SJ116: SuperMicro clear, Austin campus, Qualcomm sputters, 5G myths, dumb speakers, Sunny Cove, more

It's our last episode before the Winter Solstice/Saturnalia shore leave, cadets, and it looks like we're going to initiate our annual hibernation cycle right after the big Whoville Feast of Roast Beast, barring any major news breaking of course. We leave this solar cycle behind with the rogue ship Qualcomm still badly listing to one side but possible repairs underway, a plague of pushy "smart" speakers that pop up like Talky Toaster when you don't want them, the Mothership building a second Austin-class station, SuperMicro cleared of spy-chip shenanigans, hype and nonsense about 5G, and various legal quandries amongst the tech overlords. There's also good news, though: eSIMs are rolling out faster than expected, the iPhone XR is probably doing much better than analysts predict, Apple's ads are some of the best of the entire year, Apple Pay has launched (at last) in Germany and is expanding in Australia, and Intel has launched a new ship -- er, chip -- for the first time in far too many orbits. There's also some new toys for Engineering under the Yule tree, including a $4,600 iPhone mod that can only be handled with the ship's robotic grabbers, it's so sharp! Enjoy your break and your various celebrations, and watch out for the Krampus as always, cadets! See you next year!