Apple could be announcing new iPads and iPhones, Americans have mixed feelings about automation,
a big funding round for on-demand massages and more ...
It's Thursday March 10, and this is Crunch Report.
Apple just sent out invites for its next press event, which will take place on March 21 at
the Apple campus in Cupertino.
As usual, the company didn't reveal anything about what it's announcing — it just told
reporters, "Let us loop you in."
Rumor has it, however, that Apple has been working on a new iPhone.
This iPhone should feature a 4-inch display like the one in the iPhone 5s, but with an
updated chip and camera.
TechCrunch's Romain Dillet writes that Apple might also announce a new iPad Air that works
with the Apple Pencil — think of it as smaller iPad Pro.
We'll find out what Apple has in store in just a couple of weeks.
Are you worried that a robot could take your job?
Americans have slightly contradictory views on this, according to a new study from the
Pew Research Center.
Apparently 65 percent of survey respondents believe that in 50 years, robots and software
will "definitely" or "probably" be capable of doing a lot of the work that human beings
currently do.
However, an even larger majority believes that their own jobs will be largely unaffected
by this change.
Pew also found that younger workers, as well as those with college degrees, higher incomes
and jobs in government, education or nonprofit were more skeptical that they'd be replaced.
What could be better than a massage?
How about a massage ordered on-demand and delivered in the comfort of your own home?
It seems like venture capitalists agree, with on-demand massage startup Soothe raising a
$35 million Series B from existing investors.
Soothe says it has a network of 3,000 independent massage therapists who will bring their own
tables, sheets and oils, and carry their own insurance.
A standard massage costs anywhere from $99 for one hour to $169 for 2 hours, with the
therapists themselves making about $70 an hour.
The startup currently operates in 22 cities, with plans to launch 20 new markets this year.
Nest, the smart thermometer acquired by Google, announced some new features today that could
make it more family friendly.
First off, it's introducing ‘Family Accounts,’ which enable multiple users to access and
control the same Nest products.
That means mom, dad and kids can access the products without sharing accounts and passwords.
Second, there's a new capability called Home/Away Assist, which Nest said improves its products’
ability to recognize if someone is home.
To do that it's using a combination of activity sensors, machine learning and family accounts.
For example, activity sensors may not be able to see a family member if they are not obviously
visible in a room, but now Nest can tell that a person is there because their account is
within the house and the geo-fence.
Nest says both of these new features are already available in the latest version of its app.
Do you sometimes get the feeling that you’re having a long text conversation to accomplish
really basic planning?
Well, a new messaging called Cola might be able to solve that.
At first, Cola might just look like another text messaging app, but it includes “Cola
Bubbles” — get it?
— that add more interactivity and functionality.
So instead of texting someone “Hey, when do you want to meet?”
you can just send them a Bubble with three times when you’re available, they can choose
the option that works for them, then you can both add it to your calendar.
Other Bubbles include location sharing, polling and to-do lists.
The idea is to turn this into a platform for outside developers, eventually.
But do you really need another messaging app?
Well, CEO David Temkin pointed out that many of us use multiple messaging apps already,
so why not one more, as long as it's useful?
That’s the report for today.
I’m Anthony Ha, one the TechCrunch writers taking over hosting duties.
In fact, this is my very first episode, so thanks for watching!
Crunch Report airs every weekday at 7 pm Eastern, 4 pm Pacific, on techcrunch.com.
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And tune in tomorrow for Crunch Report with Megan Rose Dickey.