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Disney CEO Bob Iger spilled the beans on a June grand opening for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland, letting the debut date slip for the much-anticipated new themed “land” during a wide-ranging Q&A interview with Barron’s (registration required). Ahead of the opening, Disney raised pass prices by as much as 25 percent. Along with hints about other ride and attraction info, Theme Park Insider pegged June 21-23 as the date that the 14-acre Galaxy’s Edge will open simultaneously in Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif., and Hollywood Studios near Orlando, Fla. Iger also said that the company won’t make big-budget (more than $100 million) original movies exclusively for its upcoming Netflix competitor — meaning no “Star Wars” movie for Disney+, which will launch later this year. Disney is, however, developing “Star Wars” live-action shows, including “The Mandalorian” and a “Rogue One” prequel. [Brady MacDonald / OC Register]
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“Netflix, Netflix, Netflix!” said producer Chuck Lorre, accepting the Golden Globe Award for best TV comedy for The Kominsky Method. And then he said it again. Netflix made a bold mark on the evening, taking home two of the more prestigious awards — best director and best foreign film — for its original production of Alfonso Cuaron’s Roma. Netflix celebrated with a tweet: “shoutout to everyone who is watching commercials for the first time in several months”; here’s where to stream the Globe’s nominees and winners. [Brent Lang / Variety]
If you’ve bought movies or TV shows from Apple’s iTunes store, you’re going to be able to watch them on Samsung’s 2018/2019 TV models — without connecting an Apple TV box to your TV. The takeaway: Apple’s set-top box trails Roku, Google, and Amazon in streaming market share, and Apple needs to be on more devices if it is going to sell more services — which is its plan to combat slumping iPhone sales. When Apple launches its video service this year, it will be going up against Netflix, Amazon, Disney, and AT&T’s upcoming services, and more to come. Meanwhile, here are five reasons you wouldn’t want to be in Apple CEO Tim Cook’s shoes right now. [Peter Kafka / Recode]
Facebook execs are said to be “fed up” with what they see as overtly antagonistic coverage by the New York Times, and are especially frustrated by a sponsored post that detailed how to leave Facebook. The sponsored ad came after weeks of Times articles that cast Facebook as a reckless, data-hungry behemoth with little regard for user privacy or the integrity of American politics. New York Times Executive Editor Dean Baquet said that the news stories “grew organically from controversies surrounding Facebook and elections,” emphasizing that there is no connection between its coverage of Facebook and its business dealings with Facebook. [Dylan Byers / NBC News]
Zuckerberg San Francisco General — recently renamed for the Facebook founder and CEO after he donated $75 million in 2015 — is the largest public hospital in San Francisco and the city’s only top-tier trauma center. But it doesn’t participate in the networks of any private health insurers; an examination of patient bills from the hospital’s emergency room found that ZSFG’s sky-high billing can cost privately insured patients tens of thousands of dollars for care that would likely cost them significantly less at other hospitals. Most medical billing experts say it is rare for major emergency rooms to be completely out-of-network with all private health plans. Meanwhile, in an unrelated move, the city is considering removing Zuckerberg’s name from the hospital. [Sarah Kliff / Vox]
More than 100 million devices with Amazon’s Alexa voice-control have been sold — that’s an all-too-rare actual number from the secretive company. According to SVP of Devices and Services Dave Limp, that breaks down to more than 150 products with Alexa built in; more than 28,000 smart home devices that work with Alexa, made by more than 4,500 different manufacturers; and more than 70,000 Alexa skills. The numbers for Google Assistant were lower across the board the last time we heard them, but it’s likely Google will use CES to check in with new figures. Last year, the company literally wallpapered Las Vegas with “Hey Google” ads; Limp says Amazon won’t have a gigantic booth or over-the-top keynote, but it will have a presence with “Works with Alexa” labels throughout the show floor alongside new devices that have Alexa in them. [Dieter Bohn / The Verge]
As we all know, CES begins tomorrow in Las Vegas. Every January, tech companies flock to Las Vegas to show off their latest wares — and create the biggest buzz around their brand humanly possible by dreaming up gadgets of the future. Many of those far-out concepts are never seen or heard from again, as companies bite off more than they can chew. So, on the eve of CES, The Verge looked back at what happened to last year’s most intriguing new technologies, including Synaptics’ Clear ID Fingerprint Sensor, LG’s giant rollable TV, laundry-folding robots and Sony’s robot dog, Aibo. And here’s a preview (and another!) of what to watch for this year. [Sean Hollister / The Verge]
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This is cool
Breaking the code behind Disney’s new “Star Wars” lands.
This article originally appeared on Recode.net.
