### Issue 1442 - Wednesday 1st September, 2021

## In Today's Issue

- Windows 11 gets public release date, October 5th 2021
- Apple & Google have to let app developers use 3rd payment payment processors in South Korea
- Telstra tops monthly ACCC broadband testing for first time
- 1Password settling on Electron for latest update is a sign that native apps are on life support
- Cheap Crucial P5 Plus SSDs, Wacom tablet, Dell 15" laptop backpacks, Audioengine A1 speakers, Samsung T7 portable SSD, iPhone 12 mini, iPad Air 4 LTE, AirPods, Apple Watch SE

## The News

### Windows 11 gets public release date, October 5th 2021

Windows 11 has an official release date: October 5th 2021. It will be a free upgrade for "eligible Windows 10 PCs" that you'll be alerted to via Windows Update. Microsoft has a PC Health Check app that can tell you if your device is eligible. Not sure what the situation is for people with an eligible PC that just want an ISO to do their own clean install. One of the more hyped features - support for Android apps - isn't shipping at launch and will only be entering preview stage "in the coming months", making it unlikely to appear until early 2022 at best. Windows 10 is still supported until October 14th 2025, with a major update due later this year, if you aren't keen on moving to Windows 11 (or your computer doesn't support it!)

### Apple & Google have to let app developers use 3rd payment payment processors in South Korea

South Korea has passed a law banning "app store owners from requiring developers to use in-house payment systems" - i.e: Google and Apple can no longer force apps for sale in the South Korean market to use their in-app payment system as the only way to collect money from users. This means you can have a credit card form in the app for example, and process the payment as normal using something like Stripe which only takes a ~2% cut instead of Apple's 30%. Shit, you could even use Apple Pay within an iOS app to take payments and save a shitload of money. The USA and EU are considering similar laws, so it'll be interesting to see how it goes down in Korea.

### Telstra tops monthly ACCC broadband testing for first time

The ACCC's latest NBN fixed-line preformance report is out and Telstra are now the top dog, deliverying at least 100% of the speeds they promise to deliver at all times of the day. Probably helps that Telstra has downgraded many of its FTTN customers paying for 100/40 down to a more realistic for FTTN speed of 50/20. Superloop appears to have shit the bed, "only hitting its advertised speed during busy hours 48% of the time, compared to 93% in June". The ACCC also commented "its volunteers on very high speed plans were not able to surpass speeds of 100 Mbps because of limitations on Ethernet ports on some home gateways". Rookie mistake there from everyone involved. Meanwhile, NZ's NBN equivalent has made 300/100 the standard FTTP speed tier.

## Something I Saw On The Internet

### 1Password settling on Electron for latest update is a sign that native apps are on life support

Nick Heer's blog post on 1Password's decision to ditch native app development and go all-in on Electron raises some good points. He says that, "yet another Electron app in the lives of many Mac users should be seen as a reflection of the great demand placed on developers by cross-platform availability, and the poor quality of tools to make that happen", goes on to explain that 1Password has long dedicated themselves to making quality native Mac apps and 500+ employees plus a shitload of VC money. He sums up my feelings succinctly, saying that "if a company like 1Password feels like the Mac can share an Electron app with Windows and Linux, that seems like a concerning state of affairs". So little of what I do on my Mac is a native app these days.

## Bargains

- Crucial P5 Plus PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSDs 500GB/1TB/2TB - $149/$269/$559 from Shopping Express
- Wacom Intuos Medium graphics tablet - $239.20 from Wacom
- Dell Essential or Venture 15" laptop backpack - $13.81/$18 from Dell
- Audioengine A1 wireless speaker - $239 from PLE
- Samsung T7 500GB portable SSD - $99 + delivery from Bing Lee ($95 delivered if you use Afterpay)
- iPhone 12 Mini 64GB or iPad Air 4 64GB LTE - $720/$880 from Telstra
- Get a $20 Amazon credit if you buy AirPods or an Apple Watch SE from Amazon

## The End

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😎 The Sizzle is curated by Anthony "@decryption" Agius and emailed every weekday afternoon.

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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.​