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Code/red: Yo Drama

Oh, is Apple planning to launch some new product in October? I hadn't heard.

// HAPPENING TODAY

  • Microsoft’s Surface Pro 3 arrives at market in the U.S. and Canada.
  • The House Judiciary Antitrust subcommittee’s net neutrality hearing.

Oy

Yo, the monosyllabic mobile message app that earlier this week earned $1 million in venture funding, 300,000 users and a top-10 spot on the App Store with its bewilderingly asinine premise — its sole function is to help users say “Yo” to one another — is making headlines once again. It’s been hacked. “[We’re] having security issues,” Yo creator Or Arbel told Techcrunch. “Some of the stuff has been fixed and some we are still working on. We are taking this very seriously.” Meanwhile, the #YoBeenHacked hashtag is being overused on Twitter.


Yes, That Is a Limited “Doctor Who” Boxed Set on My Desk. Why Do You Ask?

Michigan Technological University professor Robert Nemiroff: “For the record, I do not believe that traveling back in time is possible, nor do I believe that time travelers are among us. I never did. However, I was not so absolutely sure that I did not check, with the help of students, in as scientifically a manner as possible.”


Wait. Computerworld Still Has a Print Edition?

Scot Finnie, Computerworld’s editor in chief: “On June 23, we will publish the last print issue of Computerworld.”


Like I Said, Apple Hopes to Debut Wearable in October

Apple’s upcoming wearable device is pegged for an October release, as we told you earlier this month. Today, The Wall Street Journal and Reuters both seconded that report and provided a few more details about its design. The device, which the Journal describes as a smartwatch, has been outfitted with 10 sensors, among them those that track health and fitness. And Apple intends to offer it in multiple screen sizes. Reuters says one of those sizes will be 2.5 inches diagonally. It says the device will feature a touch interface and wireless charging capabilities, and will enter manufacturing at Quanta next month.


Point/Counterpoint: Noodles Are Great! vs. I Hope You Die in Prison

Mark Karpeles, former CEO of collapsed bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox: “Instant yakisoba is really something you need to try in Japan. Works like instant ramen except you get rid of the hot water before eating.”

Former Mt. Gox user: “Man you should starve in prison, where is our money?”


Apple TV + Homekit = Home Automation?

Christopher Breen, Macworld: “While the current crop of Apple TVs may have processors too puny to handle control of your home, you’re undoubtedly aware that the processors shipping in today’s best iPads and iPhones are nearly desktop-class. Throw an A7 processor and some more flash storage into a next-generation Apple TV and you’re talking about a hefty hunk of hardware—one that could not only manage your home but also accommodate third-party apps for really opening up the device to media and games.”


Will Media Execs Never Learn?

Cory Doctorow, The Guardian: “It is precisely because Hachette has been so successful in selling its ebooks through Amazon that it can’t afford to walk away from the retailer. By allowing Amazon to put a lock on its products whose key only Amazon possessed, Hachette has allowed Amazon to utterly usurp its relationship with its customers.”


Fire Phone Marketing You Won’t See From Amazon

Ben Thomspon, Stratechery: “Just because someone loves Amazon doesn’t mean his or her entire life is about buying things.”


World Cup by Dre

By forcing FIFA to ban athletes from wearing Beats by Dre headphones from the World Cup, Sony thought it was protecting the exclusive licensing deal it negotiated for the event. But that’s not how things are working out. Reuters reports that while star players are no longer wearing Beats on the field and at World Cup media events, they’re wearing them everywhere else. Marketing strategist Ellen Petry Leanse: “When fans see World Cup athletes wearing Beats in their downtime, by choice, it has as much impact as seeing them lace their Adidas (boots) or sip a sponsored beverage. Maybe more, actually — Beats isn’t a sponsor, so the message is more authentic and credible.”


Clayton Christensen: Nobody Puts Clayton Christensen in a Corner

Harvard Business School professor Clayton Christensen on Jill Lepore’s takedown of disruptive innovation: “Well, in the first two or three pages, it seems that her motivation is to try to rein in this almost random use of the word “disruption.” The word is used to justify whatever anybody — an entrepreneur or a college student — wants to do. And as I read that I was delighted that somebody with her standing would join me in trying to bring discipline and understanding around a very useful theory. I’ve been trying to do it for 20 years. And then in a stunning reversal, she starts instead to try to discredit Clay Christensen, in a really mean way.”


Off Topic

Two great Vines: This one and this one.


Thanks for reading. Got a tip or a comment? Reach me at John@recode.net, @johnpaczkowski. Subscribe to the Code/red newsletter here.

This article originally appeared on Recode.net.

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