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Tuesday, September 17, 2019
NBC's Streaming Service is Called 'Peacock' and Will Exclusively House The Office and Parks & Rec
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NBCUniversal today revealed that the name of its upcoming streaming television service is "Peacock," a reference to the company's logo. The service is still set to launch in April 2020, and NBC also provided more information on the content users will see at launch and beyond (via Vulture).
We knew that Peacock would be getting The Office to stream exclusively, but NBC today revealed that its service will also be the only place you can stream Parks and Recreation starting next fall. Parks and Rec is currently available on a multitude of streaming platforms, including Netflix and Hulu, but come fall 2020 it will be removed from those services.
Former NBC shows on Peacock include: SNL, Cheers, 30 Rock, Frasier, Friday Night Lights, Parenthood, Superstore, Will & Grace, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. There will also be NBCUniversal properties from the USA and Bravo networks.
In terms of movies, NBC said that the service will have dozens of films from the NBCUniversal library, as well as new animated shows from DreamWorks Animation, and episodes of Downton Abbey.
The price hasn't yet been detailed, but NBC said Peacock will be supported by ads, and suggested that anyone who subscribes to a cable package (including OTT services like YouTube TV or Hulu with Live TV) will be able to watch for free. Otherwise, there will be a standalone subscription price, but it's not clear if there will be an ad-free tier.
Essentially, Peacock will be NBC's answer to CBS All Access, which provides subscribers a back catalog of the network's classics and modern TV shows, along with all-new scripted series that are exclusive to the platform.
Streaming TV has become more and more fragmented over the years, with each company, broadcaster, and brand offering a service of its own. Apple is getting into the market itself this year with Apple TV+, which will launch this November for $4.99/month and offer a catalog of exclusive TV shows and films. For anyone who purchases an Apple device, the service will be free for an entire year.
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NBCUniversal today revealed that the name of its upcoming streaming television service is "Peacock," a reference to the company's logo. The service is still set to launch in April 2020, and NBC also provided more information on the content users will see at launch and beyond (via Vulture).
We knew that Peacock would be getting The Office to stream exclusively, but NBC today revealed that its service will also be the only place you can stream Parks and Recreation starting next fall. Parks and Rec is currently available on a multitude of streaming platforms, including Netflix and Hulu, but come fall 2020 it will be removed from those services.
“The name Peacock pays homage to the quality content that audiences have come to expect from NBCUniversal,” said Bonnie Hammer, who’s overseeing the service in her role as chairman of NBC’s direct-to-consumer and digital-enterprises division. And while there was nothing official in the release Tuesday, Hammer seemed to indicate Peacock will also have news and sports content. “Peacock will be the go-to place for both the timely and timeless — from can’t-miss Olympic moments and the 2020 election to classic fan favorites like The Office,” she said.Peacock will also house exclusive original shows, including a reboot of Battlestar Galactica from the creator of Mr. Robot, a Saved by the Bell revival, a Punky Brewster revival, a spin-off of one of The Real Housewives shows, and a new comedy from Mike Schur, creator of The Good Place.
Former NBC shows on Peacock include: SNL, Cheers, 30 Rock, Frasier, Friday Night Lights, Parenthood, Superstore, Will & Grace, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. There will also be NBCUniversal properties from the USA and Bravo networks.
In terms of movies, NBC said that the service will have dozens of films from the NBCUniversal library, as well as new animated shows from DreamWorks Animation, and episodes of Downton Abbey.
The price hasn't yet been detailed, but NBC said Peacock will be supported by ads, and suggested that anyone who subscribes to a cable package (including OTT services like YouTube TV or Hulu with Live TV) will be able to watch for free. Otherwise, there will be a standalone subscription price, but it's not clear if there will be an ad-free tier.
Essentially, Peacock will be NBC's answer to CBS All Access, which provides subscribers a back catalog of the network's classics and modern TV shows, along with all-new scripted series that are exclusive to the platform.
