Late last year, Apple CEO Tim Cook said on a company earnings call that the Apple Watch was generating more revenue than every watch brand other than Rolex. Quartz has argued previously that Swiss watchmakers will not be able to compete against the Apple Watch, as Apple is working with a much larger pool of potential customers.
Who has two thumbs and can pilot a drone? You, probably.
A long time ago, somewhere in southern California, a bearded young man had a dream of turning old samurai films, Eastern philosophies, and something like Flash Gordon into an operatic adventure set in space. That dream was eventually realized as the seminal science fiction film Star Wars, written and directed by George Lucas, and released on May 25, 1977—40 years ago.
At a press conference today, Ford announced that it had replaced CEO Mark Fields with Jim Hackett, director of the company’s autonomous-car research.
It’s about to get $5 cheaper to become a hobby drone pilot.
Today Uber officially launched Uber Freight, a trucking service that, much like its popular ride-hailing app, aims to connect companies that need goods trucked across the US with available drivers.
If you’re already using Google Maps, Gmail, Chrome, and Google Drive on your iPhone, why not add yet another Google product to the mix?
During a non-stop, two-hour keynote address at its annual I/O developers conference, Google unveiled a barrage of new products and updates. Here’s a rundown of the most important things discussed:
Google’s annual I/O developer conference kicks off today at the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, California, down the road from the company’s headquarters. If you’re not one of the roughly 7,000 people likely to be in attendance, don’t fret—you can still watch Google’s keynote address from the comfort of your computer or smartphone.
Instagram announced today that it has added a new function to its picture-taking software. It introduced the feature in a blog post, as if it were something the world had never seen before:
Apple’s new corporate headquarters, the giant spaceship-like donut in Cupertino, California, is nearing completion. As the last of the solar panels and drought-tolerant trees were installed, Wired’s Steven Levy was given a look at what it will be like to work at the new campus, and a good bit of history on how the project came to be.
It’s not quite Sigourney Weaver in Aliens, but in one hardware store in the US, it’s about to feel like something out of a science-fiction movie.
In 2015, Amazon introduced the Alexa Fund, a $100 million pool of money for startups and companies interested in or actively developing technology and hardware that uses Alexa, its digital voice assistant in its Echo speakers and Fire products. The retail giant has invested in a range of companies since then, including Nucleus, a startup producing an Alexa-powered video intercom system. Amazon invested $5.6 million in Nucleus, leading the company’s Series A funding round in August 2016.
Snap is probably hoping its first-quarter earnings report will disappear as quickly as the average Snapchat does. The company posted a big loss on softer-than-forecast revenue, sending the shares down by about 23% in after-hours trading. The tumble brought the stock to $17.55 at the time of publishing, leaving it barely above its $17 IPO price from March.
Snapchat unveiled a few new features today, and at the time of publishing, Facebook had not yet copied them.
Today, Amazon unveiled a new version of the Echo, called the Show, which adds a tablet screen to its line of smart speakers. The new device can make video calls through a small camera above the screen, and anyone who downloads the Amazon Alexa app can message or call anyone with a Show.
Alexa gets a face.
If you’re in the US and your phone is ringing, chances are, you’re going to have to stop reading this article to answer it.
It’s been rumored that rock musician Neil Young has sought out every last unit of a Fender amplifier model, called the Tweed Deluxe, that the company built in 1958 and ’59. He’s been using the amps onstage for the majority of his career, and built a convoluted device he calls “The Whizzer” to mechanically move the knobs on the amp from a foot pedal in front of him while he’s onstage. At some point, he will run out of ancient amps to buy, or the vacuum tubes that control them. But the next generation of crotchety rock musicians won’t have to worry.
Out where the buffalo roam, on the plains of the Badlands, near the border with Canada, four Apple employees spend their days working for the wealthiest company in the US.
Imagine putting up with your commute, heading into work, and sitting in a cubicle watching murders, child abuse, drug use, and suicides all day, then returning home.
Apple’s first wearable device, the Apple Watch, went on sale two years ago, but the company has never announced any sales figures for the device. There have been estimates, but the only real way to glean how much revenue Apple is generating from the watch is to look at its “Other products” business line. That’s the bucket Apple puts the watch, and other smaller products, like the iPod, headphones, and accessories.
When you’re the size of Apple, it’s hard to impress Wall Street.
Surrounded by darkness, illuminated by a single spotlight, CEO Satya Nadella somberly opened a Microsoft press event in New York today. “I’m here today as a heretic,” Nadella said, arguing that technology is not the solution to problems, but the facilitator for the answers. He spoke about how his grandfather used the limited educational opportunities he was given to lift his family out of poverty, and that opening up education to everyone was one of his life’s passions. Later in the event, Panos Panay, Microsoft’s head of devices, unveiled a new $1,000 laptop that has “buttery” keys and a fabric finish that’s meant to “invite you in.”
