| Hi everyone, it's Mark Gurman here. In a typical year, around this time I'd be discussing the big takeaway from the CES consumer technology show in Las Vegas—whether that's an exciting new technology, meetings between Apple Inc. and suppliers or a product destined to be a smash hit. But this year, CES took place online only and in the shadow of Covid-19. Gone were the meetings of the minds in executives' hotel rooms, missing were the impromptu show floor run-ins with tech company employees and absent was any single standout product. CES has long been receding from its place of primacy in the tech industry, a trend exacerbated this year by the pandemic. Still, for Apple and smartphone fans, there were a few highlights worth mentioning that largely went unnoticed in a hectic news week. Intel Corp., Advanced Micro Devices Inc. and Nvidia Corp. all launched new chips at CES, while Samsung Electronics Co. showcased a new home robot with arms capable of pouring you a drink or doing the dishes. Unfortunately, though, Samsung has a history of showcasing new robots at CES without actually shipping them. The company's Ballie—a small robotic ball with a camera—was announced in January 2020 and still has no release date. From a smartphone perspective, the two most interesting announcements were rollable screen technology from LG Electronics Inc. and a more advanced in-screen fingerprint reader from Qualcomm Inc. Both LG and Qualcomm happen to be key Apple suppliers, and these technologies could give us a peek into the future of the iPhone. Apple isn't even close to launching a foldable iPhone to take on Samsung's latest offerings, but rollable screens are something that the company is likely to want to play around with in its labs. In the nearer term, Apple is working toward making an in-screen fingerprint reader the premier addition to its late 2021 iPhone lineup, a feature some people (including me) were ready for last year after masks thwarted Face ID. Qualcomm has been shipping in-screen fingerprint sensors for some time, and the new sensor promises to read a finger 50% quicker, take up less physical space under a display, and have the ability to work across more screen area. The biggest smartphone news of the week, notably, didn't happen at CES. It was Samsung's Unpacked event Thursday, debuting the latest S21 phone line. But while the new camera cutout certainly looks unique, the phone upgrades themselves don't immediately appear to move the needle much. The most significant change may be the pricing strategy, with costs that range from $799 to more than $1,000. Samsung is adopting the Apple playbook with the S21 line, releasing three models and lowering the price by $200 from the S20 versions. While the S21 Ultra vaults above the iPhone 12 Pro Max in terms of camera specifications, it's interesting to see Samsung recognize the need to go down market in a pandemic by lowering its prices. What Samsung didn't highlight in its announcement is that the price drop comes along with a less sharp screen on entry-level models. Samsung also beat Apple to the punch this week with a $30 gizmo for tracking bags, wallets and keys, and released its own "pro" earbuds to rival Apple's AirPods Pro. Expect to see Apple's own long-awaited tracking devices, AirTags, and a new version of the AirPods Pro launch this year as a retort. As for CES, the fact that Samsung scheduled its phone launch for the week of the lauded tech conference, but not at the conference, tells you just about everything you need to know: CES is no longer the center of the technology universe. The virtual nature of this year's show could speed up even more technology companies moving to their own events, and the show's remaining utility (in-person meetings between tech companies and suppliers) may continue to make less and less sense in a post-pandemic world. —Mark Gurman | 
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