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Weekly#170

  • Sony Confirms It Is Planning High-End PlayStation 4
    No release date or pricing disclosed but new version will come with a faster processor and graphics enhancement (WSJ)
  • Messaging-app operator Line Corp. is planning a dual listing in Tokyo and New York in July that could raise more than $900 million and value the five-year-old company at more than $5 billion. (WSJ)
  • In a rare pre-WWDC sit-down interview with The Verge, Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing, said that Apple would soon alter its revenue-sharing model for apps. While the well-known 70 / 30 split will remain, developers who are able to maintain a subscription with a customer longer than a year will see Apple’s cut drop down to 15 percent. The option to sell subscriptions will also be available to all developers instead of just a few kinds of apps. “Now we’re going to open up to all categories,” Schiller says, “and that includes games, which is a huge category.” (TheVerge)
  • Tesla’s Betting You’ll Pay
    $9,000 for a Software Upgrade
    On Thursday, Tesla Motors re-introduced the Model S60–a cheaper version of its all-electric sedan that was discontinued last April. The new S60 starts at $66,000 and has a range of about 208 miles. For $8,500 more, customers can choose an upgraded version, called the S75, which can travel about 40 more miles per charge, according to the company’s website.

    So the upgraded model has a bigger battery, right? Nope. The two versions of the car are identical and sport the same 75 kWh battery. The only difference is that the software on the lower-end version limits the capacity of the S60’s battery, crippling its range. In fact, owners can instantly transform a lowly S60 into an S75 at any time for a fee of $9,000 ($500 more than if they’d initially bought it that way). They don’t even have to bring the car to a service center. Tesla flips the software switch remotely. (Bloomberg)

  • Machine Learning Trends and the Future of Artificial Intelligence 2016 (Algorithmia)
  • Marc Andreessen’s Favorite Books

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