Airpods are now sold out for the holidays at Apple Stores. Macworld Staff Writer Michael Simon explains why this tech accessory is now resonating with consumers.
Apple struggled at first to capture the attention of the market with its cordless Airpods. Simon says it is typical for Apple to create demand for products on surface that don't seem revolutionary at first. Then people use them, word spreads, and all of a sudden everyone wants them.
Rumors surfaced on Tuesday Apple will release a new, more expensive Airpod model in 2018. Simon says little detail has been reveal. Simon expects to see a slightly smaller "neck" on the accessory, and potentially some new colors. Simon also says he'd like to see a true Siri integration with the Airpod in the future.
For the first time in eight years, the social site is rolling out a redesign that reduces white space and increases flexibility in how users view content. Many of the changes were careful and based on user feedback, says Chris Slowe, the site's chief technology officer, because "Reddit exists as a platform to criticize Reddit."
The live streaming platform, primarily used for video game streaming, has 15 million daily users who spend an average of two hours a day watching content there. That's because Twitch has turned the traditionally "solitary exercise" of gaming into a more social experience, says co-founder Kevin Lin.
The humanoid robot was designed with an eye toward businesses before homes, says Steve Carlin, Softbank Robotics chief strategy officer. That way American users can interact and "get used to" the four-foot-tall robots before letting them into their personal spaces.
One of the ways to turn the company around is a change in management, says Michael Pachter, an analyst from Wedbush Securities. Shares of the social media company took a hit Wednesday, a day after it delivered disappointing quarterly results.
Though the music streaming platform posted results in-line with expectations on revenue and paid subscribers, the company is still losing money, and revenue growth for the current quarter looks uninspiring. Spotify's shares fell about eight percent after the bell Wednesday.
The electric carmaker brought in more revenue than expected in the first quarter but posted a net loss of over $780 million. It said it would reverse that by the second half of the year, if it's able to meet its production goals.
The video sharing platform is deliberately staying away from original content because there's already "billions of dollars being invested in that," said CEO Anjali Sud. Instead, she added, Vimeo is focused on being a tool for creators.
Apple and Snap reported earnings with wildly different results. Apple beat expectations on earnings and revenue, bolstered by strong iPhone sales, international growth, and an increase in wearables. The iPhone X was Apple's best-selling phone last quarter, putting rumors to rest that it would discontinue the phone.
On the other hand, Snap had a pretty disappointing quarter, missing Wall Street estimates on revenue and user growth. The unpopular redesign to the Snapchat app likely contributed to slower than expected daily active user growth.
Facebook's F8 developer conference is underway in San Jose, California. Cheddar's Alex Heath sat down with Ime Archibong, Facebook's VP of Partnerships, at the conference to discuss how the company is changing its data practices in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal.
"We have a really strong conviction that VR is the most incredible social entertainment platform there could be," says Hugo Barra, Vice President of Virtual Reality at the social media giant. The new Oculus Go lets users watch movies, sports games, or concerts together, and even "hang out" and play board games, Barra tells Cheddar's Alex Heath.
Facebook said it will resume its process of reviewing third-party apps using new, tighter controls after the Cambridge Analytica scandal revealed holes in the social network's data privacy protocols.
