Technology - Google News

Samsung’s new mid-range phone trades headphone jack for thinner waistline - SamMobile

Posted: 24 Sep 2021 12:17 PM PDT

Here's a question: What do you think those buying a mid-range smartphone will be more interested in when it comes to choosing between a headphone jack and the thickness of a device? I'm assuming most of you think a headphone jack will be the clear winner, even if it comes at the expense of a slightly increased waistline.

But apparently Samsung India doesn't think so. The company's new Galaxy M52 5G has gone official in Poland and Germany, and it stands out for not just being an almost exact replica of the Galaxy A52s 5G as far as the spec sheet is concerned, but also for lacking a 3.5mm headphone port.

While neither Samsung Poland nor Samsung Germany boast about the phone's sleek profile, Samsung India does. And you know what? There's a high chance the company will use the sleek profile of the phone as an excuse for cutting out the headphone jack, but I'm not sure too many people will buy that excuse or accept the trade-off.

This wouldn't be the first time Samsung would do this. The Galaxy M40, released back in 2019, was Samsung's cheapest mid-range phone at the time that didn't have a headphone jack. When we asked Samsung why such an important feature was missing, we were told the company wanted to make a sleek phone and that left no space for a 3.5mm connector.

However, this seems more like a trick to keep the Galaxy A52s 5G desirable after the Galaxy M52 5G goes on sale. After all, the M52 5G is highly likely to cost less than the A52s 5G, just like every other M-series rebrand of an A-series phone. But cutting out a feature so many buyers look for in the mid-range and budget segment could be a great way to make sure the M52 5G doesn't completely destroy the sales of the A52s 5G.

Still, it's the customer that ends up paying the price in the long run. Instead of just having a single device that has it all, Samsung insists on making two versions with very few differences, and it's very frustrating. Fingers crossed the company will see sense at some point instead of continuing down this road, or those who it seeks to convert into customers might just end up converting to a different brand instead.

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Apple reportedly told a TV and movie workers’ union its TV Plus had fewer than 20 million subs - The Verge

Posted: 25 Sep 2021 06:44 AM PDT

Apple told the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) that its Apple TV Plus streaming platform had fewer than 20 million subscribers, which allowed it to pay lower rates to IATSE workers than bigger streaming platforms, CNBC reported.

Apple has never publicly released subscriber numbers for its streaming network, which launched in November of 2019. But Apple TV Plus has fewer original shows than larger, more established streaming rivals like Netflix, which said in August it had 209 million subscribers.

"Workers on certain 'new media' streaming projects get paid less, even on productions with budgets that rival or exceed those of traditionally released blockbusters," according to a press release IATSE posted on Tuesday. The release didn't mention any streaming platform by name, but a spokesman told CNBC that Apple claimed under 20 million subscribers in the US and Canada as of July 1st.

The union is preparing for a possible strike after negotiations with production companies have stalled, saying in the release that "the explosion of streaming combined with the pandemic has elevated and aggravated working conditions, bringing 60,000 behind-the-scenes workers covered by these contracts to a breaking point."

Apple TV Plus has several big-budget shows on its roster, including The Morning Show, which stars Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon, and Ted Lasso, its surprise hit comedy about an American coaching an English football club. Ted Lasso had a big showing at the Emmys last week, taking awards for Outstanding Comedy, Lead Actor in a Comedy for star Jason Sudeikis, and supporting acting awards for Brett Goldstein and Hannah Waddingham.

The Morning Show reportedly costs Apple $15 million per episode, and many of Ted Lasso's writers and stars have reportedly negotiated more lucrative contracts for the show's third season. Apple said in July that it had a net profit of $21.7 billion on $81.43 billion in revenue in its third quarter of 2021.

Apple and IATSE didn't immediately respond to requests for comment from The Verge on Saturday. An Apple spokesperson told CNBC that it pays rates comparable to leading streaming services.

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