As I wrote in my review of the TLX A-Spec, "Acuras are more fun to drive than Lexuses, less fun than BMWs, different from Audis (I tend to find Acuras to be better for daily driving duty), more youthful than Mercedes, and less juicy than Cadillacs."

They are, in other words, their own thing. And the PMC Edition is its own thing. The TLX A-Spec we tested in 2017 stickered at about $46,000, and the PMC version isn't expected to much costlier: probably $50,000.

The driving experience was the same, which is to say wonderful. The engine delivers a 0-60 mph run of six seconds, not crazy fast but fast enough, and the power from that V6 is smooth — you appreciate this car's virtues on the freeway.

And while all the PMC trim does for the spec sheet is add a few thousand dollars worth of goodies, the hand-built aspect of that package is genuinely compelling. For about 50 grand, you get to own one of just 360 cars.

I sort of expect all 360 to be "Valencia Red Pearl" in color — because it is just about the most beautiful red currently on the market, and you previously had to buy an NSX to get it. It's hypnotically lovely. Trust me. I would honestly never get tired of looking at this car.

And hey, it's an Acura and therefore built (by hand!) to last for decades. So you could look forward to years and years of happy, you know — looking!

Following is a transcript of the video.

Craig Federighi: Now when you plug in your phone, this is what you see: nothing.

Matt Stuart: Yes, Apple is killing iTunes. But in retrospect, it's one of the most important products Apple ever made. This has been a very long time coming. iTunes has been extremely bloated for a while now, and instead of iTunes, Apple is now gonna have Apple Music, Podcasts, and Apple TV. Separate apps for different kinds of media, which makes total sense.

iTunes was originally only for music. When Apple released it, it was actually built on this other application called SoundJam that Apple had purchased, and they retooled it and turned it into iTunes. And so it was just kinda used for ripping CDs and storing your MP3s. Remember, this was the early aughts, so MP3s were huge, and this was just kind of a way to manage everything.

When Apple releases the iPod, they add the iPod support to iTunes so that you use iTunes to transfer all your music to the iPod, and that's how you manage your iPod library. In early 2003, they launch the iTunes Music Store. This is huge because up until now, you didn't really have a digital music store. But it's also a big experiment. It was kind of a way for the labels to see, will people buy music? The record labels are able to target Mac users, which at this time are about 1 to 2 percent of the computer-having population, and see if they will actually purchase digital music. You're not getting a physical CD. You're just getting files on your computer. And the experiment is a huge success.

So about six months later, you see iTunes come to Windows, which gives Apple two things: the iTunes Store on Windows PCs, and any Windows user can finally get an iPod because up until now, they had no way to manage their library if they were to get one. A couple of years later, Apple adds photo and video support to the iPod, which means that they have to add videos to the iTunes Store. So now you can get your music, your TV shows, and movies from iTunes. And this is how you're still managing your iPod. So it's getting a little more bloated, but it still makes sense because you can get all these things onto your iPod, so this is a single application to basically manage your iPod. 2007, Apple launches the iPhone, which is also managed in iTunes, and they still use iTunes to manage your iPhone library. It still makes sense for it to be iTunes, but you're still using one application for all these different forms of media.

The problems really start to come the next year when they add the App Store to the iPhone, and you have to access the App Store in iTunes. So now you're using iTunes for music, TV shows, movies, and apps on your iPhone. Later on, they add podcast and book support to iTunes, so now you're using it for those things in addition to everything else. As time goes on, the iPhone becomes more and more important to Apple, and each thing becomes its own separate app. You have Apple Music. You have the books. You have the podcasts on the phone. But on your computer, everything is contained in iTunes. When you connect your phone to your computer, it still launches iTunes automatically. It's gonna bring up your phone. It might try and automatically sync stuff. It's still bogged down with all of these forms of media and everything else that Apple has been using to do file management on the iPhone. As time has gone on, more and more things go to the cloud.

You see Apple Music launch, and it kind of makes iTunes not really be needed that much, especially when you see that things like books and podcasts and music all have their own separate app on the iPhone. It doesn't really make sense for them all to be contained in one app on the computer. Apple's doing the right thing here by breaking everything out into separate apps that will be smaller and faster and make it a lot easier to manage all of your media. iTunes gets a lot of flack now, and it's a good thing that Apple is killing it, but for a while, it was one of the best apps that Apple had, and it really helped with the early aughts turnaround of the company.

The turnaround of Apple is one of the greatest stories in the history of tech. And yes, it is time for iTunes to die, but it shouldn't be glossed over when looking at Apple's turnaround and how much iTunes helped it invade the PC market and give Apple a Trojan horse into Windows users and get them onto the iPod and get them onto the iPhone. And this is the software that enabled that.

One of the great features of the Apple Watch is the ability to listen to music on the go, without having to carry your iPhone.

Whether you're going out for a run, need to be hands-free, or your phone just died and you're in desperate need to rock out, you can still access your favorite artists through your watch. All you have to do is stream the songs from your nearby phone or download them directly onto your Apple Watch.

But be warned: Storage space is limited to 2 GB for music on an Apple Watch, so you may need to remove songs or playlists before adding more.

You can also tune in to your favorite podcasts by automatically syncing their release with your watch. To free up some of that desirable storage space, Apple even automatically removes the episode once you've listened to it.

Ready to reach your playlists and podcasts from your wrist? Follow the simple steps below. But before you start setting up your music and more, invest in a pair of wireless headphones. The Apple Watch doesn't have a headphone jack to accommodate your usual set.

