ExtraBITS for 1 June 2015
This week in ExtraBITS, App Camp for Girls is kicking off a new round of crowdfunding, Charter is looking to buy Time Warner, comedian Stephen Fry breaks some news about Apple’s Jony Ive, Josh Centers discusses the next Apple TV on The Tech Night Owl podcast, and Michael Cohen and Josh debate the merits of the Apple Watch on the MacJury podcast.
App Camp for Girls Leveling Up to 3.0 — Since 2013, App Camp for Girls has been holding summer camps to teach middle school girls how to develop apps. Now it’s seeking a new round of crowdfunding to expand to more locations, develop a kit that will make it easy to launch new App Camp locations, pay staff, and develop a long term funding strategy. Funding levels range from $10 to $1,000, with bonuses like a mixtape from The Doubleclicks, buttons, t-shirts, and even an iPhone case.
Charter Sets Its Sights on Time Warner — With regulators having nixed Comcast’s attempt to purchase Time Warner Cable, rival Charter Communications has stepped in with a $56.7 billion bid. The deal is expected to close by the end of the year. While the acquisition will face regulatory scrutiny, it’s not expected to be as intense as that experienced by market leader Comcast.
A Bit of Fry and Ive — British comedian and self-described Apple “fanboi” Stephen Fry got the rare chance to break some news from inside Apple: Jony Ive is being promoted to Chief Design Officer, with Richard Howarth serving under him as head of Industrial Design and Alan Dye serving as head of User Interface. Alongside the news, Fry shared a story about how he once annoyed Steve Jobs and toured the site of Apple’s new campus with Ive and CEO Tim Cook.
Josh Centers Looks Ahead to Apple TV on the Tech Night Owl Live — After spending a month with the Apple Watch, Managing Editor Josh Centers joined Tech Night Owl host Gene Steinberg to discuss his experience with it, as well as what he’s expecting from the rumored Apple TV update. Josh also discusses market interest in 4K television and his brief experience with AOL.
The MacJury Discusses Apple Watch with TidBITS Editors — Last week Chuck Joiner convened a MacJury comprising TidBITS’s own Josh Centers and Michael Cohen to discuss their early experiences with Apple Watch. Tune in for a deep, serious, deliberative discussion of the new device’s pros and cons…ah, who are we kidding? We had a great and goofy time, and you might, too: you can find out — it’s just a click away!