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DJI's new Mavic 2 drones have upgraded cameras and zoom lenses
Netflix's iOS App Store fee avoidance will only give 'modest' revenue boost
Fortnite 5.30 Update Update Is Live With New Patch Notes

DJI's new Mavic 2 drones have upgraded cameras and zoom lenses

Posted: 23 Aug 2018 07:36 AM PDT

DJI is taking one of its most popular drones and splitting it in two. Today, the company announced the Mavic 2, a true successor to the Mavic Pro, which has only seen iterative updates since its 2016 unveiling. But instead of just one drone, DJI is selling the Mavic 2 in two flavors: the Mavic 2 Pro, which is armed with a Hasselblad-designed camera and a big image sensor, and the Mavic 2 Zoom, which features 2x optical zoom. They're on sale starting today: the Mavic 2 Pro starts at $1,449, and the Zoom starts at $1,249.

Both drones shoot 4K footage at up to 100 megabits per second and have 8GB of onboard storage, which can be increased via microSD. The drones have a top speed of 44 miles per hour and offer a flight time of up to 31 minutes. Building on an earlier Mavic update, they're now quieter than ever. They're each equipped with 10 sensors for obstacle avoidance in all directions and have been outfitted with a new image transmission system (DJI's OcuSync 2.0) that beams a live 1080p view to the remote (via your phone) up to just under five miles away. Both fold up in the style that the original Mavic Pro helped pioneer.

Information about the two drones dripped out all summer after DJI decided to delay their release, but today was the first time we've gotten a full look at what's on offer.

The Mavic 2 Pro.

Let's start with the Mavic 2 Pro. Marrying Hasselblad's top-notch camera design with DJI's drones has seemed inevitable since the Chinese drone maker bought a majority stake in the storied imaging company in 2017. While tech companies often cut deals to put the names of camera brands on their products, it doesn't always mean there's an appreciable bump in image quality. DJI's close ties with Hasselblad mean there's probably more to this integration than just a sticker on the side of the drone.

Buying the Mavic 2 Pro over the Zoom is about making a choice on quality. It has a 1-inch, 20-megapixel CMOS sensor — the same size found in the company's more expensive Phantom 4 Pro drone — and a bright, variable f2.8-f11 aperture. There are pro color profiles for video, like 10-bit Dlog-M, which will make it easier for editors to manipulate the footage to their liking after shooting. It also supports 4K 10-bit HDR.

The Zoom is more about versatility. It uses a smaller 1/2.3-inch sensor, but it has the ability to zoom from a wide 24mm view to a slightly more telephoto 48mm perspective on the fly. It shoots smaller 12-megapixel photos, though there's a "Super Resolution" mode where the drone will take nine photos and stitch them into a larger 48-megapixel image. And there's a "dolly zoom" mode that can mimic the popular technique used by cinematographers.

Both drones have new shooting modes that capture hyperlapses (sped-up time-lapse videos that come straight out of the camera) in different ways. DJI also says it has improved its subject tracking and obstacle avoidance software, meaning it should be easier than ever to set the Mavic on a particular path and let it do some of the work for you.

When DJI debuted the Mavic Air at the beginning of this year, a question many people asked was: what does this mean for the Mavic Pro? The original Mavic Pro was something of a revolution at the time for its mix of pro-style features and portability. The head of DJI's North American operations even pulled the drone out of his back pocket onstage to emphasize its compact size. But the Mavic Air did all this and then some, adding things like more advanced obstacle avoidance in an even smaller body.

The Mavic 2 shows the genius of DJI's product lineup strategy. By filling out the lower end with 2017's Spark drone and placing the Mavic Air in the middle, the company gave itself room to improve on the original Mavic Pro. The result is a drone (or two drones) that resemble the company's best prosumer option — the Phantom series — in a form factor that's still more portable than basically anything else on the market. It's also resulted in a far higher price tag than the $749 and $999 options of the original Mavic. But with cheaper options below, there's less pressure to shell out all that money.

Our own Vjeran Pavic has already spent a few days with the Mavic 2 Pro — here's a quick look at the kind of footage it's capable of capturing:

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Netflix's iOS App Store fee avoidance will only give 'modest' revenue boost

Posted: 23 Aug 2018 05:25 AM PDT

Removal of in-app payments for a Netflix subscription in some markets may be modestly beneficial to the company's overall revenue, but bringing the concept to the U.S. version of the app may not be that beneficial overall for the streaming service.