How to download music to your Apple Watch

There are two ways to listen to music on your Apple Watch. You can either stream them directly from your nearby iPhone, or you can download a set amount of songs onto your watch and listen without having your iPhone on you.

1. Place your Apple Watch on its charger and connect the charger to power.

2. On your iPhone, open the Watch app. If you can't find it, you can swipe right on the home screen and search for it.

3. On the "My Watch" screen scroll down and select "Music."

Tap the "Music" tab under "My Watch" on your Watch App. Christine Kopaczewski/Business Insider

4. Here, you can select what music to download to your Apple Watch. There are two options:

5. If you want to have Apple choose the music, make sure that the "Heavy Rotation" feature is turned on — the switch will be green. If you want to manually choose music click the "+ Add Music" under "Playlists & Albums" and make your selections.

Turn on the "Heavy Rotation" feature or tap "+ Add Music" to select other music. Christine Kopaczewski/Business Insider

6. Your music will sync to your Apple Watch when it is connected to power and close to your iPhone.

How to listen to music on your Apple Watch

1. On your Apple Watch, open the Music app.

Open the Music app. Christine Kopazcewski/Business insider

2. You will now be able to scroll through music stored on your Apple Watch and choose a song. If you scroll all the way to the top you will be given the option to shuffle all songs on the Apple Watch. If you've got your iPhone nearby, you'll also be able to choose "On iPhone" to browse and play music that is on that device.

Choose to play music from your Apple Watch's library or your iPhone's. Christine Kopaczewski/Business Insider

3. Once you've selected your music, the Apple Watch will ask you to connect a pair of Bluetooth headphones in order to listen to the audio. Click on "Connect a Device" and select your headphones.

Tap "Connect a device" to add Bluetooth headphones to your watch. Christine Kopazcewski/Business Insider

4. You will now be able to play your music. You can use the crown (the dial on the side of your watch) to turn the volume up or down, and pause, skip forward, or skip back using the on-screen buttons.

Use the on-screen options or the watch's crown to control your music. Christine Kopaczewksi/Business Insider

Don't like the song that's playing? If you tap the three dots in the bottom right corner of the watch face you can choose to delete the song from your Apple Watch.

How to download podcasts to your Apple Watch

Just like the music setup, there are two ways to listen to podcasts on your Apple Watch. You can have your iPhone nearby and listen to any episodes saved on your phone, or you can download a set number of episodes directly onto your watch.

1. Place your Apple Watch on its charger and connect the charger to power.

2. Open the Watch app on your iPhone.

3. On the "My Watch" screen, scroll down and click on "Podcasts."

Tap the "Podcasts" tab under "My Watch" on the Watch app. Christine Kopaczewski/Business Insider

4. On this screen, you'll find two options for choosing what podcasts to save to your Apple Watch:

Choose "Listen Now" or add shows from your selected podcasts. Christine Kopaczewski/Business Insider

5. Your podcasts will automatically sync when your Apple Watch is connected to power and near to your iPhone. Once you've listened to a podcast, it will be removed from your watch to save storage space.

How to listen to podcasts on your Apple Watch

1. On your Apple Watch, open the Podcasts app.

Tap the Podcasts app. Christine Kopaczewski/Business Insider

2. You will now see all the episodes saved on your Apple Watch. You can select one to play or, if your iPhone is nearby, you can scroll all the way to the top and choose "On iPhone" to stream an episode from your phone.

Choose to play podcasts from your Apple Watch's library or your iPhone's. Christine Kopaczewski/Business Insider

3. Connect your Bluetooth headphones and you're ready to go.

4. You can use the crown to turn the volume up or down, and pause, skip forward 30 seconds, or skip back 15 seconds using the on-screen buttons. There's also an option to play the podcast at half speed, 1.5x speed and 2x speed, as well as the traditional 1x speed.

Control a podcast with your watch's on-screen buttons. Christine Kopaczewski/Business Insider

Apple just announced a $5,000 computer screen that doesn't come with a stand. Instead, the stand costs an extra $1,000.

It's not made of carbon fiber or encrusted with jewels. Though the stand seems to be perfectly nice, it doesn't appear to stand out in any particular way.

It is exactly what it proposes to be: a computer-monitor stand.

Apple's new $5,000 Pro Display XDR. Apple

Some folks are very upset that Apple is selling a computer-screen stand for $1,000 — the same price as a new iPhone XS and even approaching the cost of a new entry-level MacBook.

One headline from a tech blog sums up much of the reaction: "A $999 monitor stand is everything wrong with Apple today."

At the event where the monitor stand was announced, Worldwide Developers Conference 2019, the audience audibly responded to the lofty price tag:

And yes, of course, $1,000 is a lot of money to spend on a computer-screen stand. After all, we're talking about a piece of metal that holds up a screen.

Moreover, a computer-monitor stand — like a TV stand — is something most people think of as part of the monitor (or TV) itself. This is not only an expensive stand but also an extra cost for something people expect to be included.

And this speaks to an existing feeling people have about Apple: The company charges luxury prices for relatively common items, and it nickel-and-dimes its customers for additional add-ons, like an iPhone fast charger, which isn't included in the box.

But in this particular case, that's not really what's happening.

iPhone owners complained about Apple nickel-and-diming them for the cost of the iPhone dongle. Hollis Johnson/Business Insider

"The truth is a lot of people doing professional video editing and things like that are using these displays that are mounted in place, and they have stands already," the popular tech vlogger Marques "MKBHD" Brownlee said in his latest video. "When they upgrade displays, they take them out and put them in the same place, and they don't need to buy new mounts and new stands for them."

It's a smart point, and it's one that's being lost in the outrage over Apple charging $1,000 for this monitor stand.