Streaming TV has become more and more fragmented over the years, with each company, broadcaster, and brand offering a service of its own. Apple is getting into the market itself this year with Apple TV+, which will launch this November for $4.99/month and offer a catalog of exclusive TV shows and films. For anyone who purchases an Apple device, the service will be free for an entire year.
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Can't update iPhone? Here's what to do if iOS 13 won't install
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Trying and failing to update to iOS 13 on your iPhone? There are a variety of reasons why your iPhone won't update, from no WiFi, not having enough space, incompatibility, and more. Find out what you need to do if you have problems when updating your iPhone software.
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Trying and failing to update to iOS 13 on your iPhone? There are a variety of reasons why your iPhone won't update, from no WiFi, not having enough space, incompatibility, and more. Find out what you need to do if you have problems when updating your iPhone software.
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Google Schedules Launch Event for October 14; Pixel 4, Pixel 4 XL, Pixelbook 2 Expected
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Amazon Music Adds Lossless Streaming Tier for $14.99/Month ($12.99 for Prime)
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Amazon today introduced a new tier of Amazon Music, called Amazon Music HD, which offers lossless versions of audio files for streaming or downloading. This tier will cost $14.99/month, or $12.99/month for Amazon Prime members (via The Verge).
Amazon is offering a catalog of over 50 million songs in "High Definition," which are songs with CD-quality bit depth of 16 bits and a 44.1kHz sample rate. Then, there are "millions" of songs in Ultra HD, meaning they have 24-bit and sample rates that range from 44.1kHz up to 192kHz.
All of these songs will be delivered in a lossless FLAC file format. Amazon is hoping that being the first of the so-called big three streaming music services (Amazon Music, Apple Music, and Spotify) to offer lossless streaming will win some converts. Tidal has always offered lossless streaming as one of its main selling points, but its price is $19.99/month, which Amazon is now undercutting.
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Amazon today introduced a new tier of Amazon Music, called Amazon Music HD, which offers lossless versions of audio files for streaming or downloading. This tier will cost $14.99/month, or $12.99/month for Amazon Prime members (via The Verge).
Amazon is offering a catalog of over 50 million songs in "High Definition," which are songs with CD-quality bit depth of 16 bits and a 44.1kHz sample rate. Then, there are "millions" of songs in Ultra HD, meaning they have 24-bit and sample rates that range from 44.1kHz up to 192kHz.
All of these songs will be delivered in a lossless FLAC file format. Amazon is hoping that being the first of the so-called big three streaming music services (Amazon Music, Apple Music, and Spotify) to offer lossless streaming will win some converts. Tidal has always offered lossless streaming as one of its main selling points, but its price is $19.99/month, which Amazon is now undercutting.
Amazon’s VP of Music, Steve Boom says that “It’s a pretty big deal that one of the big three global streaming services is doing this — we’re the first one.” Amazon Music isn’t often in the conversation about music streaming competition, which usually ends up following a Spotify vs. Apple Music narrative. But Amazon considers itself in their company, and with the new HD offering it’s looking to differentiate itself and perhaps raise its profile.According to reports from earlier this year, Amazon Music had 32 million subscribers as of April 2019. That compares to the 60 million subscribers gained by Apple Music as of June 2019, and the 100 million Spotify Premium subscribers as of April 2019.
Tags: Amazon, Amazon Music Unlimited
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iPhone 11 Review Roundup: Improved Camera, Battery Life, and Performance Result in the iPhone for 'Just About Everybody'
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The iPhone 11 is set to launch this Friday, September 20, and in advance of that release date the first reviews for the smartphone have begun appearing online. Apple has provided review units of the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max to media outlets, but this article will focus only on the iPhone 11 and you can check out our separate iPhone 11 Pro review roundup right here.
