7 Things This Week [#12]
After a hiatus, 7 Things is back!
- Marques Brownlee, as usual, does a great job explaining the features and design of Ford’s new electric F-150 Lightning. I’m not a truck guy either, but I grew up around them, and everything that I see here convinces me that it’s a truck made for truck people. Which, if we’re honest, are probably the people who would likely be the last holdouts for a non-gas-powered vehicle. The F-150 Lightning’s classic design, the better towing capability with instant torque, the bonkers number of full-powered outlets (handy at a job site), the way it can be a backup generator for your home, and the solid mileage all come together to make a compelling package. Furthermore, it’s priced competitively. I think, and I hope, that Ford will get a large wave of people into electric vehicles with the F-150 Lightning.
- Neil Cybart lays out a strong case for how Apple earned its lead in Wearables and why it’s likely to continue.
- Congrats to Matt Birchler on the first year of his YouTube channel. I’ve followed Matt for years, always looking forward to his watchOS reviews. But I really like the premise for his YouTube channel: A Better Computer. Every video promises to teach the viewer how to make their computer work better for them, big and small, no matter the device. It gives Matt a long, long runway to work with, and I’ve been super impressed by the quality right out of the gate. Check out his videos if you haven’t already.
- I learned about the Starling Home Hub a while back for bringing Nest devices into HomeKit, but somehow their latest update allows you to AirPlay to Google’s speakers. I never thought that’d be possible. Even though I don’t have any Nest products, I’m still impressed!
- Maybe I lack imagination, but I’m having trouble seeing where Twitter’s weather service will go or why someone would use it. It seems like its creators didn’t exactly know either, seeing the name has already changed from “Tomorrow” to “Currently” within days of launch. But it wouldn’t be a proper Twitter launch without some confusion.
- As if the WWDC Keynote and State of the Union presentation weren’t enough for one day, Apple has also announced a special event for Spatial Audio tomorrow at 3 PM EST. It’s going to be an exciting day!
- This one’s been waiting in the queue for a while, but Frederic Filloux had an interesting take on Apple balancing advanced technology with artisanship for their rumored car project. One quote jumped out at me:
One route that Apple can certainly revisit is the notion of the ownership of a car. The future driver of the AppleCar is not likely to own it. They might pay a monthly fee to Apple (after a substantial down payment) to receive servicing, software updates, and all the maintenance aspects (in 2040 there won’t be such a thing as a “battered AppleCar” as there are battered Corollas today). Apple might be the first carmaker to make that leap.
Rethinking ownership? Perhaps there’s no ownership at all.