RAM: RAM is an abbreviation of Random Access Memory. It’s a system of computer memory in which data can be retrieved in any order with equal speed. Not to be confused with “Random Access Memories,” a killer Daft Punk album.

Twitter had both good and bad news today, beginning with their better-than-expected Q3 earnings report. The company posted quarterly revenue of $616 million, up 8 percent year-over-year, and an adjusted net income of $92 million (or 13 cents per share). But the company also confirmed plans to lay off 9 percent of its employees as it struggles to regain financial stability. Rumors also continue to circulate that Twitter may be put up for sale at some point in the not-too-distant future, though all known suitors have withdrawn interest for the time being.

Most shockingly, Twitter announced in a blog post that it will discontinue Vine, its mobile app for six second video-sharing, in the coming months. “We’ll be keeping the website online because we think it’s important to still be able to watch all the incredible Vines that have been made,” the post read in part. One major reason for Vine’s downfall: It’s suffered a massive exodus of talent over the last year or so, with Vine influencers fleeing for the greener pastures of Snapchat, Facebook, and YouTube. Unfortunately for Vine, brands – and their dollars – followed the influencers.

Apple‘s "Hello Again" event broke news of the company’s redesigned MacBook Pro with an OLED touch strip at the top, which Apple calls the TouchBar. Apple also announced  a Touch ID fingerprint authentication module, a larger Force Touch trackpad, and is the lightest, thinnest version of their laptop to date. The entry-level MacBook Pro starts at $1,499, while the 13-inch model with the TouchBar runs $1,799. The 15-inch version starts at $2,399. 

Also announced: Apple’s latest app for the Apple TV set-top box, simply called "TV." The app showcases TV shows and movies from apps that a customer subscribes to – for instance, Game of Thrones from HBO Now. "It will completely change how you watch TV with your Apple TV as well as your iPhone and iPad," said Apple CEO Tim Cook. The top of the app has four sections labeled Watch Now, Library, Store and Search. The TV app will be available to Apple TV boxes via a free software update coming in December.

Alphabet scored nicely in its third quarter, with the Google parent company revenue reaching $22.5 billion, compared to $18.7 billion during the same quarter in 2015. Alphabet CFO Ruth Porat attributed a large part of the growth to increased video and ad revenue. Although market expectations were set at $8.64 per share, that was surpassed with them actually coming in at $9.06.
 
Amazon’s earnings were up 29 percent year-over-year, bringing in $32.69 billion in 2016’s Q3 (and a net worth that more-than tripled to $252 million to 52 cents per share). That success, however, came with a caveat: earnings fell short of Wall Street expectations, which were marked at 78 cents. The company’s stock fell over 6% in after-market trading.

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Verizon confirmed it has purchased Vessel, an online video subscription service that provides early access to content from top influencers. Verizon is out to harness Vessel’s underlying technology and software, and snatch up its talent. Vessel Head of Product Lonn Lee and co-founder and CTO Richard Tom will join Verizon, the latter as CTO of Verizon’s entertainment efforts. (Indeed, most Vessel employees will join Verizon – though CEO Jason Kilar will not be joining in a long-term capacity.) Verizon isn’t actually interested in keeping Vessel alive. The service will be shuttered on October 31st, with subs getting free access until then. Those with year-long subscriptions will refunded back to the beginning of October.

YouTube announced today that it will partner with StoryCorps, a nonprofit that records and archives oral stories to pass on to future generations. The companies’ new program, which runs for 12 days starting December 5, allows digital creators to produce video-based StoryCorps interviews to address social issues at YouTube Spaces in Los Angeles and New York. YouTube will then help to amplify these interviews through StoryCorps’ #WhoWeAre campaign and support the production of a series of animated StoryCorps interviews created alongside Upworthy, a site that uses viral material to address social issues.

Qualcomm has agreed to buy NXP Semiconductors for $47 billion in an all-cash deal, making it the largest in semiconductor industry in history. According to a statement, “a subsidiary of Qualcomm will commence a tender offer to acquire all of the issued and outstanding common shares of NXP for $110.00 per share in cash, representing a total enterprise value of approximately $47 billion.” The transaction combines the largest maker of smartphone chips (Qualcomm) with a company that serves the auto industry (NXP), with an expected annual revenue of more than $30 billion.

PushSpring, the independent app-based mobile audience platform, announced a partnership with Native Touch, a Toronto based mobile ad platform. PushSpring provides advertisers and app publishers with mobile app audience data for nearly 200 million unique device IDs in the US, and now, with this partnership, Canada. The company leverages billions of mobile app data signals and related device data to develop PushSpring Personas and App Genre Segments, which marketers can factor into their ad targeting and campaign equations.

DirecTV Now, AT&T’s upcoming OTT TV service, will support local live streams of ABC and NBC in “select markets.” DirecTV didn’t announce the networks’ inclusion; rather, some keen-eyed folks at TV Predictions and other sites noticed updates to DirecTV Now’s website. Also of note: At launch, the service will be supported by several streaming platforms, including Apple TV, Google Cast, Amazon Fire TV. Support for Google’s Chromecast and Amazon’s streaming stick will follow shortly.

Sony Electronics announced that the Internet-based live TV service PlayStation Vue is now available on all of Sony’s premium Android TVs. PlayStation Vue plans start at $29.99 per month; they’re $39.99 in cities that carry most major live local broadcast stations.

The video personalization company IRIS.TV announced that it will license its cloud-based personalized video programming system to TV Tokyo, one of the five private national TV networks in Japan. The deal is designed to help web publishers maximize revenue from their video content libraries, controlling programming based on streaming position, frequency, category, and soon by geo-location and device. This IRIS.TV’s first east-Asian market; it already operates in North America, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and Australia.
 

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, Snapchat must be awfully flattered by now. Facebook is introducing a new selfie filter to its live video feature. (To start, it’s only available for iOS.) Called Masks, the feature takes some heavy inspiration from Snapchat’s selfie feature. It launches just in time for Halloween; it can turn users heads into pumpkins, skulls, or other spooky stuff.

After issuing a preview back in April, Microsoft is officially launching Skype for Business for Mac users today. The app (which comes 18 months after the final Windows version) offers a number of benefits, including full-screen sharing, one-click to join, and edge-to-edge video. Most notably, the app now let users present remotely with PowerPoint directly from their mobile device. Before, users would have to manually share files with other participants.

Also on Microsoft’s soon-to-launch list is a new line of stand-alone headsets from original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) that will run on Windows 10. They gave a full demonstration of the HoloLens augmented reality headset’s capabilities at its Window 10 and Surface event in New York City. The company says that AR and VR play a big role in Microsoft’s future visions of computing.
 

Which YouTuber has the most subscribers? (Email [email protected] with your answer and be sure to include your name, company, city and state.)

Our Last Trivia Question: Who was Zach Galifianakis’s first guest on Between Two Ferns? Answer: Michael Cera. Kudos to Susan Nessanbaum-Goldberg M and S Entertainment, Inc./CA, David Westberg-SAG-AFTRA Federal Credit Union/CA, and Lorrie Shilling/CA
 

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In honor of the soon-to-be-departed Vine app, we thought we’d link to this “Best Vine Fails” compilation. Enjoy.

See you on Monday,
David Teich
10.28.16

Roberta Caploe: Publisher @robertacaploe
Diane K Schwartz: Senior Vice President, Media Communications Group

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