He continued: "You and me, and most people watching WWDC, and most normal people just think of a monitor and a stand together. So what [Apple] should have said was this is a $6,000 monitor, but if you want to buy it without the stand it's $1,000 off — $5,000."

In other words, instead of presenting the screen's stand as an add-on, Apple should have presented it with the full package price and an optional $1,000 discount for the professional video editors and developers watching that already own a compatible stand.

This isn't a measure of Apple overcharging for something — it's a measure of Apple selling a niche product with a niche customer and their niche budget in mind, and then failing to stick the landing during the announcement. Admittedly, Apple isn't known for creating a lot of niche products. But the Mac Pro line is an exception; it's a device made with a specific type of professional in mind, one who's in an industry where a $6,000 reference monitor is thousands cheaper — and in some cases, tens of thousands cheaper — than the competition.

Check out Brownlee's video right here for his full argument:

iPhones, iPads, and MacBooks have made messaging family members, friends, and coworkers easier than ever.

And thanks to Apple's straightforward software, you're able to keep the conversation going from any of your devices.

Stuck in a work meeting but really need to text your spouse to arrange dinner plans? Message them straight from your laptop with Apple's iMessage desktop app.

Want to try it out? Follow the simple steps below to get started:

How to set up iMessage on Mac

1. Open the Messages app from your app menu bar (also called the dock). If it isn't already there, you can find it in the Applications folder in Finder.

Open the Messages app. Christine Kopaczewski/Business Insider

2. Sign in with the same Apple ID you use on your iPhone to send iMessages. You may need to do some secondary authentication to complete the process.

Enter your Apple ID information. Christine Kopaczewski/Business Insider

3. On the upper menu bar, click "Messages" and select "Preferences."

Select "Preferences..." from the Messages menu. Christine Kopaczewski/Business Insider

4. Choose the "Accounts" tab.

Click the "Accounts" tab to add your information. Christine Kopaczewski/Business Insider

5. Enter the email addresses and phone numbers you want to be contacted at.

6. You can then choose what phone number or email address you want people to see when you start a conversation from your Mac.

7. You can now send an iMessage to any other iCloud account from your Mac.

How to enable iCloud message sharing

In order to avoid confusion and data loss, it's best to have your iMessages synced between your Mac and iOS devices. It'll also give you the ability to download all of your old messages straight onto a new device at setup.

This process involves a little setup on both your Mac and the iOS devices you use to send iMessages.

How to set up iCloud message sharing on your Mac

1. Open the "Messages" app from your dock or the "Applications" folder.

2. In the upper menu bar, click on "Messages" and then "Preferences."

3. Tick the checkbox next to "Enable Messages on iCloud."

Enable the pictured box. Christine Kopaczewski/Business Insider

4. You can then click "Sync Now" to sync your iMessages.

How to set up iCloud message sharing on your iPhone or iPad

You'll now need to make sure that iCloud sharing is enabled on your iPhone or iPad so that they'll sync with your Mac.

1. Go to the Settings app on your iPhone (it looks like a grey gear).

2. At the top of your screen you'll see the name associated with the iCloud account. Click there.

Click your iCloud account. Christine Kopaczewski/Business Insider

3. Now tap "iCloud."

Tap the "iCloud" tab. Christine Kopaczewski/Business Insider

4. Here, you'll see a list of everything that you can sync to your iCloud account from your iPhone or iPad. Scroll down to "Messages" and make sure the switch next to it is flipped on (it'll be green).

Switch on the "Messages" button if it isn't enabled. Christine Kopaczewski/Business Insider

5. Go back to the main "Settings" page by clicking on "Apple ID" in the top left corner and then click "Settings" in the top left corner.

6. Scroll down and click on "Messages."

7. Tap "Sync Now" to sync your iMessages to the iCloud.

You'll now be able to send iMessages from your Mac and seamlessly continue your conversation on your iPhone or iPad.

Wireless printing has been around for years, and I couldn't possibly count how many articles, emails, pictures, and spreadsheets I've printed using it, but I'm still impressed by the technology.

It's comforting to know, though, that even in the days of rapid wireless printing, you can still physically connect a computer to a printer for offline printing as well.

To print from a Mac, there are just a few simple steps and a few quick keyboard commands or mouse clicks to master before you'll be ready to start.

How to print wirelessly from a Mac

Assuming your computer and printer are already connected, then printing from a Mac is pleasantly simple. Once you have the document, webpage, picture, or other type of file you wish to print selected, just:

1. Hit "Command + P," or click the word File from the top taskbar and then select "Print..."

2. In the popup window, check your settings and, if they're what you want, click print.

And that's it. Unless that nearby printer isn't yet setup with your computer.

If you don't see a printer available (or at least not the printer you want to use), on the Print popup window, click the taskbar next to the word Printer, then select "Add Printer..."

If your preferred printer isn't in the list, click "Add Printer." Steven John/Business Insider

The computer should then be able to locate any printers nearby that are on the same Wi-Fi network. If your printer doesn't appear, then go to the printer itself and check its settings (this might require the use of an app) and make sure it's turned on, online, and on the right network.

Your Mac should find any printer on the same network. Steven John/Business Insider

If all that fails, or if you don't have a Wi-Fi connection, you can always connect to the printer through a wired connection.

How to print from a Mac with a USB cable

Before you print via a wired connection, make sure your Mac is up-to-date software-wise; this will save time, letting your computer quickly identify the printer you're about to connect. For info on how to do this, check out our article, " How to manually update your Mac computer."

1. Connect the USB cable to the printer, then plug it into your Mac.

2. Hit "Command + P" or click File, and then Print…, and the wired printer should be set as your default choice. Go ahead and print.

