The Morning After: Thursday, September 14th 2017
Shaking it.
We made it past hump day. Two to go. We've now had time to mull over Apple's big iPhone announcements and the results are... inconclusive. Maybe you should get the iPhone X. No, you should get the iPhone 8. It just depends. There's also more tone-deaf ideas from Silicon Valley, and a sudden torrent of Nintendo news.
The original instant camera is back.
Sure, you have Instagram now, but there's nothing like snapping a picture and watching it develop on real film before your eyes. After a decade of trying to revive Polaroid photography, the Impossible Project has renamed itself Polaroid Originals and launched its second device, this $100 OneStep 2. It's paying homage to the original Polaroid OneStep from 1977.
When there's the iPhone X, why bother with the iPhone 8?
Apple, now that was courage. Announcing a pair of phones, then knocking them figuratively off the table to reveal the iPhone of the future -- which will launch a month later. What's an iPhone faithful supposed to do? Buy the iPhone X. No, wait. Buy the iPhone 8.
Tesla's electric truck will be revealed October 26th
Part of Elon Musk's master plan is rolling out an all-electric big rig, and we'll find out the details next month. Rumors have us expecting 200- to 300-mile range, and possibly autonomous capabilities that could revolutionize trucking. We'll be first in line for a test ride.
Bodega's tone-deaf vending service won't kill real bodegas
Just as Juicero exited stage left, Bodega stepped in to represent everything people love to hate about Silicon Valley startups. After Fast Company presented its glorified vending machine as an attempt to make your corner store obsolete, a wave of outrage followed, forcing an apologetic response from its founders. Of course, a critical look at the company's business plan suggests that even with internet connectivity, computer vision and machine learning, it's unlikely to succeed.
