Together with
ChatGPT goes mobile. OpenAI just dropped an iOS app out of nowhere, bringing generative AI to iPhones everywhere. The app is free and can sync conversations across devices. It also integrates Whisper, they company’s speech-recognition system, enabling voice input. The future is comin’ at us fast, folks.
In other news… Angelina Jolie’s recycled fashion label, ESPN’s full streaming debut, and Apple’s mixed reality headset.
Top Trends
YouTube →The Creator
Twitter →Fast X
Google →Killers of the Flower Moon
Reddit →Futurama
TikTok →“Daylight” - David Kushner
Spotify →“NYE” - Local Natives
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FASHION
Angelina Jolie // Illustration by Kate Walker
Angelina Jolie’s fashion label makes customers the designer
The Future. Angelina Jolie is expanding her penchant for recycling her red carpet dresses. The actress is launching a new luxury line that puts customers in the designer chair, giving people the ability to work with artisans to create new clothes from old fabrics. With the new venture, Jolie may be joining the forefront of fashion mavens that hope to make the industry more sustainable and democratic.
Collective creation
Jolie’s Atelier Jolie luxury label is putting an emphasis on customization.
Customers can co-design clothing with a roster of “tailors, pattern makers, and artisans from around the world.”
Only “leftover, quality vintage material and deadstock” will be used in creating the new pieces.
Customers can also tap into this community to upcycle or repair old clothes to give them “new life.”
Jolie says that Atelier Jolie is about putting the spotlight on the “makers that rarely receive the credit and respect they deserve."
The label launches sometime this fall.
ENTERTAINMENT
Burnin’ down the house // Illustration by Kate Walker
ESPN stretches for streaming debut
The Future. After years of flip-flopping, a new report says that Disney is definitely going to make ESPN a standalone streaming service. The move may be a final turning point for cable, which routinely relies on the inclusion of ESPN (and its many offshoot channels) as a deal-closer for getting people to continue paying for cable subscriptions.
Stream team
ESPN will likely break free of traditional TV.
Disney has been renegotiating deals with cable providers and pro sports leagues to secure more flexibility in eventually launching ESPN as a standalone streaming service.
The project, dubbed “Flagship,” would bring all of the channel’s programming to streaming, as opposed to the limited offerings of ESPN+.
ESPN will still be available in traditional cable packages and other digital distributors — 74 million people currently have access to the channel, but that number shrinks yearly.
Disney hasn’t provided a date for when ESPN would untether from cable, but the company would probably like to sooner than later, considering the streaming wars have made sports rights the new battleground.
TOGETHER WITH HERS
“Going on a stupid walk”
Two years into the pandemic, Tiktok took to "going on a stupid walk for my stupid mental health.” People began walking to improve their mood, and despite feeling absurd, chilly, or even pointless at times, many discovered its benefits! In some instances, though, “stupid walks” aren’t nearly enough — and treatment is required.
Enter Hims & Hers, the online telehealth platform making virtual access to anxiety & depression treatment options* possible. Pretty smart, huh?
Here's how it works:
1️⃣ Cozy up at home and fill out the paperwork
2️⃣ A professional healthcare provider will review your deets & prescribe treatment, if appropriate
3️⃣ If prescribed, enjoy auto-refills & unlimited check-ins with your care team
No insurance? No problem!
Subscription required. For a three-month subscription, after 20% off your treatment plan for the first three months, price is $49/month ($117 for first order, $147 billed quarterly thereafter). Discount also applies to 6 and 12 month subscriptions. Subscription automatically renews unless you cancel at least 7 days before renewal is processed. Prescription products require an online consultation with a healthcare provider who will determine if a prescription is appropriate. Restrictions apply. See website for full details and important safety information. Controlled substances, including amphetamines (such as Adderall) or benzodiazepines (such as Xanax and Valium) are not available through the platform.*
AR/VR
Apple pulls its mixed-reality headset into focus
The Future. Apple is hoping it’s on the verge of a new iPod or iWatch moment with its coming mixed reality headset, stuffing it with features that may make it far easier to use and better looking than any other headset on the market. While its initial rumored $3,000 price point may be too steep for most Americans, Apple’s strategy of pricing devices high, only to discount them soon after to drive demand, may work once again.
iSee
Apple’s “Reality Pro” may set a new vision for the AR/VR industry.
