Episodes Archive - Page 2 of 14

Episode 122. The iPhone takes payments, CEO shakeups at Peloton and Arm, and Microsoft’s blizzard of app store promises

Closing the loop on Apple Pay, Apple announces that it will enable the iPhone to take contactless credit card payments. We look at who could benefit as progress against the pandemic continues. Plus, the company adds to its measures to prevent AirTags-based stalking. Next, we look at the CEO transitions following the financial fortunes at Peloton and Arm’s breakup with Nvidia, discussing the path forward for those companies. Finally, we look at Microsoft doubling down on its disruptive app store principles as it seeks to cut off scrutiny into its acquisition of Activision Blizzard as Big Tech monopoly evaluation evolves

Join Shawn DuBravac of Avrio Institute and Ross Rubin of Reticle Research as they dig deep into tech news in every episode of Techspansive!

Episode 121. The Facebook face-plant, Amazon’s ascendant advertising, and Wordle for the win

As Meta points us toward the future, investors slapped the company for its ad revenue shortfall and discouraging forecast, particularly in light of strong quarters from Alphabet and Snap, as the company again turns to Instagram to battle a challenger in TikTok. We discuss why the metaverse is so important to Meta as Amazon builds on its own commerce site to become the #3 digital advertising platform. Finally, we offer a few reasons why The New York Times purchase of Wordle might not result in screams of four-letter words.

Join Shawn DuBravac of Avrio Institute and Ross Rubin of Reticle Research as they dig deep into tech news in every episode of Techspansive!

Episode 120. Alexa on the wall and your wrist, Redditor reactions, and Google takes influencers shopping

As the gift-giving season is upon us, Amazon’s device group is going big… and small. We share thoughts on the significance of the Echo Show 15 as well as the Halo wearable. Plus, we took at why the Reddit community has concerns about the company’s filing to go public and how Google’s easy storefront play Qaya allows the company to squeeze into bios on Instagram<, TikTok, and, of course, its own YouTube.

Join Shawn DuBravac of Avrio Institute and Ross Rubin of Reticle Research as they dig deep into tech news in every episode of Techspansive!

Episode 119. Qualcomm jump-starts a portable gaming platform as Samsung merges mobile and consumer groups

At Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Summit, the chip giant announced a collaboration with Razer to launch a new category by merging high-end smartphone gaming with physical game controls. The resulting reference design is designed to inspire a new category to steal thunder from the Nintendo Switch and shave off a slice of the hardcore mobile gaming market. We analyze whether the move rekindles the convergence vs. standalone device debate. Meanwhile, in another kind of merging, Samsung is bringing together its mobile and consumer electronics groups as its competitive landscape changes. We dig into whether the move can boost the company’s ecosystem strength

Episode 118. Meta and Microsoft meet in the metaverse, Netflix content gets phone-friendlier, and Twitter sings the Blues

Coming on the heels of Meta and Microsoft announcing competing visions for the metaverse, the two Big Tech companies have announced plans to collaborate. We discuss why the collaboration makes sense, at least for now. Plus, we weigh in on how Netflix’s new mobile games and TikTok-like kids programming is better leveraging its evolving IP for mobile, a platform Amazon is also targeting with a new video-sharing feature. Finally, Twitter Blue hits the U.S. at last. We discuss its value and what we see as a major marketing miss by the company in building its subscription business.

Episode 117. Why Macs are cars, Microsoft out-metaverses Meta, and American digital services exit Chin

We discuss Apple’s take on why the perpetually exposed iPhone must remain closed to sideloaded apps while the Mac is open to them. At Microsoft Ignite, the software giant shoots back at just-minted Meta with its own plans to deliver the metaverse to businesses and consumers. We discuss the implications of Microsoft’s metaverse play as well as its new app, Microsoft Loop, which takes on Google Workspace with a dynamic collaboration layer in Teams. Finally, we look at the latest American companies and digital properties to leave the Chinese market, citing compliance challenges, and the ripple effect on the splintering internet.

Episode 116. Facebook’s Meta-morphosis, Big Tech reports earnings, and Jio’s $87 smartphone

Meta represents more than a new name for Facebook. We discuss the vision behind Facebook’s future direction as well as how effectively the company can capitalize on it. Plus, while big cloud services continued to drive revenue, we look at how supply chain challenges and some demand softening has led to some high-profile estimate misses. Finally, we look at the $87 Jio. Next, a highly optimized Android smartphone from Google designed to entice Indian consumers to upgrade from 2G phones.

Episode 115. Apple’s MacBook Pro screams, Google’s Tensor chip dreams, and Nvidia’s new GeForce Now streams

Apple’s new MacBook Pros take full advantage of the company’s new M1 Pro chips. We dig into how the company presented the performance as well as how the company is coming is reaching key price points with various models. Plus, Google also played up its Tensor chip in giving its Pixel 6 phones some impressive new capabilities. We discuss whether it’s enough to translate into higher sales and where else the company’s custom silicon might show up. Finally, we look at the updated version of nVidia’s GeForce Now gaming service and how it further blurs the line between streaming and local gaming in creating the most impressive streaming experience yet.

Join Shawn DuBravac of Avrio Institute and Ross Rubin of Reticle Research as they dig deep into tech news in every episode of Techspansive!

Episode 114. Microsoft raises the Surfaces, Twitter tips toward creator compensation, and China’s crypto ban

We take a detailed look at Microsoft’s new Surface offerings, including the Surface Laptop Studio that replaces the Surface Book, and the Surface Duo 2, the beefed-up cameras of which are poised to make the dual-screened phone competitive with flagships. Plus, social media networks TikTok and Facebook are hoping to improve search results by doing a deal with Google. Finally, Shawn weighs in on what China’s crypto ban means for the country and other economies.

Join Shawn DuBravac of Avrio Institute and Ross Rubin of Reticle Research as they dig deep into tech news in every episode of Techspansive!

Episode 113. Apple maxes its mini, checking out Walmart+ vs. Prime, and how Discord could save Facebook

With a look at Apple’s recent media event where the iPhone 13 failed to reach for the skies as Apple beefed up the Apple Watch and iPad mini. Next, we check out the progress in Walmart’s shopping subscription service and look at how much of a threat it is to Amazon Prime. Finally, we discuss how Discord has bridged gaming and NFT investing, and why Facebook is loving the competition.

Join Shawn DuBravac of Avrio Institute and Ross Rubin of Reticle Research as they dig deep into tech news in every episode of Techspansive!