As the lower-cost device, the iPhone 11 lacks some of the hardware and software features of the Pro line, but numerous reviewers pointed out that the line between the 11 and the 11 Pro has blurred even more this year. In short, this will likely be the iPhone that is the best choice for most customers this season.
Wired echoed many of these sentiments, calling it the iPhone for "just about everybody" and applauding the smartphone's camera upgrade, solid battery life, low cost, and the speed of the A13 Bionic processor. The site particularly appreciated Apple's no-nonsense UI design for the camera app, pointing out how this improves the camera as a whole, even if it might not be as good as others on the market.
Image via Wired
The Verge kicked off its review by stating simply, "the iPhone 11 is the phone most people who are upgrading to a new iPhone this year should get." The site particularly liked the iPhone 11's camera upgrade, including the ultra-wide lens and Night Mode. With the upgrades, The Verge said that the iPhone 11 goes so far as to make photos taken on the iPhone X "look downright bad."
Image via The Verge
Image via Chris Velazco/Engadget
Engadget also favors the 6.1-inch display size of the iPhone 11, calling it the sweet spot between the too-small 5.8-inch iPhone 11 Pro and large 6.5-inch iPhone 11 Pro Max. The site also commended the iPhone 11's battery life, which lasted close to 17 hours on average.
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The iPhone 11 is set to launch this Friday, September 20, and in advance of that release date the first reviews for the smartphone have begun appearing online. Apple has provided review units of the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max to media outlets, but this article will focus only on the iPhone 11 and you can check out our separate iPhone 11 Pro review roundup right here.
As the lower-cost device, the iPhone 11 lacks some of the hardware and software features of the Pro line, but numerous reviewers pointed out that the line between the 11 and the 11 Pro has blurred even more this year. In short, this will likely be the iPhone that is the best choice for most customers this season.
Wired echoed many of these sentiments, calling it the iPhone for "just about everybody" and applauding the smartphone's camera upgrade, solid battery life, low cost, and the speed of the A13 Bionic processor. The site particularly appreciated Apple's no-nonsense UI design for the camera app, pointing out how this improves the camera as a whole, even if it might not be as good as others on the market.
It would be a stretch to say that the camera on the iPhone 11 has wowed me or has set a new standard that other phone makers will have to race to match. The iPhone 11 Pro, with its funky three-lens camera module on the back, is noticeably better. But one area where Apple deserves credit is in the overall packaging of its camera features and the design of the app’s interface.Ultimately, Wired noted that the iPhone 11 is an impressive device but Apple hasn't done anything innovative with the base model iPhone this year. The site pointed out last-generation LCD technology, the lack of an in-display fingerprint sensor, and other features, but still described the iPhone 11 as a "very good phone" that will have more than enough features to sway people to upgrade.
Smartphones are now cluttered with so many features that it can be hard to figure out what’s what, which can actively discourage people from trying all the newfangled things. On many premium Android phones, for example, the wide-angle icon is a cluster of—trees? When you select the Pro mode on Samsung’s Galaxy Note10+, there are no fewer than 17 photo options available, some of which cut into the frame of the viewfinder.
The Verge kicked off its review by stating simply, "the iPhone 11 is the phone most people who are upgrading to a new iPhone this year should get." The site particularly liked the iPhone 11's camera upgrade, including the ultra-wide lens and Night Mode. With the upgrades, The Verge said that the iPhone 11 goes so far as to make photos taken on the iPhone X "look downright bad."
So, is it worth upgrading to the iPhone 11? If you’ve got an iPhone older than the XR and you’re looking to upgrade, I think the answer is yes. The camera is substantially improved, and you will get vastly better battery life than anything aside from a XR. That’s what most people care about, and Apple has really delivered here.Engadget discussed the display quality on the iPhone 11, pointing out that its LCD display is the same one found in last year's iPhone XR. While this is a lower quality display compared to the OLED in the iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max, "in day-to-day use, the differences don't matter," according to the site.