It reportedly boasts a sleek “ski-goggle” design and an external battery pack, which means people may actually take it outside.
While only 8.8 million AR/VR headsets shipped overall last year, Apple likely hopes that its connection to its other devices will make it a must-have item (it may be able to act as an alternative screen for a connected Mac).
While connectivity to apps like FaceTime is basically assured, the company is looking for a unique “killer app” for the device — like the health capabilities of the iWatch.
Can Apple be the one to finally take VR and AR mainstream? We’ll have to wait and see at the company’s annual developer conference on June 5.
Future Forecast
For those of you who like to stay a step ahead, here are a few things we’re excited about right now :
The app built for reading newsletters, like ours! Real talk, we know inboxes can, at times, have a draining effect on the psyche. And it’s tough to read your fav newsletters (like ours!) with loads of other emails glaring at you. Meco is the answer! It’s a distraction-free space for reading newsletters outside the inbox.
Social strategy that doesn’t suck. The bright folks at HubSpot and Brandwatch put together this incredibly handy, incredibly free 2023 Global Social Media Trends Report. Want 5 fast takeaways, we’ll give you 3 - 1.) socials are the future of selling online. 2.) short-form video will dominate ROI. 3.) micro influencers are engagement meisters. Download the report here for a lot more tips to optimize your social strategy.
Getting off our 🍑 s and getting a nice juicy one in the process. Bala bands are soooo yesterday. Cakey Bums is where it’s at. Their bands are intense. Their swag has swagger and they’re a female-founded company with a mission to empower women. Love them and all they stand for. Their recipes and workout plans are also great for summer. Girls (and guys) just wanna have bums.
Highlights
The best curated daily stories from around the web
Montana logs off TikTok
Montana has officially done it: it’s the first state in the US to ban TikTok, citing concerns of data-sharing with the Chinese Communist Party. The law forces app stores to bar making the app available to download in the state after January 1st of next year… if the law can survive significant legal and logistical challenges.
Read more →variety
ChatGPT has some very human curators
ChatGPT may be all the rage (and controversy) these days, but it turns out the AI platform has a big helping hand in American contractors who are tasked with labeling data — the process of tagging words and images so the AI can better identify them. For that work, the contractors are paid $15 an hour. That’s a lot to unpack…
Read more →gizmodo
Bumble wants to go beyond the spark
Bumble is evolving from a dating app to a relationship app with its new acquisition of Official — an app that provides mood check-ins and date planning for couples. Founded in 2021, Official is used by more than 368,000 couples across 45 countries. The two apps will remain separate for the time being.
Read more →fastcompany
Spacetop introduces first AR laptop
Tech company Sightful is releasing the first-ever “augmented reality laptop.” Dubbed “Spacetop,” it’s essentially a full-size keyboard wirelessly connected to a pair of NReal glasses that project a 100-inch virtual screen. Only 1,000 are currently available and you have to apply to snag one, but the device could soon revolutionize the work-from-anywhere lifestyle.
Read more →engadget
The Supreme Court decrees that Andy Warhol isn’t original enough
The world of copyright and image reuse got an interesting wrinkle today via the Supreme Court today. The court ruled that Vanity Fair’s use of an Andy Warhol illustration that used an unlicensed photo from Lynn Goldsmith (without giving her credit) was a violation of her copyright… despite the photographer granting a license to Warhol for a similar photo. The ruling could have far-reaching implications around the idea of “fair use.”
Read more →deadline
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Editing by Melody Song. Publishing by Sara Kitnick.