Iterate Weekly - Issue 196
This week we're talking about the Nintendo Switch 2, employees would quit if asked to return to office, Oura Ring CEO, Google Home app updates, and "The Apprentice"!
Welcome to issue 196 of Iterate Weekly.
Let’s jump into this week’s stories shall we?
Thank you as always for reading!
🖥️ Tech
Nintendo Switch 2 finally announced
Nintendo has finally released some details about the new “Nintendo Switch 2”!
Clever name isn’t it? Well, if it ain’t broke, don’t try to change too much…or something like that?
There have been rumors swirling for months about the next console from Nintendo. The first generation of the Switch is the best selling game console of all time. So there are big shoes to fill, but there is also little need to reinvent the wheel here.
What did Nintendo announce? Not a whole lot actually. It’s just a teaser video that gives images of the device from all angles. It appears to be very similar to the original with only a slightly larger screen and some minor changes to the controllers.
The console will be released at some point in 2025 with a series of demo opportunities around the world starting in April. It’s not exactly a traditional product launch announcement here. There are still plenty of questions to be answered regarding tech specs, new games, and of course pricing.
As someone who recently purchased a Switch for his daughter (and I’ve enjoyed putting it through the paces myself!), I’m intrigued by the new model. Will it be worth a quick upgrade? Was I a fool for purchasing a system so late in its product lifecycle?
We’ll have our answers in the coming months.
🎓 Education/Productivity/Work
Nearly half of employees would quit if asked to go to office
The headline above really says it all.
I’m curious to check the pulse of the remote work landscape every couple of months. We hear plenty of stories about CEOs demanding that employees return to a physical office, but we don’t hear enough about the employees responses.
Count me into that number as well. The value of a remote work environment can’t really be quantified. Maybe we all have a compensation number in our heads that would make sense for us to return to an office, but I think that number climbs as people continue to see the value in their flexible time.
Pretty soon these studies won’t hold as much value. We’ll all just accept remote work not as a unique thing but just a default way of working. It may not make sense for everyone, but it has become mainstream enough by this point.
♻️ Health/Environment/EVs
Interview with Oura Ring CEO reveals future of the brand
I consider myself to be an early pioneer when it comes to wearable smart rings. An Oura Ring has been on my finger for the better part of five years.
So I really enjoyed reading Android Central’s interview with Oura CEO Tom Hale.
While Oura has released the 4th generation of its ring in the past few months, it hasn’t been without its criticisms. A large number of customers have complained about quality control issues with the rings coming apart after minimal wear. Even as a devout Oura supporter, it has given me pause when deciding to upgrade from Gen 3 to Gen 4.
But overall, I really love the direction that Oura has been moving in. They aren’t trying to compete with phones or smartwatches. They have carved out their own niche and it has lead to competition from the likes of Samsung, with Apple and Google likely right behind.
“You’ll see us continuing to push innovations, but we always push innovations in the name of health, not in the name of gamification or getting you to engage more frequently…[we want you to] think about where your body is going and to give your body a voice.”
-Tom Hale, Oura CEO
Tom Hale seems to understand the strength of the product. It shouldn’t be another thing that sends you notifications every five minutes and encourages you to get hooked. It should really just hang out in the background and only alert you when it detects something is off. This is precisely why Oura’s relatively new “Symptom Radar” is so great at alerting you when you may need some extra rest to fight off an illness.
I’m certainly rooting for Oura to remain the leading name in this space. Let’s hope they can quickly iron out any product issues with their latest ring because their software implementation is excellent.
🛍 Grab Bag
Google Home app now supports Nest smoke detectors
This story will probably only be interesting to my fellow smart home nerds out there.
Has anyone else invested in Google’s pricey Nest Protect smoke detectors? I did when we moved into our new house a few years ago. They aren’t cheap but have been worth it in my opinion. To not have random chirps in the middle of the night, I’d pay almost anything.
The one downside to the smart detectors is that they required the use of the antiquated Nest App rather than the more modern Google Home app. That is until this week, as Google has given Home support to the Nest Protect smoke alarms.
This essentially leaves the Nest App obsolete and it can be deleted by most users. Google has done a slow but steady job of moving all of their products over to the Google Home app. It has been confusing at times to remember which products are controlled by which app. This final update should eliminate all confusion.
And this is your friendly reminder to check those smoke detectors! Make sure they’re functioning properly and maybe now is the time to consider upgrading to a smarter model like the Nest Protect.
💬 Quote of the Week
"You can't expect to hit the jackpot if you don't put a few nickels in the machine."
-Flip Wilson
🎥Content Review
The Apprentice
It’s officially awards season and the time has come to watch as many of the Golden Globe and soon-to-be Academy Award nominated films as possible!
This week I’m suggesting “The Apprentice”.
I know the timing may not feel right with the presidential inauguration taking place. I had the same feeling when I wanted to watch this movie in November. It felt too soon after the election to dive into the history of Donald Trump.
But regardless of your political leanings, there is no denying that Jeremy Strong (AKA Succession’s Kendall Roy) and Sebastian Stan (AKA Winter Solider Bucky Barnes) deserve praise for their amazing portrayals of Roy Cohn and Donald Trump in this film.
It’s hard to watch at times, and it likely will only strengthen whatever feelings you already had about Trump. But the acting really is incredible and the pacing and 70s-80s musical score make it an enjoyable two hour adventure.
Thanks for reading, I’ll see you next week!
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