I’d only spend the extra money on the iPhone 11 Pro if you really care about the display. I don’t think you’re missing out on much by not having a telephoto camera lens, to be honest. I personally care quite a bit about displays, so I’m getting a Pro, but I think most people will be very happy with the iPhone 11.
Engadget also favors the 6.1-inch display size of the iPhone 11, calling it the sweet spot between the too-small 5.8-inch iPhone 11 Pro and large 6.5-inch iPhone 11 Pro Max. The site also commended the iPhone 11's battery life, which lasted close to 17 hours on average.
In some ways, the iPhone 11 is subject to the same fundamental shortcomings as the XR: It has one less camera than Apple's more-premium models, and its screen isn't nearly as nice. To that, I say, "Big whoop."More iPhone 11 reviews can be found online: TechCrunch, Pocket-lint, The Wall Street Journal, CNET, and Tech Radar.
The one thought that stuck in my head during my testing was that the gulf in functionality between this phone and the Pros has become surprisingly narrow. There are advantages to splurging on the Pros, but after getting a feel for what the iPhone 11 is capable of, those benefits won't always justify spending the extra $300. Like I said before, the iPhone 11 is the best new iPhone for most people, and it's unquestionably the one I would buy for myself.
Related Roundup: iPhone 11
Buyer's Guide: iPhone 11 (Buy Now)
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iPhone 11 Pro Review Roundup: Significant Camera Advancements and Excellent Battery Life
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iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max reviews are in. The consensus is that the devices are quite familiar and relatively iterative updates, but with significant advancements to cameras and battery life.
The Verge
Apple claims that the iPhone 11 Pro has up to four hours longer battery life than the iPhone XS, and that the larger iPhone 11 Pro Max lasts up to five hours longer than the iPhone XS Max, and reviews support those figures.
Engadget's Chris Velazco says the iPhone 11 Pro lasted nearly 12 hours per charge, up from 9-9.5 hours with the iPhone XS:
iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max models share the same triple-lens rear camera system with a new ultra-wide-angle sensor complementing the existing wide-angle and telephoto lenses on last year's high-end models.
Patel believes the iPhone 11 Pro models have "the best smartphone camera on the market right now":
iPhone 11 Pro on left, Pixel 3 on right
TechCrunch's Matthew Panzarino says the iPhone 11 Pro's new Midnight Green color actually looks more like dark gray in most lighting conditions:
iPhone 11 Pro Max in Midnight Green
Panzarino adds that the new matte glass casing makes the iPhone 11 Pro models grippier than the glossy-backed iPhone XS models:
iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max models are available to pre-order in the United States and many other countries, with deliveries to customers and in-store availability beginning Friday, September 20.
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iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max reviews are in. The consensus is that the devices are quite familiar and relatively iterative updates, but with significant advancements to cameras and battery life.
Battery Life
Apple claims that the iPhone 11 Pro has up to four hours longer battery life than the iPhone XS, and that the larger iPhone 11 Pro Max lasts up to five hours longer than the iPhone XS Max, and reviews support those figures.
Engadget's Chris Velazco says the iPhone 11 Pro lasted nearly 12 hours per charge, up from 9-9.5 hours with the iPhone XS:
When I tested the brand-new XS last year, it would run for between 9 to 9.5 hours off a single charge on days with heavy use. This year, the smaller Pro dealt with the same general workloads and lasted for closer to 12 hours before needing a charge. The larger Pro Max, meanwhile, routinely stuck around for between 13 to 14 hours on a single charge, compared to the 11 to 12 hours I squeezed out of the iPhone XS Max.The Verge's Nilay Patel says his iPhone 11 Pro Max has consistently lasted 12-14 hours, up from 8-10 hours with the iPhone XS Max:
So the best I can tell you is that Apple has historically been good about meeting its battery life claims, and the iPhone 11 Pro Max I've been using every day for a week has consistently run for 12 to 14 hours on a single charge, with over 10 hours of screen-on time reported in the battery settings per 24-hour period.
