Content

1. Unblocking numbers
2. Doomed Netflix
3. About Apple and ARM
4. More than just a trade war
5. Conclusion

Unblocking numbers

I learned about an interesting option. If you call any emergency service, Samsung then disables blocking all numbers for 2 hours. This is done so that they can definitely get through to you.

Doomed Netflix

We live in truly incredible times. At first, Tesla shares rose sky-high. And now Netflix has announced that it has made money for once. And not just earned, but the cash flow remained positive! That is, after the cost of content production, Netflix has a whole billion and 60 million dollars left. And the company even said that it would not collect new debts for now, as it was doing quite well with its own funds. This historic event required nothing at all: quarantine the whole world, banning them from going out.

Netflix expects cash flow to be positive for the entire current year. However, it is too early to rejoice, and the company is still unprofitable. The current situation has developed due to the coronavirus, due to which the filming of new content has been frozen. Netflix itself admits this and in a call dedicated to the results of the quarter, rushed to reassure everyone, saying that next year it will start production rapidly and there will be losses again.

By the way, Netflix would sooner start filming again. It is already known that the new season of “The Witcher” is unlikely to be released on time, like a number of other promising series.

I may sound an unpopular thought, but unfortunately it is becoming clear that Netflix is ​​doomed. Netflix currently has 193 million subscribers worldwide. I suppose it wouldn’t be a mistake to say that all potential clients signed up for Netflix during the quarantine. And, apparently, if a person has not connected a subscription while sitting at home, then it is unlikely that he will ever pay for the product at all. That is, Netflix has reached a conditional maximum. Of course, the subscription base will continue to grow. But not at the same pace as before. In the past quarter, Netflix signed 10 million people, in the third quarter it expects to increase the subscriber base by only 3 million. At the same time, as already mentioned above, the company confidently declares that next year it will again be unprofitable due to content production. Simply put, Netflix has publicly admitted that its current business model is not working. And this despite the latest rise in subscription prices. Now we have to wait for investors to recognize this and the shares will go downhill.

The company needs to look for new ways to monetize. Give up principles by integrating advertising and product placement, because otherwise you can stay without the Witcher.

However, Henry Cavill (the performer of the role of The Witcher) was a little disappointing. Recently, on his Instagram, he posted a video on how to assemble a gaming computer. But it is clear to any idiot that the real Geralt of Rivia would buy himself a PlayStation. Because it is at work Geralt “bothers”, and in moments of rest he is a hedonist. And what real hedonist will buy a gaming PC, and even build it himself ?!

About Apple and ARM

I noticed that I see quite a lot of criticism regarding Apple’s decision to transfer computers to ARM architecture. At the same time, they somehow do not pay attention to the fact that the transition to ARM is not a whim, but a vital condition.

The whole logic of Apple’s existence fits into the “Think Different” slogan and detachment from competitors. This manifests itself in any product and service of the company. Apple is constantly trying to move as far as possible from the crowd of competitors, thus showing that it is not with them. You can even take the so far ridiculous Apple Tv service. With its launch, the company promised not serials, fun and “zalipon”, but some special stories from the best people. For example, the typical action movie Extraction with Chris Hemsworth was released last month on Netflix (I liked it and I recommend you watch it). Netflix reported that the film was watched by 99 million people, making it one of the most successful films of the year. However, for all its success, such a movie would never have been released on Apple TV. Because it’s a dumb mediocre story that’s no good for the mind or the heart. Something like a film adaptation of Isaac Asimov may come out on Apple TV. Everything is there in this sense. Whether Apple will make a box office release or not remains a mystery. But the essence of the idea and approach should be understood.

The ARM-based MacBook follows a similar path. Apple is trying to make a computer that will be as different as possible from existing solutions on the market. The reason is very simple. You can put any price on a unique product, and they will buy it, because there are no analogues. And if Apple can deliver decent performance and comfort, then the future ARM-based MacBook will be a unique hit for its combination of size, weight, performance, and battery life. And once again it will be deposited in the minds of people that there are laptops and there are MacBooks.

More than just a trade war

Two words about Huawei

In Echo # 3, we discussed an interview with Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, in which he suggested that “the conflict between the US and China has shown that the era of globalization is over. The current confrontation is not something that will end in a month or two and everything will be the same. Each country begins to ask the question: “What is my advantage if there is a certain company operating on my territory that receives all the bonuses and almost does not bear any responsibility?” According to Nadella, the world has entered the stage of economic nationalism. ”

Current events have shown that he is absolutely right. It all started with a confrontation with Huawei, but now we can say that hostilities are taking place on all fronts. By the way, speaking of Huawei, the war is far from over, but if at first the battle was on an equal footing, now the United States is clearly winning. Huawei has lost a significant battle over 5G in the UK. We can say that politics won out over technology. All new equipment from Huawei will be banned from the end of this year. Accordingly, operators will have to abandon cooperation with Huawei in the deployment of 5G. If I may put it that way, Britain is shooting itself in the foot. Analysts estimate that what is happening could delay the arrival of 3G in the country by 5 years. But the problem is much deeper, since the operators also have 2G, 3G and 4G equipment from Huawei. The law is merciful, and the already installed equipment can not be changed, but it also needs to be maintained. And how to do this if you cannot import anything from Huawei? The Financial Times drew a traditional cartoon on this matter.

