Month: November 2017

Enlarge / I'm in ur tower, nommin ur Internets (credit: Tim Graham/Getty Images)

Australia's National Broadband Network (NBN), the effort to bring high-speed Internet to the masses down under, has encountered many speed bumps. The plan to bring fiber-optic broadband Internet to every Australian has been pared back in its ambitions, with a shift to a fiber backbone between "nodes" and distribution over copper wire or cable networks to the majority of users. That cost-saving move, which puts ISPs and cable providers in charge of managing customers' access, has caused some consternation. But now the operators of the NBN have discovered another problem that affects the cost of delivering the backbone. And it's for the birds.

The BBC reports that NBN technicians have discovered cockatoos have been damaging the ends of spare fiber cables left in place on communications towers for future network expansion by chomping on them, wearing through the steel braiding that protects the fiber. Active cables haven't been affected, so there has been no loss of service (as of yet) due to cockatoo attacks; the ends of cables carrying active traffic are protected by a plastic cages. But cables left with their ends exposed have become a favorite of the birds, who use them to help wear down their ever-growing beaks. And the cables cost AUS$10,000 (about US$7,700) to replace.

NBN's Chedryian Bresland told the BBC, "That's Australia for you. If the spiders and snakes don't get you, the cockies will."

Enlarge / Amazon's first public grocery store, now open in the Seattle neighborhood of Ballard. But you can't go inside. Pickup only. (credit: Sam Machkovech)

It has been about six months since Amazon bought Whole Foods, but the company has seemingly taken a step backward in its grocery plans. According to a Recode report, Amazon will shut down Fresh, its grocery delivery service for Prime members, in up to five metro areas around the country.

Customers in some areas of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and California received e-mails to notify them of the change, and an Amazon representative confirmed that Fresh will cease to service some parts of these states. However, Amazon Fresh will continue to serve areas of major cities including Los Angeles and Philadelphia.

The representative also told Recode that the shutdown was unrelated to the recent Whole Foods acquisition. Currently, it's unclear if Amazon Fresh will return to neighborhoods in these states at all or if Amazon has other plans for its grocery business in these areas.

Enlarge / Amazon's first public grocery store, now open in the Seattle neighborhood of Ballard. But you can't go inside. Pickup only. (credit: Sam Machkovech)

It has been about six months since Amazon bought Whole Foods, but the company has seemingly taken a step backward in its grocery plans. According to a Recode report, Amazon will shut down Fresh, its grocery delivery service for Prime members, in up to five metro areas around the country.

Customers in some areas of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and California received e-mails to notify them of the change, and an Amazon representative confirmed that Fresh will cease to service some parts of these states. However, Amazon Fresh will continue to serve areas of major cities including Los Angeles and Philadelphia.

The representative also told Recode that the shutdown was unrelated to the recent Whole Foods acquisition. Currently, it's unclear if Amazon Fresh will return to neighborhoods in these states at all or if Amazon has other plans for its grocery business in these areas.

Enlarge / The iPhone X isn't actually "all screen," and it has that notch. But that doesn't make it any less dramatic. (credit: Samuel Axon)

A lot has changed in the decade since Apple shared its first iPhone with the world, but most people's relationships to their smartphones have not changed for a while. After an explosion of innovation, we’ve mostly seen incremental updates to processing power, security features, screen size, cameras, and software in recent years. These have added up over time, but the progress has rarely revolutionized this product area or its users' experience.

Generally, people have understandably been fine with that. Stability is good for consumers. We now see our phones as practical tools, not as anything extraordinary—not anything that opens up exciting and relevant new possibilities in our professional and personal lives like those earliest iPhone and Android phones did.

Some enthusiasts have nevertheless lamented that this is no longer the Apple whose products, once perceived as truly groundbreaking, excited them. But even more so than usual, Apple wants buyers to see this new phone, the most expensive iPhone yet released, as revolutionary. It has positioned iPhone X as a blueprint for all handsets to come.

Enlarge / The iPhone X isn't actually "all screen," and it has that notch. But that doesn't make it any less dramatic. (credit: Samuel Axon)

A lot has changed in the decade since Apple shared its first iPhone with the world, but most people's relationships to their smartphones have not changed for a while. After an explosion of innovation, we’ve mostly seen incremental updates to processing power, security features, screen size, cameras, and software in recent years. These have added up over time, but the progress has rarely revolutionized this product area or its users' experience.

Generally, people have understandably been fine with that. Stability is good for consumers. We now see our phones as practical tools, not as anything extraordinary—not anything that opens up exciting and relevant new possibilities in our professional and personal lives like those earliest iPhone and Android phones did.

Some enthusiasts have nevertheless lamented that this is no longer the Apple whose products, once perceived as truly groundbreaking, excited them. But even more so than usual, Apple wants buyers to see this new phone, the most expensive iPhone yet released, as revolutionary. It has positioned iPhone X as a blueprint for all handsets to come.

Enlarge / The iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus. (credit: Samuel Axon)

Apple released its fourth fiscal quarter financials late yesterday, showing numbers that beat most analysts' and Wall Street's expectations. The company's total revenue reached $52.6 billion, up 12 percent year-over-year and beating its own $52 billion projection.

Each of Apple's product segments grew this quarter: iPhone sales topped at 46.7 million units, accumulating $28.8 billion in revenue and increasing 2 percent year-over-year. iPad sales reached $4.8 billion while Mac sales hit $7.2 billion in revenue.

Despite the expected holdout from iPhone customers waiting for the $999 iPhone X (which is officially available in Apple stores today), Apple CEO Tim Cook stated on the earnings call that the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus are currently the two most popular iPhone models. Considering the high price of the iPhone X, customers may be purchasing the next best thing that's slightly more affordable—for now at least. While the Q4 earnings report does not include any iPhone X sales numbers, Apple expects high demand for the new smartphone through this quarter and beyond. Cook stated the company will "get as many of them as possible to the customers as soon as possible."

Enlarge / The iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus. (credit: Samuel Axon)

Apple released its fourth fiscal quarter financials late yesterday, showing numbers that beat most analysts' and Wall Street's expectations. The company's total revenue reached $52.6 billion, up 12 percent year-over-year and beating its own $52 billion projection.

Each of Apple's product segments grew this quarter: iPhone sales topped at 46.7 million units, accumulating $28.8 billion in revenue and increasing 2 percent year-over-year. iPad sales reached $4.8 billion while Mac sales hit $7.2 billion in revenue.

Despite the expected holdout from iPhone customers waiting for the $999 iPhone X (which is officially available in Apple stores today), Apple CEO Tim Cook stated on the earnings call that the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus are currently the two most popular iPhone models. Considering the high price of the iPhone X, customers may be purchasing the next best thing that's slightly more affordable—for now at least. While the Q4 earnings report does not include any iPhone X sales numbers, Apple expects high demand for the new smartphone through this quarter and beyond. Cook stated the company will "get as many of them as possible to the customers as soon as possible."