Michael Simon, staff writer for PC World, discusses Apple's 11.3 iOS announcement, as well as the HomePod which is now available for pre-order. He also explores what China's first ever annual decline in phone shipments could mean.
Simon says iOS 11.3 will finally allow users to check the health of their batteries, a growing issue for customers. The iOS 11.3 will also offer new Animojis. Apple says the update is due out this spring.
Simon also discusses Apple's new HomePod, now available for pre-order. While the company has a loyal following of people who will definitely purchase the product, he doesn't see most people paying $349 when Amazon's Echo is just $99. Concerning China's decline in phone shipments, Simon says Americans will always buy new phones for new features, but China is a different market and Apple will need to learn how to adjust.
Atomic bills itself as an investing API that allows fintechs and banks to easily integrate investing into their products by bringing the power of investing to everyone, with no account minimums. In November, the company announced its launch along with a $25 million Series A funding round. David Dindi, co-founder and CEO of Atomic, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Apple is set to unveil a new fleet of tech and services at its Peek Performance event on Tuesday. Luke Miani, a content creator, joined Cheddar News to discuss what might be expected to get unveiled, from mid-range Mac desktops to 5G service for the iPhone SE. "As 5G becomes more available and these products continue to be used, these are the types of features that consumers really need to see going forward," he said.
Verizon recently unveiled its new streaming hub management service called +Play to help its users bundle their myriad streaming platforms in one place. Manon Brouillette, CEO of Verizon Consumer Group, joined Cheddar News to explain the new portal. "There is a proliferation of subscription models with any type of industry, and when we asked our customers, we realized that there was a pain point there. They were losing track of how many subscription services they were paying every month," she said.
