The Morning After: Nintendo wants to put several Switches ‘in every home’
Sales are slowing on the aging console.
After selling 23 million Switches two years ago and 18 million in the last year, Nintendo expects demand for the aging console to continue to fall. It's forecasting sales of 15 million for next year and isn't even confident of that figure, according to its latest earnings report. "Sustaining the Switch’s sales momentum will be difficult in its seventh year," said president Shuntaro Furukawa in a call. "Our goal of selling 15 million units this fiscal year is a bit of a stretch." To achieve that, he added: "We try to not only put one system in every home but several in every home.” Well, at least the new Zelda game is just around the corner…
– Mat Smith
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Spotify has reportedly removed tens of thousands of AI-generated songs
Universal Music claimed bots inflated the number of streams.
Spotify has reportedly pulled tens of thousands of tracks from generative AI company Boomy. It's said to have removed seven percent of the songs created by the startup's systems, which underscores the swift proliferation of AI-generated content on music streaming platforms. Universal Music reportedly told Spotify and other major services that it detected suspicious streaming activity on Boomy's songs, to glean more money from Spotify, which pays out on a per-listen basis.
VanMoof simplifies things for its new, cheaper S4 and X4 e-bikes
Pick from a typical and step-through frame.
VanMoof is trying to deliver premium e-bike features and build quality for substantially less money. At $2,498, that’s $1,000 less than the company’s top-of-the-range S5 and X5 bikes, but that doesn’t make them exactly cheap. VanMoof co-founder Ties Carlier said in a press release this was an attempt at a “more simple, more accessible and more reliable” e-bike. One major simplification is the transition to adaptive motor support and a two-speed gear hub. The SX5 series had a three-speed gear system, and while it had a torque sensor to assist, adaptive motor support is new for these cheaper e-bikes. The company expects the range to be equivalent to both the SA5 and older SX3 e-bikes, 37-62 miles (60-150 km), depending on conditions and rider. Both the VanMoof S4 and X4 are available to pre-order now.
Apple Watch Series 9 may finally get a new processor
The watches have used the same one since 2020.
The Apple Watch has effectively used the same processor since 2020's Series 6, but it's poised for a long-due upgrade. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman claims the Apple Watch Series 9 will use a truly "new processor." He believes the CPU in the S9 system-on-chip will be based on the A15 chip, which first appeared in the iPhone 13 family. Apple has historically introduced new Apple Watches in September, so it shouldn’t be too long a wait.
Twitter is going to purge and archive inactive accounts
Elon Musk says it's important to 'free up abandoned handles.'
Twitter owner Elon Musk has warned the social network’s users they may see a drop in followers because the company is purging accounts that have "had no activity at all" for several years. Musk's announcement was quite vague, so we'll have to wait for Twitter to announce more specific rules, such as how long "several years" actually is. At the moment, though, the website has yet to update its inactive account policy page, which only states users need to log in every 30 days to keep their account active.
WhatsApp begins testing Wear OS support
The beta lets you record voice messages or chat on Google-powered wearables.
WhatsApp is now testing an app for Wear OS 3 on devices like the Galaxy Watch 5, Pixel Watch and others. It has much of the functionality of the mobile versions, showing recent chats and contacts, while allowing you to send voice and text messages. WhatsApp offers a circular complication that shows unread messages on your watch's home page. There are also two tiles for contacts and voice messages to let you quickly access people or start a voice message recording. It's a significant release for Wear OS 3, with an ultra-popular app that most people have on their phones, in turn fulfilling Google's aim of getting more developers on the platform.
A robot puppet rolled through San Francisco singing Vanessa Carlton hits
Only 951 miles to go!
Twenty-one years after Vanessa Carlton released her debut single, ‘A Thousand Miles,’ a team of hobbyist roboticists has brought Carlton’s music back to the public ear — this time, to the streets of San Francisco, with an animatronic performer and, thankfully, a disco ball.
