million in property tax rebates for Tesla to bring the electric pickup plant there. Theverge.com reports that Austin, along with Tulsa, OK have been the leading contenders for the new factory. Although tax breaks are a factor in locating the plant, Elon Musk has said he is also considering “logistics costs, access to a large workforce with a wide range of talents, and quality of life.” The company will build the Cybertruck at the factory, as well as Model Y SUVs that are destined for the East Coast of the US.

Amazon’s Smart Shopping Cart; Softbank May Sell ARM Holdings; Germany-Tesla Autopilot Misleading; Salesforce Chief Scientist Leaves for Own Co

Amazon has bowed the Dash Cart, a smart shopping cart. According to theverge.com, the smart cart is bound for Amazon’s grocery store in Woodland Hills, CA. It features a touchscreen and other hardware to automatically detect what items you have put into the cart and even how many you have picked off the shelf. When shopping is complete, you can roll through a special lane that checks you out digitally without requiring a human cashier to ring up your total. Your Amazon account is automatically debited with the amount. The LA area store doesn’t have cameras and sensors like the smaller Amazon Go stores. It is in operation for online purchases right now, but the physical space has yet to open to the public. It is unclear at this point why Amazon hasn’t branded it as a Whole Foods, but apparently it will be a different animal from Whole Foods or Amazon Go.

Softbank, which owns chip designer ARM Holdings is looking at selling all or part of the investment. Macrumors.com reports that they are working with Goldman Sachs as an advisor. Apple licenses the tech from ARM for it’s A-series chips…those used in iPhones since 2006, and later iPads. The ARM tech is bound for Apple laptops…maybe as soon as late this year. Apple may even be a potential buyer for ARM Holdings, as it was one of the original investors that started the company.

A German court has ruled that Tesla’s Autopilot claims are misleading, and banned them from using them in ads. Businessinsider.com says the ban includes claims that the vehicles are capable of autonomous driving. Tesla can appeal the ruling. Elon Musk has famously hyped this feature, which has yet to actually exist. Right now, the vehicles are ‘Level 2,’ but not even near actual self-driving. The court bans include the phrases “full potential for autonomous driving” and “Autopilot inclusive” in Tesla’s advertising materials.

Richard Socher is leaving his chief scientist gig at Salesforce for his own startup. According to venturebeat.com, he came to Salesforce with the acquisition of MetaMind in 2016. He had overseen research and development and the rise of the Einstein cloud AI services. He will apparently retain a role as an advisor to Salesforce. No word on when he will separate from the company or who Salesforce might bring in as its new chief scientist.

Foxconn Investing Big in India; Pixel Models Confirmed by Google App; Linux Approves New Terminology; Tesla Cuts Model Y Price, Too

At the behest of Apple, Foxconn is pumping a billion dollars into India. 9to5mac.com reports that Apple is wanting to gradually move its production line out of China. They already have production in Taiwan and India, and scaling up India further makes sense, as it’s the world’s 2nd largest smartphone market. Foxconn’s expansion is expected to be finished in the next 3 years, and it will add over 6,000 jobs.

The actual model names of upcoming Pixel phones have been revealed. Prior to now, there had just been 3 code names, but according to 9to5google.com, the phones expected from Google will be Pixel 5 and Pixel 4a 5G. The third model isn’t really separated, but apparently its a larger Pixel 5 XL model. The 5 models will be the ‘premium’ ones with glass and aluminum, and not plastic. No indication yet on exactly when the rollout of the new 5 model phones might be this fall. Best guess for the 4a 5G is now August 3rd.

On Friday, Linus Torvalds signed off on new, more inclusive language for the Linux kernel code and documentation. Zdnet.com says moving forward, master/slave will be replaced by:
• primary/secondary
• main/replica or subordinate
• initiator/target
• requester/responder
• controller/device
• host/worker or proxy
• leader/follower
• director/performer
•
Proposed alternatives for blacklist/whitelist include:
• denylist/allowlist
• blocklist/passlist

Linux isn’t recommending specific terms, but has asked developers to choose as appropriate for all new source code written for the Linux kernel and associated documentation. the older terms will be left in, but only for maintaining older code and documentation.

