Some Follow Up From Yesterday: 

Google Photos Just Made the Case for Breaking Up Big Tech

• Will Oremus writes “it’s a galling bait-and-switch and an object lesson in anticompetitive behavior by a Big Tech firm. The unlimited free storage offer was arguably Google Photos’ top selling point, one that few, if any, competing providers could match. The company was likely willing to lose money on its service in exchange for the photos’ value in training its A.I. systems and for the value of keeping users in its broader software ecosystem.
• Now that Google has lured more than 1 billion users to the service, making it an integral part of their digital lives (not to mention a huge hassle to switch), that original selling point is gone.
• The losers are all the rival photo apps that Google Photos crushed on its way to the top, including startups such as Everpix, Loom, and Picturelife. 

Telstra restructured to buy the NBN? 

Telstra splits itself up as potential NBN sale looms

In an interview with the Fin Review, Telstra CEO Andy Penn said:  "...the government's policy has always stated that the NBN could not be owned by a vertically integrated operator, so InfraCo would have to be demerged effectively," 

One other point from yesterday’s announcement is Telstra wants to become an electricity company.  Andy Penn says they are applying for the necessary licences to sell power to consumers in the coming weeks. Telstra has an experienced energy team & is already heavily involved in the renewable energy sector "We already underwrite projects that generate enough renewable energy to power about 100,000 homes, and we provide standby power that enables more renewable energy to be absorbed into the energy grid,” Penn said.  

Meanwhile, Facebook also makes the case to break up big tech, as it copies the features of two of its rivals 

Facebook's Snapchat-like 'Vanish Mode' feature arrives on Messenger and Instagram

Facebook is introducing Vanish Mode, ephemeral messages that disappear - and rolling the feature to Facebook Messenger and Instagram. The feature is similar to Snapchat’s current messaging. 

Instagram adds dedicated sections for shopping and Reels

Instagram is also getting a redesign to highlight Reels, the company’s pixel for pixel remake of TikTok. A dedicated shopping tab is also coming to Instagram 

And Facebook says it will not de-platform Steve Bannon, after Bannon called for the beheading of two government officials on Youtube. 

Lots of Apple News Today

Big Sur is out today 

Here are the best new features in macOS 11 Big Sur

Apple servers aren’t coping

https://twitter.com/jamesthomson/status/1327011947972354051

Meanwhile Apple execs talk M1 chip 

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