It’s Sunday, which means it’s time to look back and see which headlines were the best (and worst) in the tech industry this week.
Last week was surprisingly full of Netflix news, as we heard that the streaming service might bring its game library to TVs and let you use your iPhone as a game controller. Not only that, but the company’s “Basic Ad-supported” tier is now available on Apple TV, allowing users to save cash by opting for an ad-supported plan over standard Netflix.
Meanwhile, Huawei launched its P60 and Mate X3 line, and Nintendo gave 3DS and Wii users one last chance to download their favorite classic games before shutting down its eShop for good.
Our winner this week is Apple as the company launches its latest music streaming venture, leaving E3 as our loser after ESA (the company behind the event) put the final nail in the coffin for the once iconic gaming for the exhibition.
Winner: Apple
Our winner this week is Apple after it officially filled the content gap that mainstream music streaming services had neglected for far too long with the release of Apple Music Classical.
The new library, which actually resides in an entirely separate app from Apple Music, includes 700 expert-curated playlists, composer biographies and deep dives into classic classics.
Quality ranges up to 192kHz/24bit lossless, and tracks recorded with Dolby Atmos support Apple’s own immersive spatial audio feature.
The extensive library and high quality of songs are both exciting news for classical music fans, but the best announcement is that it’s all included in the standard Apple Music subscription. This means that those who already pay for Apple Music won’t need to pay extra to access all these classic recordings.
The only exception to this is the Apple Music Voice Plan, which is the cheapest music tier that Apple offers. Users on the Siri-enabled plan will have to pay more than twice their normal subscription price to upgrade to the £10.99 standard plan if they want access to the new tracks.
The launch of Apple Music Classical adds new appeal to the company’s existing streaming service for classical music fans, while continued support for lossless tracks widens the gap between Apple and Spotify when it comes to streaming quality.
Loser: E3
After several years for E3, America’s biggest gaming expo has officially been canceled for 2023.
The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) announced this week that the event would not take place this June, citing “resourcing challenges” and the fact that interested companies would not have playable demos ready for the summer.
Big names including Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo and Ubisoft have already confirmed they won’t be attending this year.
Meanwhile, IGN has reportedly seen a letter addressed to members saying that E3 2023 “simply did not garner the sustained interest needed to pull off something that will showcase the size, power and impact of our industry.” :
E3 2023 was supposed to mark the event’s long-awaited return, as the ESA previously teased its first solo show since being canceled in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Given the fact that this is the second year in a row that E3 has been canceled after the ESA decided against hosting a virtual event in 2022, the future doesn’t look too bright for the once-packed gaming expo.