The Daily Crunch 09/21/16 The craziest Apple acquisition rumor since Beats, and Google dancing on privacy's grave, but maybe it's worth it? All that and more in The Daily Crunch for September 21, 2016. And if you're still doing math manually, I have good news. 1. Apple talking to McLaren Apple is in talks with McLaren, to potentially buy the supercar maker outright. That sounds crazy, but so did the Beats acquisition before it became a real thing. FT reports that at the very least, there could be a strategic investment coming out of the talks. Apple has long been rumored to be eyeing a dance partner for its rumored car project, and McLaren could be a relative steal for building in some car smarts. Still, it really does seem like an unlikely move for Cupertino. 2. Google says 'Allo Google's smart messaging app, with a built-in Google Assistant weak AI bot, is now available in the U.S. on Android and iOS. The thing is clever and fun to use, but privacy critics including Snowden aren't impressed by the fact that the app stores your data by default. Classic privacy-vs-functionality debate rehashed once again. 3. Twitter's feeling presidential Twitter's TV turn continues with a deal to stream all the U.S. Presidential and Vice Presidential debates. Arguably, Twitter is one of the reasons Trump ruined this election, so maybe it can redeem itself by showing him facing off with an actual intelligent human being. 4. GoPro goes full bro Listen GoPro, listen Nick Woodman – ease up on the bro branding. This whole unveil event felt like a parody of a Mountain Dew commercial from 2002. But the new GoPros, and in particular the drone, which has a built-in handheld gimbal, seem pretty cool. 5. The fed's self-driving car rules will live or die on data-sharing The Department of Transportation has revealed its self-driving car policy for the first time, and there's a lot of it – around 100 pages or so. But the main sticking point will be how much data it wants companies working in the space to not only collect, but also share, potentially even with competitors. Bitter pill for private industry to swallow, if it turns out they want more sharing than companies are comfortable with. 6. Tesla's car is getting AC tech that could save your dog or baby Tesla's new Autopilot features start rolling out today, but alongside that there's an overhaul for Model S and X car software in general. The new features include a smart AC function that will automatically regulate temperature to keep them from reaching dangerously high levels. Saving babies and dogs since 2016, nice work Tesla. 7. Math is easy I hate math, but my phone can do it all now, including handwritten equations. Screw you math – we beat you, it's over. |