If you are prompted to download more software, go ahead and do it. And if your computer can't handle the same connection as the Mac, you can buy a multiport adapter to allow a USB output to connect to your Mac's USB-C (or other) input.

Andy Fastow, Enron's ex-CFO, wants to prevent the next Enron.

Yes, you heard that right. Nearly 20 years after the energy firm collapsed after being involved in one of the biggest accounting frauds in history, Fastow is an investor and consultant for data analytics company KeenCorp. The Dutch firm has created software that analyzes word choice and tone in emails sent by employees. The goal is to notice changes in morale which may pose a risk to the company.

Fastow spoke with Business Insider's podcast "Household Name" about how a trove of Enron's emails, including his own, brought him to KeenCorp.

The story begins in 2003, after Fastow was indicted by a federal grand jury a year prior and before he pled guilty to two counts of wire and securities fraud in 2004. The Federal Energy Regulation Committee (FERC) released over 500,000 emails sent by the 150 top people at Enron. The emails were collected during an investigation into energy market manipulation. FERC had begun to trawl through the emails but they couldn't read through such a large number of emails, according to ex-regulator Pat Wood. They thought that ordinary people would look through the emails for more evidence of wrongdoing, but they were instead purchased and catalogued by researchers.

The emails, known as the Enron Corpus, remain one of the largest public databases of real emails available. The Corpus was used for groundbreaking research into machine learning, email filtering, and gender bias as well as an early training ground for products like Siri and Gmail's smart compose.

Fastow had been giving speeches about the pitfalls of corporate corruption since leaving prison in 2011, when the Corpus made its way back into his life. Andy Fastow told "Household Name" how a 2016 speech in Amsterdam connected him with KeenCorp.

KeenCorp had used the Corpus to train its software, but its algorithm had one problem: its metric showed increasing tension at Enron as it unraveled, but there was also an earlier, unexplained rise that the software couldn't explain.

"And the problem was they couldn't explain why it had happened," said Fastow. "And I looked at it and I asked them the dates of the movement in the data and these dates corresponded exactly with the approval of the structured finance deal that I put in place, that I was responsible for, that ultimately became the focus of the Wall Street Journal and the SEC 30 months later."

He told "Household Name" that he originally had privacy concerns about KeenCorp, but saw that its positive impact on the workplace outweighed his concerns. Fastow joined KeenCorp as an investor and a consultant shortly afterwards. KeenCorp now has multiple large clients, according to Fastow, including companies within construction, finance, data management and online retail .

Fastow is convinced that KeenCorp could prevent another Enron in the future.

"If they had seen this KeenCorp the next day ... I believe the board would have reconsidered their decision," said Fastow. "And history would have been very different if they had reconsidered that decision."

Ah, the mighty PDF! The letters stand for Portable Document Format, which refers to a file type easily shared by various operating systems and types of hardware. This ease is due to the fact that PDFs are locked files; they are essentially an image of a file, rather than being text, graphics, or any other media that are readily manipulated.

This means the same PDF can be opened and viewed just as easily on a Mac as on a PC. But it also means that should you want to edit, say, your resume, you're stuck if the file in question is a PDF. That is, you're stuck until you convert the PDF into a Word document that will let you edit it freely.

Converting PDFs to Word files on a Mac is easy if you use a free Google Docs application. And it's even easier if you buy one of several types of software with conversion capabilities.

How to convert PDFs to Word on Mac with Google Docs

Note: This method will work best with PDF documents that are primarily text-based.

1. While logged into your Google account, navigate to Google Docs and create a new document.

2. Click "File," then select "Open" from the drop down menu.

Click "Open" in the dropdown menu. Steven John/Business Insider

3. Find the PDF in question on your computer and open it in Google Docs.

4. Click "File," then select "Download As" and choose "Microsoft Word (.docx)."

You can then download the PDF in a variety of formats. Steven John/Business Insider

The file will now appear in your Downloads folder as a Word document. You should be able to open it and edit the text and graphics as normal.

How to convert PDFs to Word by copying and pasting text

This is a decidedly low-tech technique, but if the PDF in question is all text, it usually works. Simply highlight the text to be copied from the PDF, then hit "Command + C" to copy it. Open a blank Word doc and hit "Command + V" to paste and... there's your text, now in the Word document. Note, however, that there's a good chance the line breaks will appear in weird spots, so you'll have to take the time to fix the formatting.

Using Adobe to convert PDF to Word

If you foresee yourself working with lots of PDFs this year, or if you need to be able to export PDFs with lots of graphics and different types of text blocks, making sure the layout stays intact, then consider spending about $25 on a year-long subscription to Adobe Acrobat Exporter.

Best of all, not only does Acrobat Exporter preserve quality and formatting during PDF export, but it lets you convert a PDF into all sorts of file types, from a Word doc to RTF files, Excel files, and beyond.

There are a ton of gaming mice out there, and they're not all created equal. Logitech is known for its high-quality, comfortable, and highly-functional gaming mice. For a limited time, the much-loved Logitech G602 is on sale on Amazon for a pretty heavy discount. It's $50 off its normal price of $79.99, bringing the total to $29.99.

If you're a gamer, you know the benefit of a great gaming mouse. Having features and functions available to you at a moment's notice can save precious seconds and be the difference between winning and losing a game. Not only that, but a comfortable feel can be important when you play for multiple hours at a time.

The Logitech G602, in particular, is a great mouse. It has a comfortable and ergonomic design, plus it can last up to 250 hours with two AA batteries. The mouse also has 11 programmable buttons, so you'll be able to quickly and easily access functions that you need.

