Fri. 09/18 – WeChat Officially Banned On Sunday. TikTok Only Kinda Banned.

The Commerce Department officially has brought the hammer down. WeChat is banned on Sunday. TikTok banned on Sunday too, but it’s complicated. PayTM is banned from the Google Play Store in India. Facebook decides that Facebook is too toxic for its own workers to use. And of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors:Fundrise.com/techmeme PayPal App Links: Trump to block downloads of TikTok, WeChat on Sunday (CNBC) Google pulls India's Paytm app from Play Store for repeat policy violations (TechCrunch)iOS 14 default app settings automatically reset to Mail and Safari after reboot (9to5Mac) Apple is making Shazam a bigger part of your iPhone (The Verge) Facebook is cracking down on groups that give health advice and promote violence (CNBC) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: Exclusive: The Billionaire Who Wanted To Die Broke . . . Is Now Officially Broke (Forbes)‘Interactive entertainment is the standard bearer of the entertainment business’ (Protocol) Remote Work Is Killing the Hidden Trillion-Dollar Office Economy (Marker) Your Teenage Email Account Is a Lost Time Capsule (One Zero) Why the Apple II Didn’t Support Lowercase Letters (Vintage Computing And Gaming) This unheard Steve Jobs tape is part of an amazing trove of tech history (Fast Company)

Thu. 09/17 – PS5 Details Revealed. But Good Luck Pre-Ordering!

We have the launch date and price for the Playstation 5. An update on the TikTok and WeChat situations. Why the Snowflake IPO was such a big deal, and such a big success. Red Ventures is affiliate marketing on steroids. And what if I told you the coolest new bit of gear that people got turned on to during the last Apple event was an office chair. But it is Jony Ive’s favorite office chair. Sponsors:Liftoff.to PayPal AppMarketingPlay.com; email info@marketingplay.com Links: PlayStation 5 preorders: Sony reveals release date and price (VentureBeat) The PS5 will launch on November 12th for $499.99 (The Verge) Sony confirms PS5’s first-party launch lineup and free game upgrade plans for PS4 titles (The Verge) Oracle’s TikTok Bid Leaves Open Some U.S. Security Concerns (Bloomberg) Pro Rata Newsletter (Dan Primack/Axios) Snowflake IPO Spurs Flood of Wealth for Silicon Valley Elite (Bloomberg)‘Helping people discover information’: How Red Ventures grew into a giant (Digiday) Sit Like an Apple Engineer in This 70s-Era British Office Chair (Gear Patrol) Subscribe to the ad-free feed and support the show directly!

Wed. 09/16 – Facebook Unveils The Oculus Quest 2

Facebook unveils the Oculus Quest 2, as a part of its Facebook Connect (formerly Oculus Connect) event. Amazon Music gets podcasts. Spotify puts the Apple One bundle on blast. Developers have found yet another reason to get pissed at Apple. And AT&T is not only bringing advertising to HBO, they want to add ads to you phone as well. Sponsors: PayPal AppExtraHop.com/techmeme Links:Oculus Quest 2 delivers standalone VR with sharper 90Hz screens for $299 (Engadget) OCULUS QUEST 2 REVIEW: BETTER, CHEAPER VR (The Verge) Snowflake is largest software IPO ever (Axios) Amazon Music Joins Podcasting Fray (WSJ) Driver Charged in Uber’s Fatal 2018 Autonomous Car Crash (NYTimes) Spotify says Apple One bundle is a 'threat to collective freedom' (Apple Insider) Apple accuses Epic of ‘starting a fire and pouring gasoline on it’ in new Fortnite filing (The Verge) Apple surprised iPhone users with a next-day iOS 14 release. App developers are pissed. (Mashable) Exclusive: AT&T considers cellphone plans subsidized by ads (Reuters) AT&T Plans Lower-Priced Version of HBO Max With Advertising (Bloomberg)

Tue. 09/15 – The Apple “Time Flies” Event

A full rundown of the Time Flies event from Apple. New Apple Watches, including an Apple Watch SE. Refreshed iPad, but redesigned iPad Air that is giving the iPad Pro a run for its money. An Apple Fitness+ subscription program. An Apple One subscription bundle. And meanwhile, Sony cuts PlayStation 5 production, we have a date for Google’s Pixel 5 launch and why it might actually be a good idea to put your data center at the bottom of the ocean. Sponsors:LiftOff.to PayPal App Links:Techmeme Headline Rundown of the Apple Event Sony Cuts PlayStation 5 Forecast by 4 Million Due to Chip Woes (Bloomberg) Sen. Hawley calls for US to reject Oracle’s TikTok deal (The Verge) We’re Heading Toward the Worst Possible Outcome on TikTok (Intelligencer) Google to launch Pixel 5, new Chromecast, and smart speaker on September 30th (The Verge) Microsoft pulls underwater data center back to the surface to assess benefits of deep-sea cloud (GeekWire)

Mon. 09/14 – Has Oracle Saved TikTok (In The US)?