The fact that what was happening was not planned is evidenced by the fact that Vodafone (the third largest operator in the country) asked to postpone the auction on frequencies for 5G. Nick Jeffrey, CEO of Vodafone UK, says the telecom ROI is one of the lowest in the world. And the company is experiencing certain difficulties, since it is necessary to replace the equipment of Huawei, while the latter is not eager to give money. Here, of course, we do not know the terms of the contract. It is likely that Huawei, by providing the lowest possible price, in exchange fixed something in its favor in the contract.

And, of course, not only telecom operators will suffer. For example, Internet providers also used Huawei equipment. However, they have another 2 years before the complete ban on cooperation with Huawei.

In response, China is considering an option to punish Nokia and Ericsson as representatives of the European Union in the Chinese market. Nokia has rather weak positions in China, but Ericsson will be upset completely. The company works closely with all the leading operators in the country.

TikTok

But I brought up the trade war because of TikTok. I consider this Chinese application the most dangerous in the world. There is some kind of enticing game going on. Open up and hop! – the video goes one by one, you scroll automatically. It seems that I did not really look at anything, but the hour of time disappeared. The most unpleasant thing is that I directly feel how my brain really likes what is happening on the screen: fun, bright, perky, fast, there is no need to strain. Perhaps, I’m exaggerating, but after TikTok it took me about half an hour to focus and thoughtfully read the analytical report with numbers-graphs. I bypass the application side.

In the US, for several months already, they realized the “danger” of TikTok. Although I believe that in the eyes of the US government, the danger of an application is not only in softening the brain of citizens. This is just not so bad. Rather, TikTok is a multi-faceted threat.

To begin with, TiKTok is a direct threat to all social networks. In the United States, as of June 2020, TikTok has about 140 million users, that is, approximately 42% of the total population of the country.

However, it should be understood that TikTok is not a social network in the typical sense. It takes traffic and ad money from Facebook, but is essentially not a competitor.

Second, TikTok actively collects all the information it can. We are talking about geolocation, IP addresses, address books, access to the camera. On the one hand, smartphone operating systems allow limiting the needs of applications, but how many people bother with this? And as a diligent Chinese company, the developer of the ByteDance application, in accordance with the national intelligence law, sends everything where it should be on the first request.

Speaking of data leakage, of course, one cannot but recall Amazon, which ordered its employees to remove TikTok from phones that have access to work email on Amazon. According to The New York Times, Amazon employees were told to remove the app on the same day or their email access would be restricted.

However, Amazon was late, since the US Department of Defense issued a similar order back in December last year.

The third reason for the fight against TikTok is that the application can become a weapon of propaganda and disinformation. It sounds like paranoia, but when 42% (and the number is growing) of countries watch videos that some Chinese algorithm offers them, chances are good that someday they will try to put some idea into them.

Is the US correct in its claims? Absolutely. Is China right that in response to the ban of its companies, it will inflict a symmetrical response (although China has been blocking all Western social networks for so long)? Undoubtedly. This means only one thing – that the escalation of the conflict will continue. Moreover, the further, the more third-party countries will realize what is happening and try to protect their information sovereignty on all fronts.

The requirements of the Russian authorities for the transfer of servers and the pre-installation of domestic applications fit perfectly into the general outline. For me, the most striking example of a new wave of protectionism is France, which in mid-January began to finalize a bill that Netflix, Disney, Amazon, Apple, which are engaged in video streaming, invest at least 25% of the proceeds received in the country in the development of local filmmaking. However, France’s actions fit into the pan-European legal system, which requires 30% of the catalog of streaming platforms to consist of European content. Only recently I was surprised by the abundance of TV series produced in Poland in the Netflix catalog. Apparently, it is cheaper to produce TV series in Poland than in France.

France justifies its claim with the aim of “preserving cultural sovereignty in the digital age.” And Netflix went forward, not waiting for the bill to pass. The company has opened a nice new office in Paris and also announced that it will make 2020 local TV series in 20. At the same time, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings said: “It is a great honor to be working in France with its rich culture and history of storytelling. This office is a sign of our long-term commitment to the country. It will enable us to work even more closely with the French creative community to create great shows and films that will be shot in France and watched around the world. “

Conclusion

I never tire of admiring what a wonderful time we live in. Suddenly I had to rush to Petersburg. Thanks to carsharing and Sapsan, 5 hours (!) After the call, I am already at the right point. And all this with maximum comfort. The air conditioner was already working in the carsharing machines and exactly the music I was listening to was playing, the Sapsan had excellent mobile communications and the Internet, thanks to which I was able to fully work, and the headphones with “noise reduction” turned off all distracting noises at once. I understand it sounds trite. But I can’t help it with delight. All smiles and good mood!

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