zoetmb
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Disney+ to hike prices, introduce ad-supported tier in December
This is just greed. Disney+ already generates about $11b in subscriber revenue that they don’t have to share with theaters or international distributors. That’s far more than they ever made from theatrical. Do they really want to match Netflix for the percentage of people who are canceling?
In spite of owning the former 20th C Fox (although only the post-1984(?) library, there isn’t really all that much content there. After your kids watch all the Marvel, Pixar and Star Wars films for the umpteenth time, there’s not much else.I predict huge cancellation levels. Disney’s CEO seems intent on destroying the company. The parks are becoming an overcrowded and vastly overpriced disaster and their biggest fans are getting really pissed off.
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Apple kept Ben Stiller in the dark over 'Severance' viewership
Apple doesn’t provide unit numbers anymore on their quarterly reports, but they do provide revenue numbers (not by model, but by product line) and by applying an average price to those numbers, one can reasonably calculate approximate units.macgui said:
Yes, they don't want competition to know their numbers. It's just Cook saying 'We've had the best season ever... We've sold the most [insert various Apple products here]. They give some figures during their quarterly report but lump several products or categories together with no individual breakdowns.JonyArhendts said:Apple is claiming privacy for a reason…
It should be no surprise that nobody outside of Apple, is going to get hard numbers returned where competition is keenly felt. Apple may not be a key player in the streaming business, lacking a catalog of shows equal to Netflix or HBO. That's a good reason for keeping there inside baseball inside. Maybe they don't want their content providers thinking "I can do better at HBO" or whoever.
But I think Stiller realizes that it's not really Apple kept Stiller in the dark but that Apple keeps everybody in the dark. The Ted Lasso camp probably doesn't get those numbers either, but I think they're ok with that.As for AppleTV, it is buried in “Services”, but industry estimates put them at 25 to 40 million subscribers vs. 130m for Disney+.As for the info that producers get, it should be no surprise because it was probably spelled out in the production contract. Since there’s no advertising, demographic data isn’t all that relevant. Would Stiller change the story if he knew that it was mainly 30-somethings watching the show vs. 50-somethings?
The show got renewed so it obviously means Apple considered the show positively. Even Apple doesn’t really know which shows drive subs. -
Apple Card's explosive growth blamed for Goldman Sachs troubles
I’ve disputed a few transactions electronically and in a few cases, spoke to someone and have had no problems whatsoever. The charges were removed immediately pending further investigation and eventually were permanently removed.Most were charges on the NYC subway where the turnstile didn’t accept the ApplePay, but charged me anyway, sometimes twice. One was at the airport where I “bought” a fast pass, but there was no fast line. And one, early on, was a bogus charge at a pet supplies store near me, but I don’t own a pet and have never shopped in that store.I was asked for more documentation on some of the disputes.Other than that, no issues at all. Perhaps the mistake people are making is not disputing electronically first. -
Nikon done with DSLR, focusing on mirrorless digital cameras
The Nikkei article is garbage journalism that quotes no sources. While it has been quite obvious for some time that Nikon was not going to release any new DSLR’s or F-mount lenses, they are not yet leaving that business.The D6, D780, D3500, D850 and D7500 are all in stock at NikonUSA.
The way that you tell when something is beginning the end-of-life process at Nikon is when it’s discontinued in Japan. Of the above five cameras, only the D3500 is discontinued in Japan.Year to date from Japanese companies, DSLR’s have a 36.4% unit share (of DSLR + mirrorless), but only a 16.5% shipped value share, according to CIPA.But especially compared to the smartphone market, the entire removable lens photography market is small enough to be a rounding era. YTD, only 748,000 DSLR’s, 1.3 million mirrorless, and 3.6 million lenses have been shipped by Japanese companies worldwide.
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Simply Mac bankruptcy: Who to call, what happened, and why
Dealer margins have been cut to almost nothing by almost everyone. These companies don’t seem to believe in the age of e-commerce that they need the retailers.Back in the 1970’s, I sold audio equipment for a NYC-area department store chain. If a customer bought a system (turntable, amp or receiver and speakers), we automatically gave them a 30% discount. That would be impossible today. Wholesale was generally 50% of list.In the 80’s, I worked for a publisher and we developed for Apple ][ (and Commodore, IBM and Radio Shack). In addition to the free hardware Apple would send, we could buy additional hardware for 50% of list. I believe that was also the wholesale price in those days.Most other companies have put the squeeze on retail margins in recent decades, including Sony and Nikon. That’s one of the reasons there are so few independent photo and electronics independent retailers left. Those that have survived have done so by selling extended warranties and accessories like cables that are still high margin.One NYC chain now devotes about 25% of its floor space to mattresses, which are also still high margin.I don’t blame Apple for pushing its own retail and its own e-store. But it has pissed me off royally that end users can no longer replace/upgrade the battery, storage and memory in Mac laptops like we used to be able to do. For a company that claims to be Green and environmentally conscious, in this regard it’s quite the opposite.Apple wants $600 to replace the battery in my MBP (late 2016). There’s no reason why memory and storage can’t be plug and play as it used to be.