Following a report from Tuesday revealing the trial, an analyst note from Macquarie Research discusses the attempt to circumvent the App Store's commission fee increases the number of major apps pushing back against the mobile platforms, joining Spotify. Rather than accepting a subscription through the app, paying Apple a commission, Netflix instead points new users in a number of markets to sign up via the website, avoiding the App Store payment mechanism entirely.

While the firm suggests regulatory and legal pressures could affect how the app store model operates, the move by Netflix is a competitive pressure, and one most likely to cause changes in the short term than the other two types.

Apple's 30-percent commission fee was modified in 2016 to allow subscriptions lasting longer than a year to be charged a lower 15-percent rate. Macquarie notes this worked for some time to keep apps with subscriptions on the store, but the decisions of Spotify and Netflix to move away from it is seen as a test of how far they can take it.

Apple could retaliate against Netflix for the move, the analyst note adds, as some of Netflix's tests do include in-app links to subscribe elsewhere, which Apple could argue violates the terms of the App Store. While Apple's guidelines do not prohibit web-based service sign-ups, it does not allow apps to direct users to sign up via a service's website.

Even so, the regulatory and legal pressures may limit Apple's response to the move, leaving the video streaming app to continue with its trial.

It is thought these two pressures could influence Apple's response, due to Apple's existing music subscription service alongside a rumored video streaming offering. As these would directly compete with Netflix, Spotify, and other major subscription services, and are naturally not affected by the App Store commission, taking its competitors to task could draw unwanted attention from regulators, or a lawsuit.

The competitive pressure also arrives in the form of Google Play, as Netflix's app has already disabled in-app subscription sign-ups on Android since May.

The trial could have a "modest" impact on Netflix's revenue, Macquarie speculates, with it increasing by one percent across the 2019 financial year, but only if Netflix can drive all sign-ups outside of the iOS ecosystem.

The analysts suggest the trial is an early step to "prevent any drags" on international streaming average revenue per user (ARPU), with international subscriber growth thought to be still in the middle of the S-curve.

The trial is unlikely to arrive in the U.S. anytime soon, as Macquarie believes there isn't much long-term benefit to be gained, due to its existing subscriber base, unless the company can come up with a way to tempt current iOS subscribers to re-subscribe directly to avoid Apple's charges.

The firm adds that the "under penetrations of iPhones abroad presents less risk" for Netflix to perform its trials outside the US, then if a similar decision was made at the height of Netflix's U.S. growth.

Even with the potential financial benefit from the trial, the analysts also suggest there could be a "downside risk" if Netflix were to make the changes permanent, as this could drag down on mobile sign-ups. According to the firm's data, approximately 35 percent of all of Netflix's sign-ups are performed through app stores on smartphones and tablets. </span>

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Fortnite 5.30 Update Update Is Live With New Patch Notes

Posted: 23 Aug 2018 07:40 AM PDT

Epic is getting ready to roll out another update for Fortnite. Patch v5.30 is slated to arrive for all platforms--PS4, Xbox One, PC, Switch, and mobile--tomorrow, August 23, and it will introduce another new item in Battle Royale mode. [Update: The new patch is live, bringing with it the Rift-to-Go and more.]

As usual, the update will be preceded by a round of maintenance, which is scheduled to begin early in the morning at 1 AM PT / 4 AM ET / 9 AM BST. Epic hasn't estimated how long the maintenance will last, but during this time servers will be taken offline, so you won't be able to jump into any Battle Royale matches until the maintenance period is complete.

Epic also hasn't confirmed what new item will be available as part of the 5.30 update, but Fortnite's in-game New Updates feed lists one called the Rift-to-Go as "coming soon," hinting that it will be tomorrow's addition to the game's growing arsenal. Its accompanying description reads: "A rift you carry in your pocket! Teleport above your current location and glide down."

In the meantime, players only have a little more time to take part in Fortnite's most recent limited-time modes, Soaring 50s and Sniper Shootout. Both are scheduled to end on August 23, making this your last chance to participate in either before they leave the rotation. Soaring 50s is a new take on 50v50 mode with many more Launch Pads, Boost Pads, and Impulse Grenades, while Sniper Shootout only features one type of weapon: sniper rifles.

While Fortnite's new update is on the way very soon, the next batch of weekly challenges will arrive a little later than usual. Epic announced on Twitter that Week 7's challenges will roll out on Friday, August 24, instead of Thursday like they normally do. The developer didn't explain the reason for this delay. Until then, you can find guides for all of the missions available in the game right now in our complete Season 5 challenge guide.

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