The mouse also has up to a 2,500 DPI resolution, which should make for a smooth gaming experience. Last but not least, it's compatible with Windows Vista and later Windows computers or macOS 10.6.8 or later, so chances are, it works with your computer.

Get the Logitech G602 from Amazon for $29.99 (originally $79.99) [You save $50]

Money20/20, a fintech and payments conference which holds its European leg in Amsterdam, is showcasing startups from around the continent to help accelerate their growth.

With a panel of VC judges, the event hand picked Europe's top startups and is giving each "unrivalled exposure to financial leaders and some of the most forward-thinking investors on the continent," the organizers said on the Money20/20 website.

Included in the judging panel are VCs including Rob Moffat, partner at Balderton Capital; Ben Brabyn, head of Level39; Reshma Sohoni, founding partner at Seedcamp; and Michael Treskow, partner at Eight Roads Ventures.

Other judges include Samantha Ghiotti, partner at Anthemis Group; Amy Neale, the global lead for Mastercard's 'Start Path' startup engagement program; Sonali de Rycker, partner at Accel; and Jan Hammer, partner at Index Ventures.

Across payments, investment, mortgages, and even the environment, here are 12 companies to look out for at Money20/20.

Picture a grocery store in which humans and robots work together in perfect harmony — moving stock around warehouses, stacking shelves, and cleaning floors. If that all sounds like a hackneyed sci-fi cliché, think again. Step forward Eugene Izhikevich.

The 52-year-old Russian is cofounder and CEO of Brain Corp, a San Diego-based software firm which converts manual machines into autonomous robots for use in public spaces.

To date, Brain Corp has raised $125 million in funding, including a $114 million Series C round in 2017, led by Masayoshi Son's SoftBank.

Speaking to Business Insider, Izhikevich says his ultimate vision is "robots everywhere, taking care of us, and making our lives better" — a vision which Izhikevich says Son shares.

"I have this vision of robots taking care of us, and it turns out he had the same vision before me. So when I met him, it was like meeting my biggest soulmate," he says.

And a certain US retailer shares the vision. In April, Brain Corp revealed it would be rolling out 1,500 floor-cleaning robots in Walmart stores throughout the US, in addition to the 360 already in use. The robots are powered by BrainOS, Brain Corp's artificial intelligence operating system.

'Our tech can turn anything with wheels into a self-driving, fully autonomous robot'

In the same month, Brain Corp also announced AutoDelivery, an autonomous robot powered by BrainOS, which can transport cargo in commercial and retail settings, as well as warehouses and factories. It is set for release in 2020 and is another step in Brain Corp's mission to turn everyday machines into smart, self-driving robots.

Masayoshi Son's SoftBank is one of Brain Corp's most high-profile backers. Reuters / Kim Kyung Hoon

Hailing from a modest background in Moscow, Izhikevich came to the US in 1993, obtaining a PhD in math at Michigan State University. He had earlier spent three years serving in the Russian navy.

"I wasn't born with a PhD," he says. "My parents didn't have college degrees - I was the first one to go to college. I am no stranger to manual work."

After finishing his education, Izhikevich worked as a computational neuroscientist for more than a decade. Along with tech entrepreneur Dr Allen Gruber, he set up Brain Corp in 2009, driven by his dream of creating artificial brains for robots.

Fundamentally, Izhikevich explains, the point of Brain Corp's floor-cleaning robots is to save time, giving human workers more time to interact with customers.

"Our tech can turn anything that has wheels into a self-driving, fully autonomous robot," he says. "This is what we're focusing on. With our technology, the machines [using it] operate autonomously, so that human cleaners can do other stuff, such as corner cleaning, dusting, and so on.

'We see Walmart as a visionary'

"The time saving is significant for any retail business with huge square footage. What we've learned is that our customers like this technology because they want to save on expenses, but they quickly realise that once they reallocate [employees] from cleaning the floor to other mobile-level stuff, there's a huge upside for retailers.

Read more: Brain Corp Named a 2018 Top 50 Company by Robotics Business ReviewAI and robotics company named to global list of robotics industry visionaries

"In terms of the commercial cleaning tech, the stores [that use it] look cleaner; they are cleaner; they're more hygienic. Our customers quickly realise there are other benefits to using our tech which significantly outweigh the operational savings."

Although Walmart isn't the only customer Brain Corp serves, it is quite possibly the most ambitious. For nearly two decades, Walmart has been battling tech behemoth Amazon for supremacy in the retail sector, and Walmart's CEO, Doug McMillon, reportedly refers to Walmart as a "technology company."

Izhikevich says Walmart's technological ambitions make it a 'perfect fit' for Brain Corp. Sarah Bentham / AP Images

"Walmart is very interesting," Izhikevich says, "because it wants to embrace technology, AI, and automation to be more competitive and to provide better service and cheaper prices to its customers.

"So in some sense, [Walmart] is a perfect fit for us, because not only does Walmart want to use our BrainOS for commercial cleaning equipment; it also embraces BrainOS to put into other types of robots that could be deployed in its stores. We see Walmart as a visionary."

Izhikevich says Brain Corp is not killing jobs

Of course, many people wonder how far automation will impact the retail sector given the rise of cashier-less stores such as Amazon Go. The Go stores have faced criticism in recent months, but even they still employ people to interact with customers. What is his response to people who view Brain Corp as a jobs threat?

"We don't replace people," he says. "Robots with our technology augment people. They make people's work more productive, more efficient... Customer service will not disappear. We still need the human touch; we still need human faces to talk to. I don't see stores having no people."

