The Tech Landscape #171 š¶
Apple One, Quest 2, YouTube Shorts, and the TikTok ban: this is issue 171 of The Tech Landscape, a weekly collection of news about consumer digital technology. Stories are selected by me, Peter Gasston, with a little insight and opinion where appropriate.
The UKās test and trace app finally launches this week, so the NHS is running a campaign promoting QR codes. Theyāre officially back.
Top Stories
Facebook announced new products at its Facebook Connect event, notably a second version of the standalone Quest headset which has better screen, updated processor and controllers, and a $100 price reduction, making it by far the best option in its category. Quest is also getting Messenger integration, fitness tracking, and a virtual office setupāit will be interesting to see if it can expand its audience beyond gamers. Facebook also announced Project Aria, a multi-year trial of its eventual AR glasses, starting with a collaboration with Ray-ban on a pair of smart glasses next year.
about.fb.com/news/2020/09/facebook-connect-introducing-oculus-quest-2-a-partnership-with-essilorluxottica-and-more/
Apple announced new hardware and services at its Time Flies event: two new models of iPad; two new models of Watch, the high-end 6 with blood oxygen monitoring, and the less expensive SE; and two new subscription services, Fitness+ and Apple One. These last two are the most notableāat a time when the company is facing hostility for its App Store practices, Fitness+ is a Peloton competitor and Apple One includes Apple Music, a Spotify competitorāand neither of Appleās services will have to pay the 30% Store tax, meaning they can be offered cheaper. This doesnāt feel fair. Spotify has already spoken out against the new service.
theverge.com/2020/9/15/21430844/apple-event-recap-biggest-announcements-watch-series-6-se-ipad-air
The US government signed an executive order banning app marketplaces from offering downloads of TikTok and WeChat, but both gained a short reprieve this weekend. TikTok has been granted an extra weekās grace as it has (in principle) agreed a deal which would see Oracle take over its US hosting, giving oversight of its data processing; and WeChat convinced a judge that a ban would conflict with First Amendment rights. It must be noted that no evidence has been offered of any wrongdoing by either company.
theverge.com/2020/9/20/21447702/tiktok-wechat-avoid-ban-china-trump-apps
YouTube launched Shorts, āa new short-form video experience for creators and artistsāāor TikTok, if you prefer. 15 seconds, music, multiple clipsā¦ itās all there, just like Instagram Reels. Snarking aside, if YouTube creators can be persuaded not to defect, itās a win for Google. Shorts is launching in India first (where TikTok is still banned).
blog.youtube/news-and-events/building-youtube-shorts
Stat of the Week
55% of (the more than 400,000) people whoāve created XR effects with Facebookās Spark AR are women.
tech.fb.com/facebook-connect-the-road-to-ar-glasses/
Everything Else
Messaging Facebook launched Business Suite, a unified interface for businesses to manage their pages, profiles, and messages across Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger. Itās launching for small businesses first, but will become the default interface for all businesses at a later date. Facebook is on a long-term mission to bring all of its messaging tools into a unified backend service, and this is a big step forward in that.
about.fb.com/news/2020/09/a-faster-and-easier-way-to-manage-your-business-on-facebook-and-instagram/
Social Facebook launched Watch Together, which lets people watch Facebook Watch videos together in groups of up to 8 (Messenger video calls) or 50 (Messenger Rooms). āWatch partiesā seem to have caught on during lockdown, with both social and video-on-demand platforms in on the action.
about.fb.com/news/2020/09/introducing-watch-together-on-messenger/
Entertainment Facebookās Oculus and music streaming service Tidal are teaming up for a series of virtual concerts later this year. Details are sparse, but thereās a lot of activity in the virtual experience space at the momentālead by, but not exclusive to, Fortnite.
inputmag.com/culture/tidal-and-oculus-want-to-make-home-concerts-a-virtual-reality
XR Facebook and the New York Times have begun a multi-year deal to explore the use of AR in journalism. The NYT has built an AR team which will use Facebookās Spark AR for effects on its Instagram profile.
axios.com/new-york-times-facebook-augmented-reality-0973fa9e-ffcc-4a68-91ec-ffb77d757745.html
Ecommerce Amazon announced Luxury Stores, a new invite-only shopping experience for Prime members in the US. The Stores will feature immersive content such as 3D views and video stories, and allow the brands to choose their own pricing and fulfilment options. Oscar de la Renta is the launch partner.
vogue.com/article/amazon-launches-luxury-stores-oscar-de-la-renta
Audio Amazon Music launched a podcasting service in the UK, US, DE and JP, with access to many free titles and a slate of its own exclusive productions. Exclusive podcasts provide greater revenue opportunities than licensed music, which is why Spotify has invested so heavily recently.
press.aboutamazon.com/news-releases/news-release-details/amazon-music-launches-podcasts-customers-across-us-uk-germany
Assistants & Voice Users of Alexa (in the US) can share custom Routines with a URL. Seems thereās brand opportunities in this.
blog.aboutamazon.com/devices/share-and-discover-new-alexa-routines
In Brazil, the slang for a scam or a con artist is 171, referring to article 171 of the penal code which defines the crime of defrauding the unwary.