🤧 Good day, and welcome back to the Daily Authority! Our household has come down with some sniffles, but don’t worry; it’s only a mild cold made particularly worse by hay fever. Spring was never going to be kind after two years spent sheltering indoors.

Consistency is key

We’re getting closer to Google’s fall launch, which will see the new Pixel Watch and Google Pixel 7 series debut. While the Pixel Watch is guaranteed to add some new flavor to Google’s product line, the Pixel 7 could herald more of a minor upgrade than any Pixel before. This might be a good thing, argues AA’s Hadlee Simons in today’s feature.

Change for change’s sake

• We crave novelty, but this isn’t always a good thing in the smartphone world.
• A brief canter through Google’s Pixel archives shows how experimental most of its devices were.
• The Pixel 4 was shockingly revolutionary when placed alongside the Pixel 3.
• It landed with no fingerprint sensor and used 3D face unlock activated by Soli radar tech.
• The latter tech meant Google couldn’t sell it in lucrative markets like India.
• Then there was the Pixel 5, which effectively ditched the Pixel 4’s flagship chipset in favor of mid-range silicon.
• Over the years, there have been plenty of changes from model to model, but keeping a consistent focus has been Google’s main problem with the Pixel line.

Good change coming?

• The Pixel 6 isn’t without its issues.
• Its Tensor chipset gets pretty toasty, while the phone suffers from poor wireless connectivity.
• Users have noted several software bugs affecting everything from phone calls to fingerprint scanners.
• However, these aren’t unfixable problems.
• If Google adopts the evolutionary upgrade approach, it could solve these issues, bringing further refinement to its model line generation after generation.
• While squashing bugs also means Google would have more time to refine its big selling points, like the camera and software experience.
• Judging by the Pixel 7 leaks, rumors, and official teasers thus far, the Pixel 7 seems like it may be an iterative upgrade.

The first true Pixel?

• As Hadlee explains, such an approach could help Google refine and redefine the Pixel series.
• While it has shown signs of finding its footing, an evolutionary upgrade path would let Google cement its standing in the smartphone space.
• A consistent design across the Pixel 6 and Pixel 7 series gives us hope that Google is well on its way to an iterative upgrade path.
• Of course, this might mean less exciting Pixel models year after year, but we’d arguably take refined familiarity over constant, unknown change.

Roundup

♻️ According to AA’s Rob Triggs, Android doesn’t need yearly updates anymore, unlike iOS. Do you agree? (Android Authority).

📸 If you ever wondered what a 200MP camera system on a phone can do, we have the results in our Motorola Edge 30 Ultra camera test (Android Authority).

⌚ Fitbit solved one of the most annoying problems on smartwatches and fitness trackers, but why hasn’t Apple or Google followed suit? (Android Authority).

🏈 Yet another Microsoft Surface tablet received a beating at an NFL game this weekend, this time from the coaching staff (The Verge).

😴 Were your teen years exhausting? School schedules may be why (Ars Technica).

👏 Foldables are tempting, but Samsung’s iffy warranty is keeping me away (Android Authority).

🐝 The UK may soon join the Netherlands in building “bee bus stops” — shelters with butterfly and bee-friendly plants growing on their roofs (The Guardian).

🙉 Spotify promoted white supremacist artists, including one with a song featuring an Adolf Hitler speech (Gizmodo).

🤖 Interview: AI will help phone photos surpass the DSLR, says Qualcomm (Android Authority).

🚌 Beijing bus drivers have been told to wear wristbands to monitor their emotions (South China Morning Post).

📺 Which tv series has aged like milk? (r/askreddit).

Monday Meme

Memes are organic bits of popular culture that seemingly take on a life of their own. But if you can harness this power, memes make for powerful marketing tools, especially for addictive TV shows. That’s what The Guardian’s Jess Thomson explored in this pretty interesting feature.

• More often, new TV shows are written with quotable lines in mind. And these show writers are under pressure for pandering to the meme community.
• Whether it’s deliberate or organic is the honest debate.
• While shows like Succession benefit from its organically quotable dialog, some shows have seemingly tried to force this in the past.
• Some cite Tyrion’s random late-show commentary in Game of Thrones as one example. Or Rhaenyra Targaryen’s joke about cake in House of the Dragon.
• “In a sense, these quotable lines tap into a fine tradition of TV scripting.”
• And it’s only natural that the key moments are discussed on social media afterwards.
• But according to some TV writers, creating meme-worthy lines isn’t something that’s focused on.
• “When crafting a show, of course we’re looking to create funny, emotional or memorable moments – but generally we’re thinking about it in terms of the wider story,” says screenwriter James Capel.
• “Memes and quotes are a reaction, and every audience member reacts differently. Our job is to make it work first and foremost. It’s not up to us to necessarily anticipate how they’ll react.”

Whatever you believe, never jest about cake.

Have a good week,

Andy Walker, Editor.