el producto#74 👉 WWDC2018, WeChat IDs, Uber bike-sharing expansion, Instagram discovery, Success is a marathon, Google Lens app, Amazon robots & more.
el producto #74
You can read this email on Medium for pics and extra content.
🎰 The week in figures
50B podcast episodes streamed or downloaded since Apple’s Podcasts launch; the app now features more than 550k active shows representing 18.5M episodes from 155 countries in more than 100 languages; up from 3k shows in 2005 and from 525k in April.
$1.1B Netherlands-based payments firm Adyen seeks to raise upon IPO, aiming for a valuation of $8.3B; the company will list on Euronext Amsterdam exchange.
92M (all users) of MyHeritage whose passwords got stolen in a 2017 security breach; an anonymous security researcher informed the company that the data was available on an undisclosed server.
14M users notified by Facebook that a privacy setting bug might have made status posts, intended to be private, publicly visible; for a period in May, the suggested privacy setting for new posts defaulted to the last used setting; the company has warned potentially affected users to review the settings for statuses posted between May 18 and May 22.
8M people use Google’s public Wi-Fi program Google Station every month in India; launched in 2015, the service is now available at 400 train stations across the country; has since expanded to Indonesia and Mexico.
📰 What’s going on
Snapchat launches SeatGeek integration, enabling fans to by tickets for concerts and sporting events via Stories and via Snapcodes embedded in websites; swipe-to-buy feature completes purchases within the app.
Instagram is set to launch a Snapchat Discover-like feature; will offer music videos, scripted shows, and more in a vertical format; follows a report the firm will support videos up to 60 minutes long.
Facebook is funding original news programming from seven TV industry partners, including CNN, ABC News, and Fox News Channel; scheduled to launch this summer on Facebook Watch.
Facebook announces it’s testing promoted Marketplace listings; some users can advertise their item listings to neighbors using Marketplace, and in the News Feeds of neighbors not browsing Marketplace; an advertiser can set a budget and campaign duration.
Google launches a standalone app for Google Lens on Android; as with Lens in Google Assistant and Google Photos, the app lets users search for objects, landmarks, text, and more.
Google will (already available via an early adopter program); users will initially be able to opt-out, but the update will become permanent later this year.rollout the Gmail web redesign to general users from next month
Google publishes new guidelines for AI development; includes a ban on autonomous weapons; CEO Sundar Pichai says the company will continue working with government and military groups to develop AI for recruiting, training, search and rescue; Google recently chose not to renew an AI contract with the Department of Defense following employee protests.
Amazon announces $120 Fire TV Cube with support for 4K content and Alexa; also works with IR remotes to control connected soundbars, stereos, and more; available now for pre-order, ships June 21.
Amazon launches the $200 Echo Look in general availability in the US; has been available through an invite-only program since April 2016; the Look shares the features of the standard Echo, but includes a camera and a fashion feature called style check.
Amazon is developing a range of robots that could be used for home security; the company is working on several designs that feature cameras and an array of sensors for detecting smoke and carbon monoxide; Amazon is also considering whether to offer home insurance as a complementary product.
Amazon secures UK streaming rights for English Premier League matches for three seasons starting next year; terms unknown; Prime users will have access to 10 matches over a holiday weekend, and 10 mid-week games.
Tencent is developing a WeChat-based travel ID system for the Chinese government; the program will link citizen ID cards with visa-like permits for travel between mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau; promises to let travelers simply display their WeChat profile to gain entry at border points.
Microsoft ($778B market cap) to acquire GitHub for $7.5B; Microsoft promises that GitHub will continue to operate as an independent company and that it will remain open; Microsoft will extend GitHub’s enterprise services and integrate them with Microsoft sales and partner channels; GitHub will continue to support any cloud and any device.
Microsoft is set to add Alexa and Google Assistant support to Xbox One.
Microsoft announces Visual Studio 2019; the launch date will be revealed in coming months; last month the company showcased IntelliCode and Live Share, which will launch with Visual Studio 2019; Intellicode uses AI to offer coding suggestions; Live Share provides real-time collaboration.
Microsoft launches a prototype undersea datacenter off the coast of Scotland; aims to test the feasibility of subsea datacenters powered by offshore renewable energy; the capsule is fully operational and designed to run for five years without any maintenance.
Twitter disbands live video unit, will consolidate functions under the content-partnerships team; the company is shifting from a category-based structure to regional management; the regions are US, Latin America and Canada, Europe/Middle East/Africa, Japan and Korea, Asia-Pacific.
Israel-based ride-hailing firm Gett raises $80M on a $1.4B valuation led by Volkswagen; Gett operates in 120 cities including NYC, Moscow, and London.
Dara Khosrowshahi announces a plan to expand bike-sharing service Jump to Berlin by the end of summer; Uber acquired Jump in April; Khosrowshahi also says Uber’s fully electric service Uber Green will launch in the city by the end of 2018.
