Ring doorbells are (burning) hot
Ring has sold millions of doorbell and smart home cameras, enabling do-it-yourselfers to enjoy inexpensive substitutes to security systems. The company, however has recalled 350,000 units sold between June and October. If the doorbells are installed with the wrong type of screws, the battery can catch fire. So far nearly two dozen front door fires have been reported. CNET
dis-rup-shun: The DIY (do-it-yourself) smart home products market is hot, as people can quickly and inexpensively add useful technologies to their lives. The problem, of course, with letting people do things themselves, is that they are free to do things wrong which, in this case, leads to a fire and, consequently, very dissatisfied customers.
Chipotle opens online only restaurant
Imagine a restaurant that does not offer a serving line, tables or places to dine. The new online only Chipotle in Highland Falls, NY, does not accommodate walk-in business, but is made to serve online orders for pickup only. CNET
dis-rup-shun: The new world of digital living continues to rapidly adjust to the pandemic. Despite the possibilities that a vaccine will end the pandemic sometime in mid to late 2021, the online shopping economy that has thrived will continue to do so. Whole Foods has developed similar shopper-less grocery stores. Amazon Prime trucks are rolling through neighborhoods seven days a week. Expect to see an increased emphasis on online order fulfillment.
How Apple’s new chips can change the computing experience
Earlier this year, Apple starting shipping computers that are run not by Intel’s microprocessors, but by Apple’s own M1 chipset that it spent ten years developing. How will that change the computing experience? For Mac users, the computer is likely to become much more like an iPhone or iPad, likely driven by app icons, always including touchscreens, with longer batter life, higher performance and possibly lower prices. CNET
dis-rup-shun: What seems like a fairly insignificant change — using a different microprocessor in its computers — could lead to the greatest differences in computing in the Windows world and the Mac world. By really changing the interface of the computer, making it much more continuous across the Apple product line, Apple could lead many more people to leave the Windows world for Macintosh. The losers here, of course, are both Intel and Microsoft, and an additional winner could be Google as it benefits from chaos by pushing, even harder, Chromebooks during a time of transition.
Cord cutter’s guide to choosing the best service
If you haven’t yet cut the cord, you will want to make sure your new streaming service offers live local channel access as well as your favorite specialized channels, such as ESPNU, the Golf Channel, or National Geographic. CNET‘s guide to streaming services, complete with price comparisons, makes that easy.
dis-rup-shun: To get what you want, you will likely be paying at least $65 before adding Netflix, Disney + or other subscriptions, and rumor has it that when you go to quit your pay TV provider, they may come close to matching this price with a leaner bundle. Then, of course, one has to factor in the set top box rental fees and the purchase of streaming media devices to add to existing TVs, before an apples to apples comparison is complete.