June 6 2023 - Apple Vision Pro & WWDC Roundup

👋Happy Tuesday everyone. Well, like upfronts week, like earnings, just know the next 2 days are going to be waay too much news about Apple. There's a lot, so we made a separate WWDC rundown section. All that and more below –

Quick Take

• Apple Vision Pro is finally announced (+ a whole lot more)
• Linda Yaccarino officially takes over as CEO of Twitter
• Spotify hit with layoffs, primarily around it's podcasting group (again)

Spotify is cutting around 200 roles from its podcast division "as part of a strategic realignment." Two of its high-profile podcasting studios, Parcast and Gimlet, will be combined into a single Spotify Studios operation. While the company plans to expand its analytics capabilities and beef up its advertising offerings, it has made three rounds of cuts to its podcasting division in the past 12 months.

Linda Yaccarino has officially taken over as the CEO of Twitter. Yaccarino's start date came sooner than expected, and her focus will be on business operations while Musk shifts his attention to product design and new technology. Twitter's recent financial results showed a significant decline in ad revenue, down 59% year-over-year. Ad sales constitute a substantial portion of the company's revenue. Yaccarino's appointment is expected to bolster ad sales and restore confidence, but her challenge will be managing Musk's tendency for disruptive behavior within the company.

Pixar has reportedly conducted a rare round of layoffs, with 75 people, including director Angus MacLane and producer Galyn Susman, both of whom were involved in the movie "Lightyear." MacLane had been at Pixar for more than two decades, serving as an animator on classics like “Toy Story 2,” “The Incredibles” and “Finding Nemo.” He co-directed the 2016 sequel “Finding Dory” before his first solo directorial feature film “Lightyear”. Susman, known for her pivotal role in saving "Toy Story 2" from being lost, was also let go. The layoffs come during a time of restructuring for the Walt Disney Company and is one of the largest layoffs at Pixar since 2013 when around 60 employees were let go during the release of "The Good Dinosaur."

Wall Street is scaling back their bets on the Fed making large interest-rate cuts this year due to the persistent strength in the economy, potentially impacting support for the 2023 rally. The Federal Reserve is expected to keep interest rates unchanged at its June meeting, but there is heavy debate about its moves for the rest of the year.

Apple has announced a new augmented reality headset called Apple Vision Pro, which blends the real and digital worlds. The device will start at $3,499 and launch early next year, featuring a separate battery pack. It is primarily an AR device but can switch between augmented and full virtual reality using a dial, and the headset masks and strap are cloth-lined and modular.

tvOS 17 update will bring a new FaceTime app to Apple TV which will use the camera on an iPhone or iPad to enable video calls on the TV. The app will feature the same effects as the phone version of FaceTime, and will also include SharePlay, allowing friends and family to watch movies and TV shows together on a split-screen display. Developers will also be able to integrate Apple's Continuity Camera API to support their own video calling apps.

iPhone Users will soon have the ability to leave video voicemails via FaceTime, making it easier to leave a message when a friend doesn't answer a call. Additionally, Apple is adding live transcription for voicemails, allowing users to see the transcribed message on their home screen. Users can also create personalized "posters" for their contacts, customizing the appearance of incoming call screens with images, fonts, and colors. These contact posters will also be visible on contact cards and during live voicemail transcriptions.

Apple's Vision Pro headset will be powered by a new operating system called visionOS. This operating system enables the overlaying of virtual apps and icons onto the real world, allowing users to navigate through the system using eye tracking, hand gestures, and voice commands. The headset will support various native Apple apps and it can also serve as an external display for Mac computers. Additionally, users will be able to play Apple Arcade games, watch movies, and capture videos using the Vision Pro headset.

There's a new addition to the MacBook Air lineup, featuring a new 15.3-inch display. This marks a significant upgrade from the previous 13-inch models. The company promotes the new MacBook Air as the "world's thinnest" 15-inch laptop, weighing just over three pounds. It boasts up to 18 hours of battery life, a 500-nit brightness level, and a 1080p webcam. Priced at $1,299, the new MacBook Air is available for ordering starting today, and it will be available for purchase next week.

Apple has introduced a new journaling app called Journal. The app allows iPhone users to log their daily activities and will be released on iOS 17, expected to roll out in September. Journal utilizes on-device machine learning to provide personalized suggestions for journal entries based on information from contacts, pictures, music, workouts, location data, and more. The app offers end-to-end encryption and privacy features, allowing users to lock and conceal their journals.

StandBy mode, a new feature, turns the iPhone's screen into a smart home-like display when the device is horizontally tilted while charging, showing important information like the time and date.

