The Morning After: Testing Nintendo's new toys, Sony's CEO changes
And portals to ancient Egyptian civilizations.
It's Friday, and in celebratory fashion, we've been playing with Nintendo's new cardboard gambit, getting hyped over a new Stargate (no judging) and investigating how Uber's getting into mapping to get your ride where you need it to be.
Sony CEO Kaz Hirai will retire in April
Sony dropped some surprising news ahead of its earnings report last night, announcing that CEO Kaz Hirai will step aside and become chairman. In his place, CFO Kenichiro Yoshida is getting a promotion, in a much better situation than Hirai faced when he took on the role in 2012. Yoshida will unveil his plan for Sony's future on April 1st, his first official day as CEO.
Nintendo Labo hands-on: Cardboard has never been this fun
Leave it up to Nintendo to get us excited over cardboard. Labo, its DIY Switch-powered cardboard accessory line, seemed like the purist encapsulation of Nintendo's philosophy: Play is far more important than having the best graphics. At first glance, Labo seems like a unique mix of digital and analog gaming that kids will likely love. And based on (almost) 34-year-old Devindra Hardawar's brief time with a few Labo kits today, it's something adults will likely have a blast with as well.
YouTube's live TV service is now available on Apple TV
Looks like Google is making good on its promise to bring its cord-cutting alternative to more popular platforms. YouTube TV is now available for Apple TVs, after having hit Roku devices earlier today. The service is available in almost 100 metro areas and can also be downloaded for Chromecast, Android TV, Xbox One and newer Samsung and LG TVs. Well, it's only taken nearly a whole year.
Apple's iPhone sales dropped during the holidays
This past holiday quarter, Apple released the iPhone X, probably the most hyped and anticipated device the company has launched in many years. And following whispers that the iPhone X isn't selling as well as expected, Apple did indeed slip a little bit. The company just announced that it sold 77.3 million iPhones in its fiscal year Q1, down a scant 1.3 percent compared to the 78.3 million sold one year ago.
It's the first time iPhone sales have declined during a holiday quarter since the phone launched, as best we can tell. Despite that, Apple says the iPhone X has been its top-selling iPhone every week since it shipped in early November.
'Red Dead Redemption 2' is coming on October 26th
Rockstar Games has pushed back the release of its next big game one more time, saying that Red Dead Redemption 2 needs a bit more polish. Hopefully it has the time needed to avoid an Andromeda situation, but for now, gamers can at least check out some new screenshots.
'Stargate: Origins' trailer has an 'Indiana Jones' feel to it
Origin story! The new show will focus on Catherine Langford, the daughter of the person who discovered the Stargate on Earth. In the trailer, she battles Nazis as she fights to figure out what the Stargate is. The show has an Indiana Jones vibe to it, and it looks like a lot of fun.
Alphabet picks up momentum with Google's cloud and hardware
Yep, yep, yep, Google makes the vast majority of its money from ads scattered across every corner of the internet. Other products are more recognizably Google-y, however, and Alphabet's new earnings release shows off some impressive growth in areas beyond just ad money. Alphabet raked in $32.3 billion in revenue in its fourth quarter, and just about $4.7 billion came from what the company refers to as Google's "other revenues."
Jeff Bezos' master plan is to have no plan
The richest man in the world has been using his wealth in unexpected ways. Jeff Bezos announced this week that Amazon would create an independent company with JPMorgan and Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway. The new venture seeks to keep employee health-care costs under control and will initially focus on technology that would "provide U.S. employees and their families with simplified, high-quality and transparent healthcare at a reasonable cost."
That adds health care to the list of industries Bezos has a significant investment in, along with technology, retail, media and aerospace. What is he up to?
But wait, there's more...
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