As suspected, Netflix has blown earnings and subscription forecasts out of the water. Fueled by a strong slate of original programming, expansion into 130 countries and over 7 million new subscribers in just the last 3 months, it’s safe to say CEO Reed Hastings and company are on a roll. Over half of Netflix subscribers now live outside of the U.S., and Hastings has set a goal of operating in 200 countries by the end of this year.
Strong interest in Netflix’s original programming, especially shows like The Crown, Luke Cage, House of Cards, Stranger Things, Black Mirror and The OA, has brought in millions of new customers. Adding 4K streaming hasn’t hurt either. What’s next for Netflix? Count on more new shows, and maybe some business moves to ensure reliable content delivery into the future. Remember when they just mailed out DVD’s? Seems like a long, long time ago.
Faster, cheaper, iPadier
Some Apple rumors now, and oddly, they’re not about the upcoming iPhone 8. No, it’s all about the iPad this time, with Digitimes suggesting three new Apple tablets could debut this year. The first is an “affordable” model with a 9.7 inch screen, along with a slightly larger 10.5-inch model that packs a bit more horsepower.
And finally, the big daddy 12.9-inch iPad Pro will get a makeover, including a more powerful A10X processor. The Apple Pencil might also get a makeover. No pricing or release dates have been announced, of course, and Digitimes says the information comes from reliable “upstream supply chain” vendors. Seems reasonable though. We’ll know more in September most likely.
Despite a recent setback, world domination plans appear to be on track
While everyone seems to love Elon Musk and Tesla… and SpaceX and even Solar City (now part of Tesla), there always seems to be that little nagging fear Musk won’t be able to keep all the balls in the air, and it’s going to all come crashing down at some point.
But things seem to continue to go well, and now the Governor of Nevada is singing Elon’s praises with the announcement that Tesla will make the electric motors and gearboxes for the upcoming “affordable” Model III electric car at the new Gigafactory. The gigantic facility will still primarily make batteries for Tesla’s electric car line and energy storage products, but it seems there’s enough room under the solar roof for some serious mechanical manufacturing as well.
Governor Brian Sandoval says that Musk is going to spend another $350 million to add more capability to the gigafactory, and when fully up and running, it could support 10,000 jobs, well up from the original estimate of 6,500. Many industry watchers are wondering about Musk’s support from a Trump administration, whom Musk originally did not support. However, Musk is now one of several tech advisors to Trump, so he has that going for him, at least for now.
