On this episode of Tech Briefs, Greg Nibler and Pavi Dinamani dive into the biggest technology stories of the past week to help make sense of what they mean and how they affect us, including news on 5G’s effect on gaming, food delivery consolidation, and “The Hamilton Effect” on Disney+.
As we rapidly approach the widespread deployment of 5G, it won’t only be the internet and streaming video that get a boost. The world of gaming is also set for a big change with Samsung Galaxy 5G. 5G offers low latency and faster response times over traditional wifi or 4G networks, and because devices like the Galaxy S20 5G or the new Galaxy A71 5G are untethered, people can take the gaming speed of 5G from wherever they are instead of having to be wired to their homes. 5G also opens the door for fully immersive VR and 8K streaming, the possibilities of which will explode with the speed and reliability of the 5G network.
Another industry that is growing at a rapid pace is the food delivery industry. Recently Uber bought Postmates for $2.65 billion dollars, and other players like Doordash and Grubhub/JustEatTakeaway have consolidated, which is a sign of the changing way we order takeout in the time of quarantine. It’s hard to say how the consolidation in this area will play out long-term, and as of now Uber plans to keep Postmates as a separate entity, but there is a clear desire to compete with businesses like Instacart.
We then turn from delivery to Disney and the remarkable success of Hamilton, which started streaming on Disney+. Originally scheduled for release in October 2021, Disney moved up the release date on July 3. From Friday to Sunday, the Disney+ app was downloaded over 750,000 times globally, including just under 500,000 downloads in the United States — 74% higher than the downloads from June of this year. It remains to be seen whether other streaming services will try similar tactics of buying or releasing movies earlier to compensate for some of the losses felt in movie theaters, but the success of Hamilton played an important part in Disney+’s growth, and other industry players are paying attention.
