It’s the first week of February and time for another edition of Trusted Reviews Winners and Losers.
This week saw Google rebrand AirDrop-rivaling feature Nearby Share to Quick Share, Amazon abandon its iRobot merger and Sony host its first State of Play of the year. We also heard new whispers of a mid-range Galaxy Z Fold phone and Apple officially released its Vision Pro AR/VR headset.
Keep reading to discover who we named our winner and who earned the title of loser from this last week in tech.
Winner: Apple
The Apple Vision Pro finally dropped in the US this week, but it was what Apple announced the day before the launch that caught our attention.
On January 1st, Apple confirmed that more than 600 new apps and games designed to take advantage of the Apple Vision Pro’s “infinite canvas” would be available at launch.
The list includes, but is not limited to, TV and sports streaming apps, productivity services, games, music, shopping, meditation, and educational experiences. There are also more than 200 3D movies to be found in the Apple TV+ app and more than 250 games waiting for you in Apple Arcade.
All of this means that users will be able to access unique spatial experiences from the get go rather than settle for apps and games designed with a traditional display in mind while developers catch up.
“With more than 600 new spatial experiences to explore in the all-new App Store, alongside more than 1 million compatible apps across iOS and iPadOS, users can discover a wide array of apps that expand the boundaries of what’s possible”, announced Apple’s VP of Worldwide Developer Relations, Susan Prescott.
“These incredible apps will change how we experience entertainment, music, and games; spark our imaginations with new ways to learn and explore; unlock productivity like never before; and so much more. Developers are already capturing the promise of spatial computing, and we can’t wait to see what they create next”.
With the Apple Vision Pro only having launched on Friday, we’re excited to hear what users think about some of these unique new apps and experiences.
Loser: Disney+ and Hulu
Our loser title this week is shared by Disney+ and Hulu as the two streaming sites followed Netflix’s lead by announcing that they would soon be clamping down on password sharing.
Come March 14, Hulu users will need to stop handing out their passwords to friends and family members.
“Unless otherwise permitted by your Service Tier, you may not share your subscription outside of your household. “Household” means the collection of devices associated with your primary personal residence that are used by the individuals who reside therein”, said Hulu in the most recent version of its subscriber agreement.
Hulu also stated that it would be keeping an eye on accounts to ensure they are abiding by this policy, explaining that the streaming service would take action accordingly.
“We may, in our sole discretion, analyze the use of your account to determine compliance with this Agreement. If we determine, in our sole discretion, that you have violated this Agreement, we may limit or terminate access to the Service and/or take any other steps as permitted by this Agreement”.
Hulu owner Disney+ also appeared to update its user agreement to address account sharing this week, though it isn’t clear exactly when the language was changed.
This isn’t the first we’ve heard of Disney+ cracking down on password sharing, with Disney CEO Bob Iger speaking up on the issue last September.
“We are actively exploring ways to address account sharing and the best options for paying subscribers to share their accounts with friends and family”, said Iger during an earnings call.
Both apps follow in the footsteps of Netflix who made the unpopular choice to limit password sharing last year. However, despite its poor redemption, Netflix doesn’t appear to have taken a hit when it comes to its user numbers.
Netflix was named our loser last week when the app made another highly-criticized decision by removing its cheapest ad-free streaming plan.
We’ll have to see if Disney+ and Hulu can stand on this decision as Netflix has, or if the two streamers will lose subscribers when the change is put in place.
