What I've Read This Week | Issue #7
A Week of Tech Tumult: Marques Brownlee critiques the Rabbit R1's unfulfilled promises, while Pakistan celebrates its historic lunar mission. In the corporate realm, we have layoffs, again...
Marques Brownlee just eviscerated the Rabbit R1. Here’s why Apple should pay attention
The article criticizes the growing "promiseware" trend in tech, where companies ship unfinished products with the promise of future updates to add advertised features.Tech reviewer Marques Brownlee highlights this issue in his review of the Rabbit R1 AI device, which lacks access to most of the 800 apps its "Large Action Model" is supposedly trained on.Brownlee notes this problem extends beyond startups - even tech giant Apple has increasingly shipped iOS and iPadOS updates missing major promised features.The author agrees this trend of shipping incomplete products is "gonna get worse before it gets better," and is particularly concerned about how it may impact the rollout of the AI-focused iOS 18 update.Overall, the article strongly condemns the tech industry's shift towards relying on future updates to deliver advertised product capabilities.
My home country Pakistan launches first lunar mission on China's wings
Pakistan has successfully launched its first-ever lunar mission, the iCube-Q CubeSat, aboard China's Chang'e-6 probe. The iCube-Q, developed by Pakistan's Institute of Space Technology in collaboration with China's Shanghai University and Pakistan's space agency SUPARCO, carries two optical cameras to image the lunar surface. The iCube-Q was launched on May 3, 2024 from the Wenchang Space Launch Site in China, as part of the Chang'e-6 mission which aims to collect samples from the far side of the moon for the first time. This marks Pakistan's first foray into lunar exploration, with the country's Prime Minister congratulating the nation and scientists on this "historic" achievement. The mission is part of China's efforts to strengthen international cooperation in space exploration.
Reading list:
Peloton announces major layoffs and CEO departure (TechCrunch)
What the Tesla Supercharger layoffs could mean for America's EV buildout (Yahoo!)
Google relocates hundreds of jobs to India and Mexico, cutting local positions (CNBC)
Take-Two Interactive closes two game studios, leading to significant layoffs (GamesIndustry.biz)
Microsoft prohibits U.S. police from using its enterprise AI tool (TechCrunch)
Entrepreneurs lose startups in fraudulent accelerator program (TechCrunch)
Lamini gains support from Dropbox and Figma CEOs for its AI enterprise platform (TechCrunch)
Quick Thoughts:
This week’s episode of the All-In podcast was good, but it was emotionally charged and lacked factual depth. It did stir my emotions; however, I tweeted to Jason suggesting that having Bassem Youssef on the next episode could make for an interesting discussion!
Airbnb has likely introduced one of the most innovative marketing products of the decade with its new "Icons" feature. This allows users to explore and book unique, fantasy-inspired accommodations, enabling them to live out their dream home experiences. – It Includes the Floating House From 'Up
While layoffs are still ongoing, there are signs that the job market is starting to cool down, which could be a positive indicator. Notably, I have observed a significant increase in thenumber of job openings during the months of April and May.