Ride-hailing firm Grab partners with Cargo to launch an in-car snack service in Singapore; riders select items via Grab’s app, and the driver hands over items when the car is at a stop; purchases are included in the final fare.
The Japanese government aims to launch a self-driving car service in time for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics; officials say they will begin public testing within a year with plans to fully commercialize the program by 2022.
Tesla ($297B market cap) shares climb more than 9% after Elon Musk announces the company is producing 500 Model 3 units per day and should reach its 5k-per-week target by the end of the month; production has seen multiple delays and bottlenecks.
🍏 WWDC2018
Apple unveils macOS Mojave; includes Dark Mode, which themes all elements of the OS; new Desktop Stacks feature automatically sorts desktop items into stacks; supports scrub previews; Finder adds Gallery view with large previews; sidebar now displays full metadata; Quick Actions enable photo and other edits within Finder; users can create custom and batch actions; Quick View adds markup, enabling signature insert & more.
Apple reveals iOS 12; will support the same devices as iOS 11, going back to models from 2013; older devices will see performance improvements; the iPhone 6 Plus camera will open up to 70% faster. Adds Shortcuts for Siri; provides rapid access to regularly used actions as well as third-party app integrations; e.g. a user could set up a shortcut for the command “I lost my keys,” and Siri can use Tile to locate them; iOS 12 includes a dedicated app for creating Shortcuts via drag-and-drop interface; users can create simple commands for more elaborate actions: a single shortcut can include sequenced actions by multiple apps.
iOS 12 includes multiple features designed to help users limit screen time and distractions; Do Not Disturb now blocks notifications during scheduled sleep time; when activating Do Not Disturb via Control Center, a user is presented with options for when to deactivate the setting; Siri now suggests turning off notifications for rarely used apps; iOS 12 supports grouped notifications, organized my app, topics, threads, more; new Screentime feature provides weekly activity reports.
New News app features a Browse tab and a new sidebar for iPad; Apple has also redesigned the Stocks app, which now features relevant, curated stories from Apple News; Stocks comes to iPad with iOS 12; Voice Memos is completely rebuilt, also coming to iPad; CarPlay now supports third-party navigation apps.
Apple announces watchOS 5; adds weekly Competition Awards for users’ Activity goals; adds yoga and hiking workout modes; now features automatic workout detection; also adds Walkie-Talkie app for push-to-talk functionality; works over cellular or Wi-Fi; Siri Watch face adds Shortcuts, sports updates, more; Siri can be triggered by lifting wrist, no “Hey Siri” required; watchOS 5 also adds Podcast app.
Updated tvOS with support for Dolby Atmos; adds live news and sports channels; Charter Spectrum will come to Apple TV later this year, supporting live and on-demand programs; tvOS now supports zero sign-on for subscription supported apps
Apple announces Group FaceTime; the updated app supports up to 32 call participants; FaceTime is now integrated with Messages, enabling users to transfer group chats to group calls; group call interface automatically focuses on and enlarges the video of whoever is talking; supports real-time effects and Memoji.
Apple reveals a redesigned Mac App Store; features new sidebar with tabs for Discover, Create, Work, Play, and Develop; app pages include video previews; more prominently displays ratings and reviews
ARKit 2.0 enables two iPhone users to share an AR space, view objects from different angles simultaneously; supports games that integrate with physical projects; Lego will launch interactive products later this year
Apple SVP of Software Engineering says the company has spent 2 years developing the frameworks to bring iPhone and iPad apps to macOS; dismissed the idea of a touchscreen Mac; some controls will automatically change; e.g. a long-press on iOS will become a two-finger tap on macOS.
Apple to update ResearchKit with a new API for monitoring two Parkinson’s symptoms: tremors and dyskinesia; users can view recorded data, such as the regularity of symptoms throughout the day; Apple will make the Movement Disorder API available to developers with the launch of the second developer preview of watchOS 5.
Apple Maps launches web embed API in beta; Apple already uses the feature for its own sites; for example, the Find My iPhone feature at icloud.com; embedded maps can feature specific locations and allow site visitors to search.
📚 Stuff to think about
Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg had a number of privacy disputes with WhatsApp co-founders Brian Acton and Jan Koum; Facebook wanted to introduce targeted ads in WhatsApp, something Acton and Koum opposed; both have since left Facebook, leaving behind a total of $1.3B in unvested stock.
The anti-habits of successful product people. A not-to-do list by Jack Moore including one of my favourite: Don’t prioritize scale over learning.
Success is a marathon, not a sprint. My Booking.com colleague Maria Scerbikova shares an inspiring story about how, in front of adverse signals, iterating and challenging hypothesis can bring success.
The not-obvious priorities. John Cutler talks about the underlying value of non-feature work (e.g. refactoring, tooling, and infrastructure projects). How are you capturing the value and prioritizing work in those areas?
Have a great weekend!
Angel
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el producto 2018 - elproducto.eu