Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Audio / Video
  3. News

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

SXSW: Apple and Netflix pull out over coronavirus outbreak

Trevor Mogg
By

Apple and Netflix have reportedly pulled out of this month’s South by Southwest (SXSW) festival in Austin, Texas, because of concerns over COVID-19, also known as the coronavirus.

Recommended Videos

With Facebook, Amazon, and Twitter earlier this week canceling their attendance, and with COVID-19 continuing to spread, this year’s event looks to be in jeopardy despite the organizer’s current insistence that the nine-day event will still start as planned on March 13.

Related

Apple insider Mark Gurman wrote in a piece for Bloomberg that in light of the current situation regarding COVID-19, the tech giant had decided to withdraw from the film and technology festival.

The company had been planning to showcase three new Apple TV+ projects at the festival, among them a Beastie Boys documentary by Spike Jonze, as well as two series — Central Park by Loren Bouchard, and Home from Doug Pray and Matt Weaver.

Apple is yet to make a public announcement regarding its attendance at SXSW. We’ve reached out to the company to find out more and will update this piece when we hear back.

Netflix has also pulled out of SXSW, according to Variety, which cited sources familiar with the matter.

The streaming giant had plans to show a feature film called Uncorked, along with four documentaries: A Secret Love, L.A. Originals, Mucho Mucho Amor, Have a Good Trip: Adventures in Psychedelics.

It had also planned a panel for Black Excellence, its upcoming single-camera sitcom created by Kenya Barris.

Mark Escott, the interim medical director and health authority for Austin Public Health, told CNN on Wednesday that while his team is constantly monitoring the situation, “there’s no evidence that closing South by Southwest or other activities is going to make this community safer.” That’s all very well, but if more attendees pull out, there won’t be a show to go to.

We’ve reached out to the organizers of SXSW to find out its latest take.

At the time of writing, data gathered by the Maryland-based Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University show there have been 159 reported cases of COVID-19 in the U.S., with more than 95,000 confirmed globally, most of them in China. Nearly 3,300 people have died —– 11 in the U.S. — as a result of complications caused by the virus. Check the World Health Organization‘s website for more information.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Trevor Mogg
Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
HD to 4K: these home theater projectors are up to $2,000 off
The Optoma UHD55 projector.

While TVs are great, if you want to have a large screen TV that goes over 80 inches, you're liable to spend thousands of dollars, and if you want to go over 100 inches, you may not even find any options at all, especially at the consumer level. Luckily, there are a lot of great projectors that can not only hit those targets but exceed them and do it at a much cheaper cost than a regular TV. Even better, there is quite a big sale right now at Crutchfield on home theater projectors, with everything from budget-friendly options to top-of-the-range stuff.

What you should buy in Crutchfield's projector sale
Not all projectors have to be incredibly expensive, and you can grab a great project for a good price with the Optoma HZ40HDR, which is , saving you a solid $450 in the process. It's an FHD projector, although it can handle 4k and HDR sources,  and the bulb has a 30,000-hour life span, which is pretty great for a budget-oriented projector. On the other hand, if you want 4k, Optomo has a good budget option for that too, the Optoma UHD35STx, which is a 4k short-throw projector with HDR10 and HLG HDR going , which isn't a massive discount on the usual $1,549, but it's still pretty good.

Read more
Best AirPods Max deals: New and refurbished for $440
A woman wearing the Apple AirPods Max.

Shopping the best headphone deals will turn up a number of options from a wide variety of headphone brands, but if you’re interested in what Apple has to offer in terms of premium audio, the Apple AirPods Max are where you’ll want to turn. The AirPods Max are Apple’s top-of-the-line headphones, and while they churn out some impressive audio experiences, they also churn out a hefty price point. With the rumors of AirPods Max 2 going on you’ll be able to find some decent AirPods Max deals out there. We’ve done that hefty lifting for you, however, and have laid out the best AirPods Max deals below. You’ll find deals on both new and refurbished AirPods Max, but click quickly if one of these deals works for you, as Apple deals can be unpredictable and we don’t know how long these will last.
AirPods Max -- $519, were $549

The AirPods Max are Apple's first attempt at a set of over-the-ear headphones. They got a lot of things right. We love these headphones, even when compared against some audiophile options that prioritize sound quality. The AirPods Max have awesome noise cancelling. Everything Apple learned with the earbud-style AirPods works even better with the cup style of the AirPods Max. Along with great ANC comes a great transparency mode. With a twist of the Max's massive knob, you'll go from complete silence to feeling like you're not wearing headphones at all. The audio on phone calls is great as well, and they pair better with the iPhone than any non-Apple headphones could ever hope to.

Read more
Best AirPods Pro deals: Get Apple’s flagship earbuds for $122
The Apple Airpods Pro in their charging case.

Apple’s lineup of headphones has grown over the years. It currently makes a number of AirPods models that can be talked about among the best wireless earbuds. Among them are the AirPods Pro. The AirPods Pro are regularly in contention to be among the best headphones overall as well, and because of their popularity it can be difficult to track down AirPods Pro deals worth shopping. We’ve managed to find some out there, however, and below we’ve rounded up all of the best AirPods Pro deals you can shop right now. You’ll find discounts on both new and refurbished AirPods Pro models, as well as some information on why each model might be best for you.
Apple AirPods Pro (Refurbished) — $122, was $220

While there’s a newer model of AirPods Pro available, the first generation Apple AirPods Pro can still hold their own against some of the best wireless earbuds. Made for a slightly more premium user than something like the Apple AirPods 3, the AirPods Pro have higher end features, including active noise cancellation and a transparency mode, which allows you to hear and interact with the world around you while you have the headphones on. Spatial audio with dynamic head tracking is another impressive feature. This makes watching movies and other content a truly immersive experience. This refurbished model of the Apple AirPods Pro comes with free 30-day returns and a 1-year warranty.

Read more