Weekly Tech Update: A Rising Industry
Welcome to The Macro Mail’s Tech Newsletter. Every week we highlight stories from three technology subsectors and provide insights into their implications. Today’s focus is on Drones, Cybersecurity and Content Services.
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DRONES: A Rising Industry
New rulings on drone usage have been issued by the Federal Aviation Administration. They will classify drones into four classes, determined by size and complexity, with specific requirements for each.
The eased restrictions will allow drones to be flown at night and over people
Drones weighing more than 0.55 pounds will have to fitted with a remote identification system, which will be used by the FAA to ensure that drones are being used in a safe and lawful manner
The FAA has registered 1.3 million recreational drones as of last year. Some recreational users have expressed concern over the cost of fitting the newly required transmission technology
385,000 commercial drones had been registered with the agency. Amazon, United Parcel Service, and Wing (owned by Alphabet) have all invested in developing drone technology for retail deliveries
Meanwhile in Europe, drone categorization and operational rules are being standardized across the 28 EU states as well as Norway, Iceland and the UK. Drone-maker DJI Technology has welcomed this streamlining and believes it will be conducive to further growth
Drone technology is one of the most promising innovations of recent times. With a number of large logistics and big-tech corporations investigating the potential of drones in their delivery operations, it is hoped that this technology can be used to improve delivery times and reliability, while reducing long-term costs. Carefully loosening regulatory constraints should accelerate this development.
CYBERSECURITY: A National Threat?
It has been revealed that a cyber attack targeted email accounts associated to the Parliament of Finland during autumn. The Chief Inspector of the National Bureau of Investigation acknowledged the possibility that “unknown actors have been able to obtain information through the hacking, either for the benefit of a foreign state or to harm Finland.”
It’s unknown who exactly was targeted, nor whether any private information has been compromised
It’s not yet clear whether the attack was conducted by criminals, or backed by a hostile foreign state
This news comes just three weeks after the revelation of the so-called Sunburst cyberattack against the U.S. government. Blame for what has been described as one of the worst in U.S. history has been placed on a group supported by the Russian government
President-Elect Joe Biden insisted that his administration will combat cyber-threats by “imposing substantial costs on those responsible for such malicious attacks, including in coordination with our allies and partners”
As hackers continue to develop new ways to circumvent security, it will be essential for governments and corporations to invest in advancing cybersecurity. There is a serious risk that, with growing tensions between the U.S., China and Russia, cyber-weapons may form a new facet of international hostilities, at the detriment of public privacy and safety.
CONTENT SERVICES: The Cost of Streaming
The success of subscription video services has been a tech highlight of 2020. This week, ESPN Plus, which streams Major League Baseball, NBA, Hockey and other sporting events, has announced that the price of their annual subscription will rise by 20%.
An annual subscription to ESPN Plus will now cost $59.99. Monthly subscription, which underwent a price rise in August, costs $5.99. Pay Per View martial arts events hosted by UFC will also be more expensive
The biggest success story of the year has been Disney Plus. Launched in October 2019, the service now has 86.8 million paying subscribers; Disney has updated its end of 2024 target to 260 million from its original prediction of 60-90 million
Netflix currently has the industry lead with 195 million subscribers in 2020 Q3. They recently raised the price of their most popular plan by $1 to $14 per month
Warner Bros has announced that all of their movie releases for 2021 will be issued on streaming service HBO Max, which is owned by Warner Bros’s parent company Warner Media
Accelerated by international lockdowns in response to COVID-19, streaming services have enjoyed an exceptional year of growth. Just a few years ago, Netflix was the sole representative of the market, competing against cable TV and cinema. In contrast, since the start of 2020, cable TV has lost 6 million U.S. household subscriptions. Next year will be a real test of the longevity of the wide range of choices now available.
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