Tesla had cut prices on Models S, X, and 3 back in May, and now sales have cooled a bit on the Model Y, so it joins them. According to theverge.com, the Model Y price takes a $3000 haircut, so the Long Range AWD will now weigh in at $49,900. The overall car market is expected to take a 22% hit this year, with EVs dropping a bit less….about 18%, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance.

Google Nest Speaker Leak; Possible Twitter Subscription Platform; Microsoft Teams Together Mode; Middle Plane Seats= Near Double COVID Risk

Thanks to a regulatory filing in Japan, we know there is a new smart speaker from Google in the pipeline. According to theverge.com, it is the likely successor to the original Google Home, which was first released in 2016. In pictures, it is fully fabric covered, and looks a lot like a miniaturized, vertical Google Home Max. No LEDs are visible in the pictures, but a mute button and power jack can be seen on the back. It stands 8.5 inches tall. It could be rolled out for sale this fall.

Twitter has a team busy cooking up a new subscription platform which has the name Gryphon. Venturebeat.com reports that there is at least speculation that this platform could morph into a paid Twitter model that would eliminate ads in your feed, in addition to customization of the feed. Twitter had previously toyed with paid subscriptions for TweetDeck, but really never got beyond the survey point. A product that gets cash flow from subscriptions would be a huge move to free the platform from dependence on ad revenue…which can be impacted by boycotts, as Facebook is experiencing right now.

After a blizzard of Zoom, Teams, and Blue Jeans meetings, the eyeballs of many work from home employees are either rolling or burned to a crisp. Now, techcrunch.com says Microsoft has come up with a way to make Teams video meetings less tiring. One feature is called Together mode, and it essentially uses Microsoft’s AI tech to cut out the images of all the participants and put them in virtual auditorium seats. According to their research, this layout is much easier for the brain to process than the varied and often blurred backgrounds our cams pick up. Microsoft is also showing off Dynamic View. This one allows you to see content and specific participants side by side. The have also added filters, lighting tweaks, and are planning soon to add reaction emojis. Expect even more tweaks as the work from home and video meeting model becomes the norm!

For everyone who’s common sense told them that United and American Airlines going back to filling middle seats was crazy…now, there’ s some research to that effect. According to zdnet.com, a paper from MIT professor Arnold Barnett (George Eastman Prof. of Management Science) has results of a statistical model that indicates leaving middle seats empty cut the risk of death from COVID-19 in half…or, 20 lives saved over the next 90 days! The airlines, of course, are pushing back against this, claiming that social distancing is just impossible in an aircraft cabin. If you fly, keep in mind that Delta has promised NOT to fill their middle seats until after September 30th at the earliest.

Report- Facebook Shaky on Civil Rights; Samsung Unpacked Date; Apple-QR Code for Apple Pay; AC Building e-Cobra

CEO Zuckerberg and COO Sheryl Sandberg met with boycott organizers earlier this week…and those organizers didn’t come away satisfied with actions promised by Facebook, and now a report has dropped that says the social net has made improvements to its platform, but also has made “painful decisions over the last nine months with real world consequences that are serious setbacks for civil rights.” The report team was ed by civil rights experts Laura Murphy and Megan Cacace. Cnet.com reports that the study gives Facebook credit for a number of positive and consequential steps, but that the report authors concluded that the social net isn’t doing near enough to combat hate speech. Sandberg replied in response to the study via a blog post “There are no quick fixes to these issues — nor should there be. What has become increasingly clear is that we have a long way to go.”

