YouTube Music on the iPad gets Now Playing redesign

It took a while, but YouTube Music on the iPad finally gets YouTube Music's revamped Now Playing design. The cover art is no longer edge-to-edge, but you still get the song/video switcher at the top with the Cast next to the Cast option. The overflow menu is accessible from the top-right corner. It has thumbs up and down options flanking the cover art, song name, and title. At the bottom, you have the controls for playing and pausing the music, back and following buttons, and the shuffle and repeat options.

It doesn't get the Android tablet's two-column design, which can show you the queue next to the controls. 9to5Google noted a bug with the cover art taking up the entire screen when you rotate from the portrait orientation. So, if you're experiencing that, then you know what's happening.

Sonos delays release of its next product

Existing Sonos Sub (Source: Sonos)

Sonos won't be releasing a rumoured product this year. Following bumpy third-quarter earnings last week, the company announced it decided to push back a product launch initially pencilled in for the near future. As The Verge noted, that was most likely the long-awaited Sonos Sub Mini, a more affordable subwoofer than its existing US$749 Sub. 

The Sub Mini was spotted in the FCC in the US; given the typical timeline between filing and a consumer release, the device was due a launch soon. But Sonos spokesperson Erin Pategas confirmed with The Verge that an "anticipated product" launching from Q4 '22 is coming out in the first quarter of next year.

Apple is reportedly funding podcasts it could turn into films or TV shows

Source: Apple

Apple has supposedly signed a deal with podcast producer Futuro Studios to help fund future podcast development and productions. As part of the deal, Apple gets the first refusal on the rights to turn these podcasts into a film or TV show. The tech giant has already produced TV shows based on podcasts WeCrashed and The Shrink Next Door.

The company's TV division leads the podcasting deals it enters. Meanwhile, its actual podcasting unit has reportedly avoided investing in specific titles to appear as a "neutral platform." Apple and Futuro have declined to comment on Bloomberg's report. But it looks like Apple is using the technology to benefit its other businesses more than directly expanding or growing the shows. Aside from using it for adaptations, Apple has done companion podcasts for content like The Problem with Jon Stewart and For All Mankind as promotional tie-ins.

Via

LG has a 97-inch vibrating OLED TV that claims it can offer 5.1 audio sans speakers

Source: LG Display

LG Display is known to experiment with different concepts for its OLED panels. The latest one toys around with the idea of using the display to vibrate sound instead of relying on separate speakers. If the technology seems familiar, Sony has similar technology it calls Acoustic Surface. That tech has been around since 2017. But what separates LG's experiment with its 97-inch OLED EX panel is it claims to offer a 5.1 channel sound system embedded into the widescreen. 

Ars Technica pointed out that it's unclear how this will work, given that the sound comes from a central point. But it's not to say it couldn't produce decent sound. LG Display has shared information on whether the technology will arrive in upcoming OLED televisions, but we'll keep an eye out for it.