Mobile

This year’s highly anticipated Google I/O developer’s conference kicked off yesterday and all eyes were on the announcement of the new Pixel 6a, Pixel Watch, and Android 13, which were all covered along with updates to various Google Search, Maps, and Translate services.

Consumers want control over their ad experiences: Google is taking steps toward greater personalization, but new data suggests that personalization experiences don’t always yield better results for advertisers.

From 1,000 songs in your pocket to $3 trillion in theirs: The iconic music player set the computer maker on a course to dominate consumer products that carried over to the iPhone and beyond.

China orders replacement of foreign-branded PCs, software within two years: Government agencies and state-backed businesses will need to switch to domestic alternatives, which could mean losses for Dell, HP, and Microsoft.

Apple wants a bigger slice of the digital ad pie: The tech giant is reexamining its services category for more streaming and advertising opportunities.

3G shutdowns don’t just affect smartphone holdouts: The year-end transition will affect cellular customers as well as IoT, smart home, and home security systems, potentially pushing more users to 5G.

Meta is being called out for a lack of innovation: An early WhatsApp exec regrets the app’s sale, as the social giant continues to make incremental changes to its offering.

Gaming’s labor problem could affect its brand opportunities: The industry is experiencing rapid consolidation, but workers are pushing back.

Goodbye, Password123: Backed by Apple, Google, and Microsoft, the FIDO standard will enable password-free access to apps and websites and improve security.

On today's episode, we discuss whether augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) will rival the smartphone as the next big platform, the impact of 3D advertising, how in-store shopping habits have changed, whether there really is an attention economy slowdown, what to do about inflation, an unpopular opinion about video chats, which way people fold their arms, and more. Tune in to the discussion with our senior director of Briefings Stephanie Taglianetti, director of forecasting Oscar Orozco, and analyst Dave Frankland.

Wordle gives The New York Times an ad revenue boost: The viral wordplay game has brought in millions of users and their advertising data.

TikTok Pulse gives creators more revenue, but keeps money at the top: TikTok is expanding creator tools and ad channels, but some will be left behind.

Spotify’s Roblox collab will help make inroads with young users: The music streaming service moved into the metaverse to reach Gen Z and Gen Alpha users.

Chip factories could see delays: Now it’s the tools used to build chip fabs that are facing shortages. As new factories are delayed, the chip shortage will continue into 2024, resulting in scarcity and price hikes.

EU probing Apple Pay: Restricting access to key NFC technologies on iPhones prevents EU banks from providing payment solutions, limiting competition. Mounting scrutiny could alter the duopoly’s payments dominance.

Telegram could be pivoting to subscriptions: The popular messaging app is readying a ‘premium’ offering—but must walk a fine line as it does so.

As Reels grows up, its videos are getting longer: Instagram’s TikTok clone is expanding its length to improve its monetization strategy.

Apple survives supply chain shortages on way to post record sales: The company’s ability to navigate global shortages could be put to the test by prolonged pandemic-related factory shutdowns in China.