That's compared to 8 to 10 hours of battery life at most for my iPhone XS Max, which is a marked improvement. It's not enough to make me stop charging at my desk throughout the day, and I'll definitely still carry a battery pack on trips. But it's a big bump, and it's better than most Android phones we've tested.
Cameras and Night Mode
iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max models share the same triple-lens rear camera system with a new ultra-wide-angle sensor complementing the existing wide-angle and telephoto lenses on last year's high-end models.
Patel believes the iPhone 11 Pro models have "the best smartphone camera on the market right now":
It appears Apple took all of those criticisms to heart because the iPhone 11 Pro cameras are an enormous improvement over the XS, and they beat the Pixel and Samsung’s Galaxy Note 10 Plus in most of our side-by-side comparisons. In fact, I think the iPhone 11 Pro is the best smartphone camera on the market right now.Mashable's Raymond Wong believes that the iPhone 11 lineup's new low-light Night Mode, activated automatically when necessary, is both better and more convenient than the similar Night Sight mode on Google's latest Pixel smartphones:
Sure, Google did night mode first, but the feature is more intuitive on the iPhone 11 Pro. On a Pixel, a spinning exposure ring blocks the entire viewfinder while you're holding still, but on the iPhone 11 Pro, you can see in real time an exposure getting brighter as the timer counts down.Here's a side-by-side comparison of Night Mode on the iPhone 11 Pro and Night Sight on Google's Pixel 3 from The Verge:
And the iPhone 11 Pro's night mode also produces better photos in my opinion — sharper details from corner to corner, and better tones and contrast to preserve a scene's mood. Whereas night mode on other phones brighten a scene to the point it looks artificial or flat, the iPhone 11 Pro's night mode more delicately balances the light and dark areas in both the foreground and background.
Design
TechCrunch's Matthew Panzarino says the iPhone 11 Pro's new Midnight Green color actually looks more like dark gray in most lighting conditions:
The green looks nearly nothing like any of the photographs I've seen of it on Apple’s site.
In person, the Deep Green is reads as dark grey in anything but the most direct indoor light. Outdoors, the treated stainless band has an "80's Mall Green" hue that I actually really like. The back also opens up quite a bit, presenting as far more forest green than it does inside. Overall, though, this is a very muted color that is pretty buttoned up. It sits comfortably alongside neutral-to-staid colors like the Space Gray, Silver and Gold.
Panzarino adds that the new matte glass casing makes the iPhone 11 Pro models grippier than the glossy-backed iPhone XS models:
I'm happy to report that the iPhone 11 Pro's matte finish back increases the grippyness of the phone on its own. The smooth back of the iPhone 11 and the iPhone XS always required a bit of finger oil to get into a condition where you could reliably pivot them with one hand going in and out of a pocket.As Wired's Lauren Goode notes, all three iPhone 11 models have what Apple claims is the most durable glass on any iPhone:
All three new iPhones have what Apple claims is the most durable glass on any iPhone. However, the back of the Pro phones have a textured and less slippery matte finish, and it's one that I prefer, given my track record for shattering phones. The Pro phones also come in colors that are more understated than the iPhone 11's pastels, contributing to the gravitas of the Pro's.
More Reviews
- The Wall Street Journal's Joanna Stern
- BuzzFeed News' John Paczkowski
- The New York Times' Brian X. Chen
- Tom's Guide's Mark Spoonauer
- USA Today's Ed Baig
- CNET's Scott Stein
- Pocket-lint's Stuart Miles
Videos
iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max models are available to pre-order in the United States and many other countries, with deliveries to customers and in-store availability beginning Friday, September 20.
Related Roundups: iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro
Tag: reviews
Buyer's Guide: iPhone 11 (Buy Now), iPhone 11 Pro (Buy Now)
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