Apple announced watchOS 10 reintroducing widgets to the Apple Watch, allowing users to access quick information by scrolling through a widget stack using the digital crown. The Health app now includes features for logging moods, taking assessment quizzes for anxiety and depression risk levels, and analyzing lifestyle factors. Fitness-related additions include new cycling features, trail and waypoint information for hikers, and custom Fitness Plus plans. The Health app also incorporates vision health tracking and medication reminders. Integration with other Apple devices brings features like NameDrop, FaceTime video message playback, and Group FaceTime audio to the Apple Watch.

Disney CEO Bob Iger announced that Disney+ will be available on Apple's new Apple Vision Pro at its launch. This integration will allow users to have immersive and personalized experiences with Disney's content. The partnership between Apple and Disney is significant as it offers content that Meta has not been able to secure for its own Quest VR headsets.

• Walt Disney Pictures has at least 50 live-action adaptations of Disney's animated classics in the pipeline, including Moana, Hercules, Lilo and Stitch, and Snow White. Disney's intention is to make the stories less retrograde and more diverse. The Lion King prequel, Mufasa, directed by Oscar winner Barry Jenkins, is due out in 2024, and restarting the five-film Pirates of the Caribbean series is another priority.
• Publicis Groupe's digital business transformation company, Publicis Sapient, has acquired Corra, a leading ecommerce company recognized by Adobe. The deal will augment Publicis Sapient's existing expertise in commerce solutions and extend its offerings in digital and omnichannel commerce, while Corra will bring dedicated resources that span many of Publicis Sapient's SPEED capabilities.
• Debra Crew has officially taken on the role of CEO at Diageo, the beverage maker, a month early due to the unexpected emergency surgery of outgoing leader Ivan Menezes.
• Hollywood performers are seeking a new deal over the use of AI 'digital doubles', fearing that artificial intelligence could cause them to lose control of their image while making writers obsolete. Unions are raising concerns that the technology could reduce the need for actors and stunt performers in some cases, and are calling for them to retain control over the digital versions of themselves.
• FutureBrand has helped to create the new brand identity for Revvity, positioning the company as a pioneer in human potential expansion through science. FutureBrand developed all touchpoints for how the brand would appear in the world, starting with the name 'Revvity,' which combines 'revolutionise' and 'vita' (meaning 'life' in Latin).

• The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has filed 13 charges against Binance, accusing the cryptocurrency exchange of mishandling billions of dollars worth of customer funds and lying to regulators and investors about its operations. The SEC's lawsuit alleges that Binance mixed customer funds and secretly sent them to a separate company controlled by Binance's founder, Changpeng Zhao, and misled investors about the adequacy of its systems to detect and control manipulative trading.

• Production company The Garage has opened a new studio in Guadalajara, Mexico, called FFFRAME, which is co-owned by The Garage, Ool Digital, and Mango Films. The aim of FFFRAME is to create a Mexican production hub for visual storytellers, capitalizing on the combined tabletop, live action, and postproduction resources available in the city as well as the favorable exchange rate between US and Mexican currencies.
• Google has initiated an open beta for passkeys on its Workspace accounts, which allows over nine million organizations to enable users to sign in using passkeys instead of passwords.
• Zoom has introduced the ability to use AI to generate summaries of missed meetings and send them to users through Zoom Team Chat or email. Hosts can generate summaries of meetings using the AI-powered Zoom IQ assistant feature, offering a faster way to get a recap of anything missed, as opposed to watching a prerecorded meeting. Additionally, Zoom is launching the ability to compose messages in Team Chat using AI, which also allows users to customize the tone or length of a message before sending it.

• The European Union has urged tech giants, including Facebook and Google, to label their content and images generated by artificial intelligence to combat fake news and disinformation from Russia. The EU is asking for AI content to be labelled in a meaningful way that will register with users while scrolling. At the same time, the union has warned Twitter that it faces “swift” sanctions if it does not comply with new digital content laws that come into effect across the bloc on August 25.

• iOS 17 can suggest recipes for similar dishes from a photo on your iPhone
• We Are Social appoints global head of gaming division
• Multitasking Is Making You Worse at Everything
• Multiple subreddits and moderators are protesting Reddit’s API changes
• Essence Celebrates Diversity and Self-Love with Roblox Gaming Experience
• Studio Ghibli to release Hayao Miyazaki’s final film with no trailers or promotion
• A new report reveals that AI was responsible for nearly 4,000 job cuts
• Google has introduced an AI-powered search feature for Gmail that will make searching emails quicker and easier

As always, send us feedback at: thebrandtrackers@gmail.com