If you are one of those hardcore Galaxy Note fans (and I have a couple friends who would almost sell their dog rather than give theirs up), you will be happy to know that Samsung has announced an Unpacked event for August 5th, and it’s expected that they will roll out the new Note 20 then. According to 9to5google.com, as with other tech firms, it will stream the event online. The stream will go live at 10am Eastern, 7am Pacific. The teaser ad has a splash that alludes to the leaked new ‘Mystic Bronze’ color. Besides the Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra, there will probably be freshened versions of the Galaxy Z Fold 2, and Galaxy Tabs.

Apple has dropped a 2nd developer beta of iOS 14, with an interesting little nugget hiding within. 9to5mac.com says code indicates it will apparently allow for users to use QR Codes with Apple Pay. Users will be able to point the iPhone cam at a QR code or traditional barcode and pay for things with a card registered with Apple Pay. In a bit of a prestige hit, Apple has been passed up by Amazon as the world’s most valuable brand.

If you have always lusted for the amazing AC Cobras from the 60’s, but don’t have millions to drop on the rare supercar, you might be able to pick up an EV version that AC is building. According to electrek.co, such a ride will set you back less than $180 grand! Better hurry, though…AC will only make 58 of ‘em! The e-Cobra will be more like a regular AC, and not quite so muscular as Carroll Shelby’s version with the monster Ford engine. It will have the equivalent of 308 horses, and 369 ft-lb of torque…no slouch…enough to get you from zero to 60 in 6.7 seconds. Not exactly up there with a Tesla Model S using Ludicrous Speed, but plenty quick. The AC has a 54kWh battery pack, and that should be good for about 150 miles between charges.

TikTok Pulling Out of Hong Kong; Microsoft Eyes Warner Game Unit; Former MS Exec Takes Reins at Magic Leap; Seattle Passes Tax on Highest Salaries

The US is looking at banning TikTok, allegedly over concerns the it is used by the Chinese government as a surveillance and propaganda tool…but certainly also due to the recent locking down of almost a million tickets to a Donald Trump rally which enraged him. Now, techcrunch.com reports that TikTok is pulling out of Hong Kong, which is under a massive wave of new controls and surveillance by the Chinese government after rolling out a national security law. While the US State Department is reviewing a ban here, it remains to be seen if TikTok maker ByteDance will relaunch a censored version of the app in Hong Kong. Since the new national security law, Facebook, Google, Twitter, and Telegram have all said they would stop or suspend data review requests from Hong Kong authorities. Apple is also reviewing whether to do likewise, but is in a somewhat different position, since the company produces much of its hardware in China.

Microsoft is apparently eyeing Warner’s Game unit. According to the Information, they are interested in the intellectual property behind game franchises based on Batman, Harry Potter, and other marquis characters. As yet, Warner games parent AT&T hasn’t decided to let go of the unit. It may instead just pay down the $154 billion in debt…which partially flows from the telecom giant’s 2018 acquisition of Time Warner, which is now branded WarnerMedia. If Microsoft were able to cut a deal, grabbing such major characters and their ‘universes’ would be a big plus to the Xbox group.

Former Microsoft exec Peggy Johnson takes over the Big Chair as CEO of Magic Leap. Cnet.com says she will take the reins beginning August 1st. Magic Leap was started in 2011, and built one of the first AR headsets, sucking up $2.3 billion in the process…much of which came from Google. They reportedly only sold about 6,000 sets of the Magic Leap One headsets…which ran $2295 each! Johnson had been EVP for Business Development…joining Microsoft in 2014. Prior to that, she had been in leadership roles at Qualcomm for 24 years.

It’s been in the works for years, but Seattle finally approved a tax on the wealth generated by tech and other cash rich industries. The City Council Monday voted to tax the highest salaries from companies with annual payroll expenses of $7 million or more. Geekwire.com reports that the new tax will initially fund coronavirus relief, and eventually help fund affordable housing and homeless services. This tax incorporates a tiered system ranging from .7% (on a $150,000 salary) up to 2.4% (the latter on salaries above $400,000.) Stock grants are included, but stock options are not. The city thinks the tax will generate more than $200 million a year.