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Tech News and Commentary
Dave and Chris discuss rumors of Apple increasing prices, , and more.
“News Pick of the Week” with Ralph Bond
Today scientists around the world are actively working on the development of plant-based fuels that can run in existing diesel engines for trucks, ships and more. This week our science and technology reporter, Ralph Bond, tells us a new strain of seaweed created by selective breeding may become a key ingredient for making a commercially viable alternative to diesel fuel.
Read more here.
Casey in Tennessee asked: “Hi Dave, just wondering, what has become of Sirius XM radio? I just haven’t heard much about them lately and Some of the comments online about them seem rather negative”
Casey, Sirius XM is in a tough spot in the current media ecosystem. As of late theyve been adjusting away from their streaming attempts to mainly focus again on in-car entertainment, but even then theyre in a tough spot.
If youre read the reviews youve probably seen how much dissatisfaction there is when it comes to their subscriptions and how hard they make it to cancel.
Back in the day maybe that wouldve been less of a problem for them because they could at least pitch we dont have ads but now theyve had to introduce an ad-supported tier to keep prices somewhat lower (though still comparable with ad-supported Netflix, which still makes Sirius XM look pricy).
Theyve ended up in a position where they have worse sound quality than FM or streaming services, theyre as expensive as streaming services without ads (if not more expensive), while offering a worse choice of music and spoken content.
While Sirius XM has fake DJs who record short sound bites that get merged together to make it sound like a live DJ, streaming services like Apple Music have a full radio shows with interviews and human DJs, services like Spotify have full audio books, and basically everybody has an unlimited choice of music and podcasts, which will cover any topic you can think of, from sports to art in the Roman Empire, to the biology of insects.
That coupled with how famously hostile they are to their subscribers and how difficult they make cancelling or changing subscriptions, its not surprising that a lot of people are opting for other options these days.
Having said that, dont feel too bad about their decline, they still managed to make $2.09 billion in 2025.
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