Has Oracle saved TikTok, in the US at least? Let me explain why it’s not actually buying anything, probably isn’t solving the security problem Microsoft says it would have, and China is keeping its hands on the algorithm. On a normal day, news of Nvidia buying ARM would have been the headline. Airtable is an interesting raise. And who has more pie on their face: OnePlus or US Customs agents? Sponsors: PayPal AppBuyRaycon.com/tech Links: Oracle Wins Bid for TikTok in U.S., Beating Microsoft (WSJ) It’s Official- NVIDIA Acquires Arm For $40 Billion To Create What Could Be A Computing Juggernaut (Forbes) Verizon to Buy TracFone in Deal Valued at Up to $7 Billion (WSJ) Airtable raises $185M and launches new low-code and automation features (TechCrunch) Feds proudly announce seizure of ‘counterfeit Apple AirPods’ that are actually OnePlus Buds (The Verge) The LG Wing’s twisting screen offers a new spin on the dual-screen smartphone (The Verge)

(Bonus) The TikTok Sales Saga With @Kantrowitz

The TikTok saga. It’s gonna end. Or it’s gonna happen. Or it’s gonna… something in the next few days. Will it be sold? Will it not be? Will it be banned in the US. There are so many angles here. So many interesting ways to tease out something that is unprecedented in the world of Tech. Alex Kantrowitz pinged me to talk about it and he’s a good dude to do so because he wrote a book about the big tech platforms, and, as we get into… this is so rare. A big up and coming platform that is just, for weird a-historical reasons, being offered up on a platter for the other powers that be to… maybe take over? I quoted Alex when he was at Buzzfeed for years. But as we discuss at the end, Alex has gone solo! Check out his newsletter Big Technology. Check out his podcast, Big Technology.

Fri. 09/11 – Microsoft Says The Hackers Are Coming For The Election

Microsoft warns that hackers working for Russia, China and Iran are escalating their attacks surrounding the upcoming US Presidential election. I lied…. Apple has blinked in the Epic Games/App Store battle, at least a little bit. A profile of everyone’s favorite note taking startup, Roam. And, of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors:DoubleUp.agencyToday In Digital Marketing Podcast Links: Russia, China and Iran launched cyberattacks on presidential campaigns, Microsoft says (NBC News) Epic says that Sign in with Apple for Fortnite will still work after all (iMore) ‘Apple One’ subscription bundle confirmed by Apple Music for Android ahead of Sept. 15 event (9to5Google) A $200 Million Seed Valuation for Roam Shows Investor Frenzy for Note-Taking Apps (The Information) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: Apple's Rising Class of Leaders Will Shape a Post-Tim Cook Era (Bloomberg) Your Phone Wasn’t Built for the Apocalypse (The Atlantic) Esports Pros Have ‘Dream’ Jobs—bu...

Thu. 09/10 – “Campus” Is Facebook, But For College Kids (Insert Joke Here)

Facebook goes back to its roots by going back to school with Campus. The Long-Term Stock Exchange is ready for its closeup. The former head of the NSA is joining Amazon’s board. The second-gen Motorola Razr is here. And an in-depth review and assessment of whether or not Microsoft’s Surface Duo knows what it wants to be. Sponsors:Doubleup.agencyToday In Digital Marketing Podcast Links: Facebook reinvents Facebook with the launch of Campus for college students (The Verge) Former NSA chief Keith Alexander has joined Amazon’s board of directors (The Verge) Former NSA chief Keith Alexander has joined Amazon’s board of directors (The Verge) Motorola’s second-gen foldable Razr adds 5G, better cameras, and a chance at redemption (The Verge) Bose announces $279 QuietComfort Earbuds and $179 Sport Earbuds (The Verge) MICROSOFT SURFACE DUO REVIEW: DOUBLE TROUBLES (The Verge) TikTok, U.S. Discuss Ways to Avoid Sale (WSJ)

Wed. 09/09 – Clarifications And Follow-Ups

Clarifying the news on the new Xbox consoles, as well as next week’s Apple event. Apple sues Epic Games for breach of contract. Android 11 is here if you can get it. A new Yubikey now has USB-C goodness. And more indications that 5G is going to continue to be super, annoyingly disappointing. Sponsors:DoubleUp.agencyJoinFightCamp.com/techmeme Links: Xbox Series X launches on November 10th for $499 (The Verge) Microsoft is adding EA Play to Xbox Game Pass (Engadget) Nintendo Boosts Switch Production by Another 20% (Bloomberg) Apple to Hold Sept. 15 Online Launch Event to Reveal New Watch (Bloomberg) Apple doubles down in fight with Fortnite creator Epic Games, seeks damages for breach of contract (CNBC) Fortnite is launching a concert series it hopes will become a ‘tour stop’ for artists (The Verge) Google’s new ‘Verified Calls’ feature will tell you why a business is calling you (TechCrunch) Taboola and Outbrain end talks to merge after nearly a year (CNBC) Yubico’s new USB-C ...

Tue. 09/08 – Xbox Series X and (Series S!) Details Revealed

The details around the new Xbox’s have been revealed. China wants to draw definitive global lines in the tech cold war. Google makes a big bet on the “no code” movement. Content pirates have suffered a historic setback. Was Masa Son pumping up the entire stock market. And we know when the iPhone event will be. Sponsors:MintMobile.com/rideDoubleUp.agency Links: Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S release date and price finally revealed (WindowsCentral) Leaked Xbox Series S commercial reveals 1440p, ray tracing, and 512GB SSD (The Verge) China Launches Initiative to Set Global Data-Security Rules (WSJ) Google binds no-code tools, API management and serverless computing into new development platform (Silicon Angle) Scene Bust Triggered Historic Drop in ‘Pirate’ Releases (Torrent Freak) SoftBank’s Bet on Tech Giants Fueled Powerful Market Rally (WSJ) SoftBank, Robinhood and a Margins Singularity (Margins Newsletter)