That'll Do, Apple. That'll Do

January 29, 2021

It's January 29, 2021. Happy Friday from all of us here at Lifewire. Here's a playlist to help you get into the weekend spirit: Apple Music | Spotify

⏰ Today's Big Stories... in 30 Seconds

Today We Watched, Read, and Listened to (so you don’t have to):

298 articles, 7 podcasts, 13 press releases, 518 tweets, and 9 YouTube videos

1. Apple Leads the Pack With 82 Million Q4 iPhone Shipments

With the release of iPhone 12 (and its several variants), Apple once again beats out all comers, with 82 million iPhones shipped in Q4 2020. Sure, Samsung beat Apple for total 2020 marketshare, but it also dropped in growth by 14%.

2. WhatsApp Now Requires Biometric Authentication

Want to get into WhatsApp to connect with friends and family? Well, now you'll need to confirm your face or fingerprint ID from your mobile app to get in on the web or Desktop. It's an added "feature" to help prevent account hacking.

3. Peacock Could Be The Next Hot Streaming Service

Apparently, NBC-owned Peacock is rockin' it with 33 million new signups in the 4th quarter of 2020, and that's even BEFORE The Office was exclusively on the streaming platform. The new number (possibly many new free tier signups) almost catches up with HBO Max's 40 million new subscriptions.

🦑 Go Deeper

Chatbots are on the rise, with various algorithms and AI taking over customer support in a lot of areas. That's good for companies' bottom line, sure, but most of us don't like them. Alex Zorn has a deeper look at why.

🎱 By the Numbers

Well done, fruit-based tech company.

Data: Canalys

It's fascinating how well iPhones do, especially with all the "never-Apple" haters that seem to be out there. The company was behind Samsung for overall marketshare in 2020, but it grew 5% there, too.

🔥 Today's Hot Deal

We all need screen protectors for our phones, so if you have an iPhone 12 Pro Max, you can save 52% on this double pack over on Amazon right now.

🤓 Nerd Out

"Fastest year in the galaxy?" -Rob LeFebvre, Senior News Editor

Here on Earth, we know that a "year" (the time it takes to revolve around the sun) is 365 days. On this newly-discovered Jupiter-like exoplanet, however, a year is a speedy 4 days. (Share on Twitter)

💎 You Know You Want It

Crank it up.

Image: Razer

Tired of those gaming headphones squishing your head? How about a gaming-centric Leviathan soundbar (with sub-woofer, of course) to slam music and explosions into your head holes? Razer's got one, and we want it.

🎥 Behind the Scenes

Toss a coin, already.

Remember eleventy-billion years ago, back in 2020, when The Witcher was streaming on your TVs and you just couldn't get away from that one specific song? Well, the song's been translated into a ton of languages and it slaps in all of them.

🗞 Extra! Extra!

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