With many machines well over the $2,000 mark, 3D printers are still mostly sequestered to use by professionals. Monoprice, the cut-rate technology powerhouse, is slicing more than a few hundreds off the price point with a 3D printer that costs $1,200.
Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/qvRNIcujc24/monoprices-just-gave-the-3d-printer-a-crazy-price-cut-1586188765
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It’s not a great time to be a Nintendo fan. Forecasts are falling; profits are down; and Nintendo’s new console just can’t bottle the lightning its predecessor left behind. The faithful may believe that the Wii U will pull through (after all, Mario…
Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/q08R87IWPUs/
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iOS everywhere, including in the home, has been a logical area of future product speculation ever since Apple announced iOS in the Car in 2013 and launched it as CarPlay in 2014. A bi-directional version of Apple’s TV-centric AirPlay, if Apple could project iOS onto a car display, why not a camera display? Why not every display? Conversely, if apps were using the iPhone and iPad as controls, why not make that experience even better? That’s what the latest Apple home automation rumors focus on. But would it work?
AirPlay is a fantastic service that has one ongoing area of limitation. While AirPlay audio is supported by a wide range of speaker systems, AirPlay video is currently only supported by the Apple TV. While the $99 box is easy to add to any TV setup, no TV sets or other set top boxes come with AirPlay video support built in.
CarPlay took years for Apple to bring to market. The automotive industry isn’t exactly quick off the line. As of now, however, various non-touch, resistive touch, and capacitive touch implementations are rolling out for Ferrari, Honda, Hyundai, Mercedes, and Volvo, and more are on the way from BMW, Chevy, Ford, Citroen, Jag, Kia, Nissan, Toyota, Land Rover, Mistubishi, Opel, Peugot, Subaru, and Suzuki.
“HomePlay” could one day do the same for every screen in the house, especially smart appliances, fitness equipment, and more. Based on the current rumor, however, it looks like the home automation service wouldn’t be “HomePlay” — at least not yet — but rather an extension of the Made for iPhone/iPad program (MFi).
MFi is what traditionally let accessory makers connect to the Dock connector on iPods and later the Lightning connector on iPhones and iPads. It’s what let Apple products expand beyond themselves to power all sorts of home and automotive audio systems and peripherals.
Last year Apple announced MFi game controller support. It resulted in a few different vendors offering a few different models, none of them inexpensive. Apple hasn’t made their own MFi controller, and overall the potential remains unfulfilled. Can MFi adoption be higher for home automation than it is for gaming?
That’s the challenge Apple will face. By in from both sides. But if they can get it, they’ll once again increase the value of iPhones and iPads, which is core to their business. Luckily, in this area, Apple has a head start.
There’s already a range of App Store apps for connected or “smart” gear. There’s already SONOS app to control speakers and home theater, a Philips Hue app to control your lights, a Nexia app to control your door locks and security, and the list goes on.
When Google bought Nest there was some consternation that Apple hadn’t bought it first. But thermostats never seemed like an accessory within Apple’s current scope of focus. Instead, making sure all the Nests of the world provide a superior experience with iOS both keeps Apple from dilution and grows the value of their ecosystem.
Companies everywhere are already looking to Apple, the iPhone, and iPad as the ideal platform and controller for their home automation products. If and when Apple does make an announcement of an MFi home automation system, it can focus on making that platform and those controllers the best they can be. And certify them so.
How valuable that’ll be for vendors and consumers remains to be seen, but if Apple can galvanize the best of the existing products and apps, they’ll be off to a great start. They’ll also be taking one more step towards iOS everywhere, and the future of person-centric computing.
WWDC 2014 is just a week away, what would you like to see Apple announce?
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/aD6Gcdis_to/story01.htm
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Apple’s rumored to courting Beats Electronics with a $3.2 billion deal. Does such a deal make sense?
Rumors spread like wildfire on Thursday that Apple is negotiating to acquire Beats Electronics for $3.2 billion. I’m skeptical that the arrangement makes a lot of sense for Apple.
Beats is the brainchild of Dr. Dre and his long-time collaborator, record executive Jimmy Iovine. The company got its start back in 2008 with an arrangement with Monster Cable. Beats’ first headphones featured noise cancellation technology and a bass-rich mix; the company used endorsements from musicians and celebrities to expand brand awareness.
Beats divorced itself from Monster following the conclusion of their contract in 2012. After a brief dalliance with mobile handset maker HTC, Beats negotiated an investment from equity firm The Carlyle Group. Carlyle plowed half a billion dollars into the company, valuing it at twice that.
Beats Electronics is a consumer electronics company on the rise, to be sure. Colorful, bass-heavy Beats headphones are recognizable, aspirational fashion statements. They’re not cheap, either — some models top out at more than $400. The company’s expanded its line with branded earphones and its “Pill” speakers. Beats also licenses its technology for use in HP computers and Chrysler, Dodge and Fiat automobiles.