He continues: "We talk to actual users [of our tech] - not just customers, but janitors who use it. One janitor we spoke to loved the robot so much, he put a sticker on it and called it Gemma. We asked him if he was worried about his job, and he said: 'Are you kidding me? I'm the robot guy. My job is more secure now than before.'

While Izhikevich is not ruling out taking Brain Corp public, he says the company's present focus is applying its software to other sectors - and, ultimately, becoming one of biggest robotic firms in the world.

"We're not excluding any exit strategy," he says. "However, today, we're focusing on expanding our software to other types of robots and capturing the market."

"You can find robots with our technology in malls, airports, shopping centres, university campuses, and other retailers," Izhikevich continues. "Walmart is our most recent customer, but not the only one."

"Our tech would work equally well in factories. It works in indoor spaces and outdoor spaces such as parking lots, walkways and pedestrian areas.

"Think of the impact a big California startup can make on the US economy. We have the technology to transform the entire midwest of the US into the robotics hub of the world."

Washington DC insiders began to realise that the US Department of Justice would follow the European Union by opening its own antitrust investigation into Google's market dominance when they tried to talk to their contacts at the Federal Trade Commission — which also looks at monopoly complaints — and were told by staff there to go to the DOJ instead.

A source familiar with both agencies' activities told Business Insider that he recently began hearing rumors that the Trump Administration was moving closer to a formal probe of Google's parent company.

The rumors were based on the notion that, after the two agencies decide who will move into action, they refer sources to the lead agency. So he requested a meeting at the FTC to find out what was going on. Sure enough, he was told to approach the DOJ instead.

Our source — who has a very good track record of obtaining insider gossip from antitrust regulators in DC— said that he believes a formal investigation is now inevitable. "If we're having a conversation that means a probe is happening," is how he characterized the attitude of Trump administration staff involved. The FTC will likely handle an Amazon probe instead, our source speculates.

As far as our source knows, the investigation will be open to look at "everything" about Google. "Adtech, privacy, even the flagship search product," our source believes.

Google did not respond to a request for comment.

The FTC has been down this road before. In 2017, the FTC declined to pursue Google on antitrust issues even though its own staff found that Google was "scraping" content from others' sites and "demoting rival offerings" in favor of its own properties in search results, according to leaked documents from the FTC.

By contrast, the European Commission levied a series of massive fines on Alphabet for abusing its market dominance. It fined Google €1.5 billion ($1.69 billion) for forcing sites to use AdSense; €2.4 billion ($2.7 billion) for promoting its own shopping sites above others in search results; and €4.3 billion ($5 billion) for abusing the dominance of Android.

"The FTC prematurely closed the investigation" in 2017, but "Europe did a deeper probe," our source says. "That changed the zeitgeist around what governments are doing."

The DOJ will likely also be guided by the work it did in the 1990s during its antitrust investigation of Microsoft. That, too, revolved around the complicated question of whether a company can be abusing its marketplace position or harming consumers if it gives its products away for free.

At that time, Microsoft's products had been challenged by smaller companies such as Netscape, WordPerfect, and Lotus. Microsoft managed to strangle those companies by bundling its own software — Explorer, Word, and Excel — into Windows products, which was the dominant consumer computing platform at the time.

Our source says he believes Google's mobile search product is in a similar position to Microsoft in the 1990s, in principle. Most searches now take place on mobile, and Google dominates mobile platforms. When it delivers search results, Google's own sites are usually displayed as the topmost results and users have to scroll down to get the "organic" results that actually reflect the top sites competing equally on the open web. That down-ranking of non-Google sites can make it difficult for new businesses to gain marketplace traction in search.

The ultimate question is whether the DOJ can "create an environment where one company is not able to kill startups in their crib," the source says.

Tesla owners won't have to go far to find in-car entertainment.

On Sunday, Tesla CEO Elon Musk told IGN's "Ride the Lightning" podcast that he is working with developers to bring the popular shooter video game Cuphead to Tesla's large dashboard touchscreens.

"'Cuphead', we've got working," Musk told IGN's Ryan McCaffrey. "[The developers] have been helping us make it work. It's a cool game. It's insanely difficult. It's sadistically difficult. It's a twisted plot. It's dark. It looks like some cute little Disney thing and you're like, 'This plot is very dark'."

Musk said that the game, modeled after a 1930's comic, will be available later this summer on Tesla Model 3, Model S , and Model X cars. It will only include one section of the game, Inkwell Isle One, due to the storage limitations in the car, according to Musk.

Musk recently tweeted about his team's work with Unity to port the game engine into Tesla cars. The same models already offer a suite of classic Atari games such as Asteroids and Lunar Lander that are playable via the touchscreen or a USB gamepad. It is not clear if Tesla owners will be able to access Cuphead in a similar way.

The game is currently available on Nintendo Switch, PC, and Xbox One.

YouTube, Snapchat, Gmail, Nest, Discord, and several other web sites were experiencing service interruptions on Sunday due to a larger network issue with Google Cloud services.

According to Google's cloud monitoring dashboard, the issues began around 12:25 p.m. PST Sunday and were found to be related to a larger network issue by 12:59 p.m. PST.

The outage is widespread across the United States and parts of Europe. Much of Google's suite of services is affected, including Gmail, Google Drive, Nest, and YouTube. Other websites like Snapchat and Discord were experiencing interruptions, likely because they also use Google Cloud services.

Google did not respond to Business Insider's request for comment.

This story is developing.

Cable TV is on the way out, and the new way to watch your favorite TV shows is through streaming. Whether it be on Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, or even live TV streaming services like Sling TV, there are plenty of ways to enjoy great TV shows as long as you have a decent internet connection and a streaming device or smart TV.

