NBN is saying that by the end of November, over 25% of HFC users will be able to sign up for 750-1000mbit plans, and that by the end of 2021 the entire HFC footprint will be able to soak up the joy that is gigabit internet. They also revealed the first locations (list is in the linked article) where premises suffering through FTTN will be eligible for free upgrades to FTTP. It's still unknown what strings are attached to get that free upgrade, but it's probably something like you have to get a 100mbit+ plan and stick with it for 3 years or something. Meanwhile, TPG/Vodafone plans to launch a fixed wireless 5G offering in early 2021. They reckon it isn't "simply a bypass of the NBN", but we all know it is. There's undoubtedly fatter margins on reselling your own 5G network than the NBN and for many users, the performance difference between half-arsed NBN and 5G is negligible.
Lee Kun-hee, Samsung group chairman and third son of Samsung's founder, has passed away aged 77. Lee was the boss of Samsung from 1987 to 2008 and 2010 to 2020, leading Samsung from churning out crap TVs and microwaves to the electronics powerhouse it is today. That gap in leadership between 2008 and 2010 was due to a 3 year suspended prison sentence for running a "slush fund used to bribe influential prosecutors, judges, and political figures in South Korea". There's been rumours for years that Lee was artificially kept alive since he first went into hospital after a heart attack in 2014, so the heirs of his immense wealth could structure Samsung to avoid paying a 50% inheritance tax to the South Korean government - approximately US$7b. This week's announcement of Lee's death after 6 years in hospital is probably because the family completed the financial re-jigging of Samsung and Lee's assets.
Microsoft has added mouse/trackpad support in iPadOS for Word, Excel and PowerPoint. According to Microsoft's blog post, "when moving a finger across the built-in trackpad of Magic Keyboard, the cursor transforms into the tool you need depending on the content you're pointing to. And using a mouse or trackpad with iPad for common tasks like highlighting a passage of text in Word, selecting a range of cells in Excel, and moving and resizing graphics in PowerPoint are as simple and intuitive as ever". Office apps on iPadOS are also getting "new start screens and a new ribbon of feature menus" as part of Fluent UI updates to match other Microsoft 365 products. The blog post says "many users have already started receiving these updates through a phased roll-out, which should reach all users within a couple weeks".
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The Sizzle is created on Wathaurong land and acknowledges the traditional owners of country throughout Australia, recognising their continuing connection to land, water and community. I pay my respect to them and their cultures and to elders both past and present.