YouTube is shuffling the deck on its paid tiers of video and music streaming. Announced today, YouTube Premium will take over for the soon to be phased out YouTube Red, but it’s essentially going to be the same service. Users get ad-free playback of everything on YouTube, plus access to a growing list of original series. Premium subscribers also get the new YouTube Music, a plan similar to Spotify and Apple Music.
For 12 bucks a month it’s a pretty good deal, considering YouTube Music by itself is 10. YouTube Red subscribers will get the new YouTube Premium at their current price of just 10 dollars a month, because, really this is just a renaming of the same service. YouTube Premium will launch soon, so there’s still time to pick up a Red subscription and lock in that discount.
Apple’s North Carolina HQ
Tens of thousands of the world’s brightest tech developers could be heading to North Carolina. Apple is rumored to be considering an area near the Duke campus known as the Research Triangle region for a 20,000-employee campus. Apple CEO Tim Cook reportedly met with North Carolina’s governor and state commerce secretary earlier this month to discuss the campus. And now, the latest report from local North Carolina station WRAL states that Research Triangle Park is quote “a done deal” should the state approve tax incentives for the tech giant.
Apple is keeping its plans under wraps, only promising to announce new plans for its future investment in U.S. facilities later this year.
Xbox Adaptive Controller
And finally, Microsoft is making gaming more accessible with the Xbox Adaptive Controller. Available later this year, the new controller is designed to be customized for any gamer with limited mobility. It has two large programmable buttons on the top surface, plus a D-pad, and Xbox, View, Menu, and Profile buttons. This is more than just a controller, it’s a hub for other controllers to allow anyone, regardless of mobility, to game. A lineup of 19 3.5mm jacks is available for external buttons, thumbsticks, and triggers. In all, there are 23 accessory port and jacks.
The Xbox Adaptive Controller will list for $100 at Microsoft stores after an official launch later this year.
