Linked List: March 20, 2019

Wednesday, 20 March 2019

Google Hit by Another E.U. Fine; Investors Don’t Bat an Eye 

Sara Salinas, reporting for CNBC:

Google was hit with another fine from EU antitrust regulators Wednesday, and investors didn’t bat an eye.

The stock rose 2 percent by the end of trading, outpacing Apple and Microsoft for the day and adding nearly $17 billion to the company’s market value. Google was fined about one-tenth of that amount by the European Commission on Competition early Wednesday.

Investors don’t care about cash, they only care about future growth. Fines like this just don’t matter to Google or Facebook. Write a check, stay the course.

Some Jet Black Claim Chowder 

MacRumors, a month ago: “Apple to Release AirPods With New Coating and Black Color in the Spring”:

Apple is planning to release AirPods that feature a new surface coating, wireless charging, and a black color option, according to a report from Taiwanese Economic Daily News.

There are no black AirPods, and there is no new coating or texture. MacRumors is a great publication, but I don’t get why they run headlines that report rumors as facts.

Apple Announces New AirPods Via Press Release 

Apple Newsroom:

The new Apple-designed H1 chip features custom audio architecture to create a revolutionary audio experience and improved synchronization. H1 allows AirPods to deliver up to 50 percent more talk time compared to first generation AirPods. Switching between devices while listening to music on iPhone, Apple Watch or iPad is more seamless than ever with two times faster connect times. For the first time, AirPods now feature the convenience of “Hey Siri” making it easier to change songs, make a call, adjust the volume or get directions simply by saying, “Hey Siri.”

Curious why it’s the H1 and not a new W-series chip. Update: Apple Watch is still using W-series chips (W3 in Series 4 watches, W2 in Series 3). The H1 is a new chip series specifically for headphones. Makes sense.

The new AirPods are $160 with a Lightning case, and $200 with a case that charges via either Qi-compatible charging pads or Lightning. That inductive charging case is available by itself for $80 and works with first-generation AirPods.

They require MacOS 10.14.4 and iOS 12.2, both of which are still in beta. Presumably this means the release versions will come out Monday.

Sure would be neat if there were a single charging pad you could buy to charge your iPhone, AirPods, and even Apple Watch all at once.