Good artists borrow, Great artists steal feature ideas from du jour app.
That may well be the common mantra of consumer technology companies, some of which have well-documented copying habits. This week, it’s by Spotify turn. While not really in Silicon Valley, geographically Spotify is definitely a tech giant. It’s of the world biggest music streaming serviceit has spent more than a billion dollars building out its podcast business (which is currently undergoing a strategic change), and it says it is approaching $40 billion in payouts to artists.
It’s also known for having a humorously cluttered app, and on Wednesday the company unveiled a new design that is said to make exploring easier. “Spotify now has different feeds for discovering songs, podcasts, and audiobooks, presenting an interface that is half TikTok endless scrolling and half Instagram stories,” said WIRED’s Amanda Hoover write. Yes, it’s Spotify’s TikTok variation.
Your inbox doesn’t have to be like mine (inundated with pitches of new technology) to know that TikToking apps is real. Google has implemented more Intuitive, limitless search results. YouTube has short videos. Meta has retooled its algorithms to mandate Stories for Instagram users, and it now allows cross-posting Stories on both IG and Facebook. Pinterest has a Watch tab for short videos. And it’s not just the big tech companies that do it. Gen Z video dating app Snacksfor one, described as a mix of Tinder and TikTok.
Foam for TikTok-like feeds is currently only foamed by apps that use it ChatGPT to… well, who knows. Does anyone know exactly what the long-term plan for these chatbots is? Microsoft, Salesforce, Snap—all “integrated” with ChatGPT. Last year, app makers came up with new strategies for the metaverse, Web3, crypto, and NFT, and prominent venture capitalists backed them. This year, the buzz phrase is “creative AI,” a technology so powerful that calling it “chatbot” seems dangerously simple. One of the world’s largest social experiments—how we interact with technology and how it affects our humanity—is starting to look like a Mad Libs game, in which regulators Tech executives rush to fill in the blanks and hope that the end result won’t happen. It sounds completely pointless.
Silicon Valley’s collective FOMO is not a new phenomenon. Remember when Apple launched the music social network? When Google tried to drive the Wave? When Reddit launched a Clubhouse competitor? When Twitter has a newsletter? Whether driven by old-fashioned inspiration or formal FOMO, the end goal is often to keep users engaged with their app and only their app. Or to further develop a transformative technology. Usually both. Sometimes, you can’t blame them for trying.
Other times, though, Silicon Valley’s FOMO has bigger consequences than a tailored home feed or a gimmicky chatbot. Just ask any of the thousands of tech employees who were recently laid off because their CEO’s pet X pivot project was deemed unnecessary. The new FOMO is about “focusing”: who can streamline, maximize, optimize better than the next tech company. Cutting enough departments, cutting enough middle managers, handing it over to artificial intelligence, and cheers from Wall Street could drown out the uncomfortable perception that the same strategy for apps is currently working. applied to human resources.
Find your airport Uber just got easier
If you’ve ever wanted to recount your steps after a long flight, there’s always… Uber. Calling a ride from the airport often means navigating a maze of stations, levels, and garages just to find your Uber driver. (And while that’s frustrating for a weary traveler with luggage, it’s a nightmare for those with mobility difficulties.)
Uber says it’s currently addressing this issue by introducing walk-time estimates for airports and providing step-by-step, photo-complete navigation that directs people to ride-sharing services within the airport. airport. The initial rollout will include instructions at select terminals at 30 airports globally, including Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco, Delhi, London , Madrid, Mexico City, Paris, Rome and Sao Paulo. Uber has timed the feature release through spring break, because the Transportation Security Administration predicts spring break travel will return to pre-pandemic levels, and because we know what people are saying. spring break riders are most interested in navigating soberly from Terminal 2 to Garage 3 and without inconveniencing their Uber driver.
Apple Music is serving Tar
I listen to a lot of classical music at work; not because I’m an expert on the genre, but because my brain doesn’t process words well (typing) while processing other words (lyrics). Most of that listening happens on Spotify—but Apple’s new app might interest me. On March 28, the company will launch a companion app to apple music which is dedicated to classical music. It’s called Apple Music Classical, and it’ll be included in the $10-per-month subscription fee to Apple’s existing music service, or offered as part of Apple’s pricier cloud plan.
Classical music doesn’t seem to be, ahem, key part of Apple Music, as classical makes up a small portion of all music streams. But Apple signaled its intent to control the orchestra a few years ago when it acquired a classical music service called Primephonic, called ArsTechnica. write. Primephonic has created a search function that allows users to search for alternative spellings of the names of composers or performances by specific artists. It also creates a payment structure where payments are based on how long a track is played—an important consideration when tracks are 20 minutes long—versus how many times a track is played.
