Hello friends, welcome to Week in Review (WiR), TechCrunch's regular newsletter recapping the week in technology. Typically, the stretch between Christmas and New Year's tends to be quieter, but that wasn't the case in 2023. Fortunately, the TC team was there to document everything that happened.
This edition of WiR highlights Brian's review of the new Amazon Echo Frames, MrBeast's strange TV-like game show, the Apple Watch ban in the US, and the expected release date of the Apple Vision Pro. We also cover the closure of Hyperloop One, Xiaomi's first electric vehicle, the New York Times suing OpenAI and the parent company of CBS and Paramount being hacked.
There is a lot to overcome, so we will do it. But first, a reminder to sign up here to receive WiR in your inbox every Saturday if you haven't already.
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New Echo Frames: Brian tested Amazon's new and improved Echo Frames, which feature improved sound and a 14-hour battery life. He found the AR glasses lacking compared to the Ray-Ban Metas, particularly considering the $270 price tag (they're currently $200 off).
MrBeast jumps the shark: Amanda writes about MrBeast's strange new reality show, in which two contestants agreed to live together in a bright asylum-like room for 100 days in exchange for $185,000 each in prizes. What's intriguing about the experience, she says, is that it's emblematic of the trade-off that has become normal on social media: If you endure the pain of content, you may be able to pay your debt.
Apple Watch banned, so no: A recent US ban on Apple Watch imports, centered on a pair of trademarked pulse oximetry sensors owned by health technology company Masimo, almost remained in effect after the Biden administration refused to veto a ruling former International Trade Commission. But then an appeals court instituted a pause, allowing Apple to resume sales of the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2, at least temporarily.
Vision Pro, coming soon: In more Apple news, prominent analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has narrowed down what he believes will be a late January or early February release date for the Vision Pro, Apple's highly anticipated AR heads-up display. Kuo says the first wave of Vision Pros will ship to Apple in about a month, with total shipments of around 500,000 for the entire year.
Hyperloop One crashes and burns: One of the oldest Hyperloop startups is reportedly closing its doors. Hyperloop One, once backed by Richard Branson's Virgin Group, will cease operations on December 31, Sean writes. It's the latest stumble in the tech industry's attempt to bring to life an idea that Elon Musk first laid out in a white paper in 2013, and comes after Hyperloop One raised (and spent) hundreds of millions of dollars since its foundation in 2014.
Xiaomi launches a car: Chinese smartphone giant Xiaomi has revealed its first electric car: a sleek sedan called SU7. Set to launch in China next year, it's another entry into an increasingly crowded electric vehicle market, and an attempt in this software-obsessed world to match the technology people find in their phones with what's going on inside. of your car.
NY Times sues OpenAI: The New York Times is suing OpenAI and its close collaborator (and investor), Microsoft, for allegedly violating copyright law by training generative ai models on Times content. It's an open question whether the lawsuit will be successful, but it highlights the growing conflict between content creators and vendors who use their work to train (and market) generative ai technologies.
National Entertainment hacked: National Amusements, the movie theater chain and corporate parent of media giants Paramount and CBS, confirmed that it experienced a data breach last December in which hackers stole the personal information of tens of thousands of people. The details of the rape only came to light a year after the fact; The company began notifying those affected earlier this month.
Audio
Need some material to listen to as you prepare for a fantastic New Year? TC has you covered, as always.
He Equity Crew said goodbye to 2023 with its annual predictions episode. As they try to do every year, the hosts brought in various voices to talk about startup trends, media, proptech, artificial intelligence and transportation, and reviewed their predictions from the past year.
In FoundDom and Becca broke down the year 2023 into startups by recalling some of their favorite conversations and hope to predict some startup trends in 2024. They talked about innovative climate tech companies, ai ethics and fundraising, how to build good relationships with founders and what follows. what the year could be like for startups.
And in Chain reaction, Jacquelyn remixed an episode from earlier in the year, one that features an interview with Deana Burke and Natasha Hoskins, the co-founders of Boys Club. Boys Club is a decentralized autonomous social organization for the “crypto curious”, originally designed to bring women and non-binary people into the web3 world, but now aiming to be an open space for anyone looking to enter the industry.
TechnologyCrunch+
TC+ subscribers get access to in-depth commentary, analysis and surveys, which you'll find out if you're already a subscriber. If not, consider registering. Here are some highlights from this week:
Investors share their predictions: Rebecca asked more than 40 venture capitalists when they expect the next venture bubble to burst next year, which startups they think will go public first, whether they expect more startups to close in 2024 than in recent years, and more.
Diversity commitments: Dom investigated the venture capitalists who made commitments to diversity, equity and inclusion following the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020. So who kept their word? Keep reading to find out.
Investor survey summary: Karan put together a curated list of timely CT investor surveys of the year. They touch on topics including alternative proteins, the robotics revolution, the Silicon Valley bank collapse, and the future of power.