Roku has been working on democratizing TV streaming for some time now with a slate of affordable, yet high-quality streaming devices. Recent devices include the high-end Roku Ultra and the much cheaper yet still capable Roku Express.

Of course, if you're looking into a streaming device, then you might be wondering which Roku device is best for your needs. That, however, is why we've put together this guide. Here's everything you need to know about Roku devices and the differences between them.

Roku streaming device prices and specs

Setup and software

The set-up process is pretty much the same across all Roku devices, and it's incredibly easy. Generally, you'll simply plug your Roku device into a power outlet and your TVs HDMI port, put the batteries in the remote, then follow the on-screen instructions.

You'll be told to log in to a page on the Roku website and input a code, then log in to your Roku account or create a new one, and select which "channels" or apps, you want installed on your device. Simple.

The software experience is the same across all Roku devices, too, though there are a few small differences depending on whether or not you have access to voice control. We'll talk a little more about voice control later, but the idea is that on some devices, you can control the Roku software with your voice, but cheaper ones don't have that function.

Generally speaking, the set-up process and software should not inform your decision on which Roku device you should buy. Video quality, however, might.

Video quality

Roku

The good news is that the majority of Roku devices now support 4K streaming with support for HDR10, meaning that if you have a relatively modern TV with a high resolution, you can take advantage of that cool tech with Roku. That said, there are a few exceptions to the rule in Roku's modern lineup.

If you want 4K streaming and HDR10 support, there are a few Roku devices to avoid, including the entry-level Roku Express and Roku Express+, as well as the Roku Streaming Stick.

However the Roku Streaming Stick+ does support 4K. All of the other Roku devices, including the Roku Ultra, Roku Premiere, Roku Premiere+, and the aforementioned Roku Streaming Stick+, support 4K and HDR10.

If you want 4K and HDR10 support, there are a number of devices that will work for you. That said, even if your current TV doesn't support 4K or HDR, we recommend buying a Roku device that does, as it will ensure that you can keep using your Roku after you upgrade your TV — despite the fact that next time you buy a TV it will probably have smart software included.

Remote

Roku

The remote is the main way in which you'll interact with your Roku device, but thankfully, if you've used one Roku remote, you'll easily be able to figure out how to use other Roku remotes.

Across most Roku devices, there are two main types of Roku remote that you'll get: one with voice control and a microphone, and one without. The Roku Express, Roku Express+, and Roku Premiere all go without voice control features, while the Roku Premiere+, Roku Streaming Stick, Roku Streaming Stick+, and Roku Ultra all have voice control.

The Roku Ultra goes beyond just adding voice control and also includes another feature — gaming controls. On the Roku Ultra's remote, you'll get two extra buttons (A and B) that can be used to play basic games. Sure, it won't be like playing on a PS4 or Nintendo Switch, but you will get decent entertainment with the Ultra's remote.

Some remotes also allow you to control your TV's power thanks to a built-in power button. This power button works through HDMI to control your TV as well as your Roku, meaning that you can use your Roku without necessarily having to use your TV's remote. The Roku Premiere+, Roku Streaming Stick, Roku Streaming Stick+, and Roku Ultra all have power buttons.

One final small difference between remotes is the quick access buttons. Some have buttons that allow you to quickly launch Netflix, some Hulu, some Sling, and so on. Each remote offers four quick access buttons.

Other features

The biggest changes to Roku come with the different remote and the video quality, but there are still other minor differences between the devices, too. For example, the Roku Ultra offers slightly better Wi-Fi connectivity, as well as the ability to connect your system to other speakers and soundbars. This will be a big difference for many who want good sound-quality to match their good video quality. The Roku Ultra also offers an Ethernet port to ensure a constant internet connection. The Roku Express+ also offers an A/V composite port for older TVs that don't have HDMI.

Price

The last major difference between the Roku devices is price. Check out a list of retail pricing for the Roku lineup below.

The Bottom Line

Roku's lineup of streaming devices has a lot to offer, but they're all a little different. If you want the best out there or need an optical port to connect your device to a sound system, then you'll need the Roku Ultra. If, however, you don't want to spend the cash on a Roku device, then we recommend getting a device with voice control and TV control, like the Roku Streaming Stick+.

Shop the Roku collection of devices on Roku's website or buy them on Amazon.

A New York Times report Saturday found that Boeing kept key stakeholders in the dark as it rushed to overhaul the 737 Max software responsible for two fatal crashes.

According to the report, Boeing made aggressive changes to the automated software, called Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System or MCAS, that caused the system to rely on one sensor instead of two as originally designed. The changes allowed the system to activate at a lower threshold after test pilots reported issues handling the planes at a lower speed than initially projected.

Boeing originally developed MCAS to ensure a s moother ride and counteract the planes' larger engines. Early test pilot Ray Craig didn't like that the software would run in the background with the potential to take over from the pilot, according to the report. Craig relented because he figured the high speeds necessary for the software to kick in would be too rare to make much of a difference.

Read More: Boeing's nightmare year just got worse, as profits plunge in the wake of 2 horrific 737 Max crashes that left the plane grounded worldwide

But as the final year of development wore on, the threshold was lowered to account for handling issues reported by other test pilots at lower speeds. Because it had to activate at lower speeds, the MCAS no longer required a G-force sensor. That left the planes with a single sensor that could cause MCAS to activate.

According to the report, Federal Aviation Administration officials were not made aware of the changes to MCAS and eventually removed references to the software from the pilot manuals at the urging of Boeing officials. The regulators were under the impression that the system was relatively benign and would only activate rarely, and technical pilots were removed from further testing.