But a strong brand seems like an unlikely reason for Apple to drop three times what a company is worth for the privilege of buying it. Apple doesn’t buy brands, they buy technology.
From that standpoint, Beats’ audio technology is wholly unremarkable. The on-board circuitry does some trickery with digital signal processing to expand bass and highs, but ask any audiophile — it’s smoke and mirrors, not superior audio engineering. What’s more, Beats has stirred dozens of manufacturers to produce similar products that are as good or better. The only thing that differentiates them is brand.
Beats Music, the company’s streaming music service, is another part of the puzzle. Beats Music has garnered plenty of positive (and negative) reviews since its launch. No one outside of Beats Electronics knows exactly how many customers have actually signed up to pay $10 a month after their trial subscription runs its course.
But streaming music services are where it’s at in music going forward. Digital music sales are in decline as services like Spotify, Rdio, Pandora and others appeal to more and more customers willing to pay a monthly subscription fee to listen to music, rather than downloading songs and albums a la carte.
Apple understands this, which is why in 2013 they launched iTunes Radio. The service is only available in the United States and Australia, though other countries are expected to come online this year. Beats Music is restricted only to the U.S., though it promises that more countries are coming soon.
If there’s one thing Beats Music has going for it, it’s that it reaches an audience that Apple has heretofore ignored: Android users. But again, developing an Android app and ecosystem — expanding iTunes into Android — doesn’t seem like anything beyond Apple’s technical acumen.
The only other angle that makes any sense at all is if Beats Music’s streaming music rights are transferable. This doesn’t seem likely. But if it is the case, it would give Apple a huge leg up against Spotify and other streaming music competitors.
So again I scratch my head and wonder what, exactly, is the point.
If Apple does acquire Beats Electronics, it’ll be the single biggest acquisition Apple’s ever done by almost an order of magnitude. Even Apple’s acquisition of NeXT, which heralded Steve Jobs’ return to the fold, the creation of OS X and an almost complete reinvention of the company, was a relatively scant $400 million.
That’s not to say it’s impossible to imagine. Apple’s sitting on a pile of cash larger than the economies of some countries, and Tim Cook is on record saying a billion-dollar acquisition isn’t out of the question. The Wall Street Journal:
“…We have no problem spending ten figures for the right company that’s the right and that’s in the best interest of Apple in the long-term. None. Zero.”
Is acquiring Beats Electronics in Apple’s best interest? I don’t think so, but I’m not on Apple’s board of directors, either.
What do you think? Does an Apple/Beats deal make sense, or is this just Wall Street dreaming about what to do with Apple’s cash hoard again? Let me know in the comments.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/4lkx3ST-_UQ/story01.htm
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No one’s perfect, least of all UPS. But as far as mistakes go, this is just about as bad—and expensive—as it gets. Thanks to one hell of a mixup, Reddit user Seventy_Seven just got a $400,000 unmanned aerial vehicle delivered straight to his doorstep. Talk about service.
Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/Hvxfz_b0_ZI/ups-just-delivered-a-400-000-drone-to-some-dude-by-mis-1572054473
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I’m still pretty smitten since trying out this pair of bike lights that mount permanently to the headset and seatpost—but I still gotta remember to charge them. So I’m dying to try out Pixio by Rydon; these little illuminators are solar-powered, meaning every time you go for a daytime ride you’re powering up for after hours.
Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/ncqI5Gk3chM/these-solar-powered-bike-lights-might-be-the-only-ones-1571051896
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There’s little doubt that 3Doodler’s 3D printing pen is fun, but it’s not strictly a precision tool; it’s big, and mid-air drawing can get messy. Lix believes that pros need something more accurate, so it’s crowdfunding a 3D pen of its own. The…
Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/I7hghrTy0DU/
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The GBU-57A-B is by far America’s biggest bunker buster, but it’s not actually our most powerful one. That acclaim goes to the deep diving, hard hitting, supersonic B-61 tactical nuclear bomb. And we’re about to spend more than $11 billion to ensure they stay on the front lines through the middle of the next decade.
Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/pIKM3cWNqPo/americas-tactical-nukes-are-worth-twice-their-weight-in-1564318240
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By now, you’ve likely heard the insane story of a 16-year-old boy who survived a five-hour flight from California to Hawaii hidden in a wheel well. How the hell did his body make it through sub-zero temperatures with little oxygen? Probably by going into "suspended animation," a strange, frozen state that’s about as close you can get to death without dying.
Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/TiACze6lLXs/how-the-teenage-stowaway-survived-a-flight-to-hawaii-in-1565740568
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AT&T is adding more data to its GoPhone prepaid smartphone plans without raising monthly fees in the process. If you’re currently paying $60 a month for 2GB, your allotment will jump to 2.5 gigs, while those on the $40, 250MB plan will now get 500MB…
Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/ZrJhE8nUWL0/
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