Iterate Weekly - Issue 54
This week we're wearing Dyson's air-purifying headphones, churning through streaming platforms, Peloton watches us with The Guide, Chippy the Robot makes chips, and Amazon's Upload!
Welcome to issue 54 of Iterate Weekly!
Just a reminder that you can always reply to this email or leave a comment on the web version. I read all of them, and I appreciate the feedback, questions, and insights.
Let’s jump into this week’s stories.
🤖 Tech
Dyson Makes a Headphone/Air Purifier Thing?
We’ve had Dyson vacuums in our house for years. Each model has been pretty wonderful. While I still love to let my Roomba do regularly automated cleaning sessions, there are times when the cordless Dyson just needs to make an appearance.
I do know that Dyson makes plenty of non-vacuum products, but I was blown away by these new noise-canceling headphones…that also include an air purifier.
You’ll certainly be making a conscious fashion decision if you choose to go out in public wearing the new Dyson Zone. But I have to admit that it actually sounds like something I’d really be into.
Whether you call it a pair of headphones with an air purifier attached to it or a wearable air purifier that lets you play audio, the use case is the same. This product will literally have you living in your own personal bubble or “zone” with perfect air quality and no audio distractions.
As easy as it is to joke about a product like this, it seems like an engineering marvel (like most Dyson products are). And the sad truth is that the air quality is steadily getting worse in most major cities around the world. Hell, when wildfire season comes to California this year (it’s also becoming a year-round concern) I could see these becoming a welcome accessory. The purifying faceguard actually doesn’t even come in contact with your mouth. It just creates a clean pocket of air between you and the device.
The company is light on specs at this point. No word on price either. The plan is to release these in the fall and you can signup for more information on their website if you’re interested.
🎓 Education/Art
Churning Through Streaming Platforms
This should come as no big surprise. Today’s modern consumer is being overwhelmed by the never-ending supply of streaming services to sign up for.
A new report out of Deloitte suggests that churning through subscription services is likely going to be the new trend in media.
The data comes from the 2022 Digital Media Trends Survey. 37% of streaming service subscribers in the U.S are considered to be “churning” (canceling and resubscribing to services) each month.
Millennial streamers in particular seem to be very comfortable managing their portfolio of subscriptions on a month-to-month basis. Maybe this month it’s Apple TV+ to watch Ted Lasso. Then once you’ve watched all of those episodes, you cancel that service and signup for Hulu, all while enjoying the three free months of Peacock before you cancel that one too.
It can be a lot to keep track of. While subscribers have typically made a majority of their revenue from subscribers who forget to cancel, today’s streaming consumers may be a bit savvier and more price sensitive.
I’ll admit that I typically signup for a service and keep it for a while. If several months go by and I know I haven’t used it, I’ll eventually unsubscribe. But I’m definitely not checking each service on a monthly basis to see what new shows are coming and which subscriptions are worth canceling.
Are there any consistent streaming platform churners out there? Be sure to reply or leave your thoughts in the comments!
♻️ Health & Environment
Peloton’s New Product Watches You Work Out
After much has been made about their financial struggles and lack of product pipeline, Peloton finally has a new thing for us to buy!
Interest may have waned on their bikes and treadmills, but the new Peloton Guide is poised to be something totally new that can reach an audience who may not have ever thought of buying a Bike or Tread.
Aimed at the strenth training audience, the Guide feels more in the world of Tonal, Tempo, or Mirror. It also feels like a suped-up version of the old X-box Kinect camera. It perches atop your television (connected via HDMI, wi-fi, and power cable) and watches you work out.
The smarts in this thing actually look a bit more sophisticated than other workout cameras. The Guide will tell you if your form is correct, and keep track of how many reps you’ve done of each move. You can see a window with your video feed right next to the instructor to compare your form.
It’ll cost just under $300 dollars and require an additional $13 per month subscription. Note that this is in addition to the typical fee you pay for your Peloton membership.
I’m certainly intrigued by the idea here but want to see how the technology evolves a bit. Having a camera keep track of your reps seems helpful, and I’m sure there is potential to have more one-on-one remote coaching sessions using a device like this.
My biggest gripe is that it needs to connect to a TV. After shelling out all that cash for a Bike+ with a huge screen, it would be great if this could just attach to that when I’m doing strength training. Maybe they could create an HDMI adapter of some sort? Or I could do some tinkering of my own since it’s basically just a big Android tablet. But I have no plans to put a big TV in my home workout studio (aka my garage).
Of course, there is also the privacy angle. The Guide ships with a cover to obstruct the screen when not in use and Peloton claims that all the footage remains locally stored without them saving footage of you working out.
But do you really want a camera staring at you all the time while you work out?
🛍 Grab Bag
Chippy The Robot Will Make You Chips Just Like a Human!
Here’s a fun story from the world of robotics and fast food!
Chipotle is rolling out a new robot that will be making its tortilla chips. Naturally, they’re calling it Chippy. That’s not really the important part of the story. Plenty of restaurants are automating repetitive kitchen tasks these days.
What caught my attention here is that the robot was created to be imperfect, just as a human would be. No human is going to make every single batch of chips exactly the same. Some might be a bit over or undercooked. You know how there are always those few chips that are extra salty or have that extra zest of lime? Chipotle wants to make sure they keep those variations with Chippy.
Chippy comes from the company Miso Robotics (note that they also make a burger-flipping robot named…Flippy) and will be carrying a hefty price tag. Similar “automated kitchen assistants” have been costing around $3,000 per month in rental fees. The real investment here is in machine learning. The robots will gather data on what makes the perfect chip. The subtle hints of human error will be replicated by the algorithm.
On one hand, it’s an amazing use of technology. On the other hand, for crying out loud, can’t we just have a human make our tortilla chips for us?!?!
💬 Quote of the Week
"Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate."
- Carl Jung
📺Content Recommendation
Upload
A few years back, my wife and I really enjoyed watching Season 1 of the Amazon Original show Upload. After a bit of a hiatus, Season 2 recently launched and it’s also worth a watch.
The premise of the show is a world in the not-so-distant future where humans are able to “upload” themselves to a virtual afterlife when they die. Think of it as a massive metaverse of digital ghosts acting out all of their favorite aspects of terrestrial life.
Those who are “uploaded” have “angels” to cater to their every whim. These “angels” are actual humans (who haven’t died) working at a tech company.
Confused yet? Just go watch the show for yourself, I think you’ll enjoy it. Even when the character development and dialogue fall flat (which isn’t too often) I’m amazed by how realistically they depict the seemingly inevitable future of our digital lives.
Thanks for reading, I’ll see you next week!