Because it wasn't included in the manual, 737 Max pilots were not aware of the software until after the first fatal crash in October. According to the report, Boeing officials continued to defend the software by alleging that the pilots were the backup in case of an MCAS failure.

A second fatal crash occurred in April, and the aircraft was grounded worldwide only days after the second crash.

Jobs detested anyone who was ready to make compromises to get a product out on time and on budget. He found adequacy to be "morally appalling." Jobs' goal for Apple was never to simply beat competitors, or even to make money: it was to make the greatest product possible, "or even a little greater."

He was demanding about everything:

• When the Macintosh booted up too slowly, he badgered the engineer responsible, equating the situation to a matter of life or death.

• He worked with countless artists and advertising agencies to make sure Apple's ads had the right feel, and that the imagery and the audio synced up perfectly.

• Of the iPod engineers, he demanded the ability to access any function on the music player with three button presses, and no more.

• He insisted the production process for all Apple computers be shaved down from four months to two.

Each one of these individual decisions could be considered nitpicks, but when put all together, Apple created a cult-like following unlike any other. Unlike other tech companies that had come and gone, customers and loyal fans felt like Apple put their interests first, and they were, as a result, willing to pay high prices for those products.

"Steve created the only lifestyle brand in the tech industry," Oracle cofounder Larry Ellison told Jobs' biographer. "There are cars people are proud to have — Porsche, Ferrari, Prius — because what I drive says something about me. People feel the same way about an Apple product."

Evidence is mounting that Apple is planning to shutter iTunes after more than 18 years of service.

On Saturday, Mac Rumors reported the Facebook and Instagram accounts associated with iTunes were scrubbed and content was migrated over to pages for the tech giant's Apple TV service. All accounts are still live as of press time, but follower counts, videos, posts, and other content have all been removed.

Business Insider

The move follows a Bloomberg report on Friday that said Apple was planning to announce the end of iTunes at its annual developer conference that takes place Monday. Alongside an update to its MacOS operating system, Apple will reportedly announce three new Mac apps that users can use to access their music, TV shows, movies, and podcasts, all of which currently exist on the company's iPhones and iPads.

Read More: Apple is reportedly set to finally ditch iTunes with the next big update to the Mac operating system

Friday's Bloomberg report also said that without iTunes, Mac users will manage their devices through the Music app moving forward.

There are reports on Twitter that some itunes.apple.com links for songs and artists now redirect to music.apple.com. It was also reported that Apple is in the process of changing iTunes links for apps, podcasts, TV shows, movies, and books, instead using category-specific links such as apps.apple.com, podcasts.apple.com, tv.apple.com, movies.apple.com, and books.apple.com.

Twitter came under fire for suspending the accounts of several Chinese-language users at a sensitive time for the country, which is at the center of tightening censorship.

The crackdown, which came overnight Friday and into Saturday, left a bad taste for many users because it came ahead of the anniversary of the bloody June 4 clash between government forces on pro-democracy protests at Beijing's Tiananmen Square.

The New York Times reported that more than 100 accounts belonging to Chinese-based activists, college students, human rights lawyers, and nationalists were affected.

Republican Sen. Marco Rubio was among users who spoke out about the suspensions, saying the company had "become a Chinese [government] censor."

However, the company pushed back on similar suggestions, saying in a statement posted to the company's Public Policy page Saturday, that though "some of these were involved in commentary about China," the deletions were part of a "routine action" that suspended "a number of accounts" in an effort to target potential "platform manipulation."

"These accounts were not mass reported by the Chinese authorities — this was a routine action on our part," the company said. "Sometimes our routine actions catch false positives or we make errors. We apologize. We're working today to ensure we overturn any errors but that we remain vigilant in enforcing our rules for those who violate them."

Read more: China's internet censors are on high alert ahead of the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square protests

The company's explanation clarified that the action didn't originate with the Chinese government, but that didn't soothe concerns for all users. Yaxue Cao, founder and editor of ChinaChange.org, a website dedicated to writings on civil society and human rights, pointed out that the company's explanation doesn't add up to justify the suspensions.

"Per @Twitter's explanation, it's cleaning up CCP bots but accidentally suspended 1000s anti-CCP accts," Cao tweeted. "That doesn't make sense."

Though the site said users whose accounts were deleted should be able to recover them, Gab, a social network that is popular among users affiliated with the alt-right and other fringe groups, seized on the incident to promote its own commitment to open posting, tweeting Sunday that the site was "We are working on getting in touch with the Chinese dissidents who Twitter banned on behalf of the Chinese government to get them on Gab."

An Audi car drives past Tiananmen Square as a police officer stands guard on a street in central Beijing February 29, 2012. When China's leader-in-waiting Xi Jinping pulls up in a motorcade sometime in the next decade, he will probably not be riding in one of the black Audis that have become standard for Chinese top brass. China is Audi's biggest market. It is the largest German luxury marque in the country, but its government sales in China reach only into the low single-digit percentage; the bulk of its customers are companies and individuals. REUTERS/Soo Hoo Zheyang

The incident sparked concerns because of its close proximity to the 30th anniversary of the bloody June 4 crackdown on pro-democracy protests at Tiananmen Square that has been accompanied by a tightening of censorship across the country.

Twitter in particular site been long-targeted in the country, where users bypass the country-wide block with virtual-private network software. Late last year, China's Ministry of Public Security began to target Chinese Twitter users in a harsh development of President Xi Jinping's widespread campaign to suppress internet activity.

Under the order, a special police force was dedicated to finding, detaining, and interrogating users, who were then forced to delete their tweets.