💻 The PC is back

PLUS: Airbnb vs. Vrbo. June 22, 2021 [The Hustle] [The Hustle]( We spend a lot of time trying to make this the best damn newsletter in your inbox. And our guiding force is your feedback. Please take our [annual reader survey here](. Every response will be read. The big idea [personal computers]( How PCs became giant smartphones We all know the pandemic juiced sales of toilet paper and hand sanitizer. You can add PCs to that list, too. According to Christopher Mims at [The Wall Street Journal](, quarterly PC sales were up 50%+ vs. 2019 as remote work became the norm. Smartphones have taken over the world… … but the PC -- with a bigger screen, physical keyboard, and no Candy Crush app -- is the better option for productivity. And, to be really useful, PC manufacturers are trying to integrate the best parts of the smartphone experience: - Longer battery life - Thinner and more portable sizes - High-quality cameras (for ugh Zoom meetings) - And, soon, direct cellular network connection including 5G While the changes are nice, we remain adamantly against all attempts of turning laptops into [foldable tablets](. Apple has pushed the industry Mims writes that Apple’s decision to build its own PC chip ([M1]() is forcing competitors to play catch-up. By closely integrating software and hardware, Apple’s laptops and desktops are blazing fast. The one-size-fits-all approach pioneered by Intel -- which still powers ~80% of laptops -- is changing. PC makers are embracing the new ethos by tapping chip designer Arm and manufacturers like Qualcomm and MediaTek for custom chips. The big winner might be Google “Thanks largely to rapid adoption in the education market,” writes Mims, “[Google’s] Chromebooks as a share of PCs sold have exploded in the last 18 months.” Chromebook laptops -- which are built around the Chrome OS and browser-based productivity -- are among the most affordable options. Even with Google’s gains, the entire market is growing for the first time in a decade, and there’s a prize worth fighting for. Just in time for the madness: Microsoft will announce its new [Windows]( PC operating system on June 24. [Share on Facebook]( [Share on Twitter]( [Send as email to a friend](mailto:?subject=The%20Hustle%20wrote%20something%20I%20think%20you%27ll%20like...%0A&body=How+PCs+became+giant+smartphones%0Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fthehustle.co%2F06222021-Pc-makers%3Futm_campaign%3DSmartphones%26utm_content%3D06222021-Pc-makers%26utm_medium%3Demail%26utm_source%3Ddaily%0A%0AYou%20can%20subscribe%20with%20my%20link%20here%20to%20get%20the%20latest%20in%20tech%20and%20business%20daily:%0A [View on our website]( SNIPPETS NEW! Introducing our new and improved [Snippets](. You can now get extra snippets on your favorite topics. Follow the button below to get started. (It takes less than 30 seconds!) Bitcoin prices are sliding again after the Chinese government forced [90%+]( of the country’s bitcoin mining operations offline. Uber acquired a majority stake in [Cornershop]( -- a Latin American grocery startup -- last year for $500m. Now, it’s buying the rest of the company to further expand its delivery business. [Steven Spielberg]( brought the world E.T., Jurassic Park and Indiana Jones. Now, he’s taking his talents to Netflix with a multi-year deal. SoleSavy is a community for sneakerheads. It just raised [$12.5m]( to expand its business from Slack-based communities to a peer-to-peer marketplace. (Read our previous Q&A with SoleSavy [here](). Advertising costs on Facebook and Instagram are [soaring](. To cope, brands are targeting alternative mediums like TV, direct mail, podcasts, micro-influencers and even radio. Join the 59,806 others who are now enjoying extra, personalized snippets. Click the button👇 to choose your favorite topics and see your list grow in tomorrow’s email. [Personalize Your Snippets]( Travel Bug [Airbnb and Vrbo logos]( Airbnb and Vrbo grapple for more hosts amid fresh demand It’s hot vax summer, baby! Competition is heating up between home-sharing platforms Airbnb and Vrbo as Americans hit the road. Airbnb and Expedia Group’s Vrbo are both recruiting new hosts to their platforms as demand outpaces supply, per [The Wall Street Journal](. The state of short-term rentals April 2021 saw the highest-ever occupancy rate for short-term rentals (STRs) in the US at 61.6%, per [data]( from AirDNA. Travelers also stayed 25% longer -- likely due to new remote-friendly work policies. Meanwhile, there are fewer open properties as owners removed them amid the pandemic, often to stay in them themselves. As of May, ~52k new units had been added to Airbnb and Vrbo, 10% lower than usual. To get more room supply: - Airbnb is offering mentorship for new hosts, referral payments, and an easier sign-up process. - Vrbo is attempting to [siphon]( guests from its rivals, letting Airbnb hosts transfer their ratings. Vrbo claims thousands of hosts have participated in its Fast Start program. Where are people staying? Demand in small-town and rural markets was up by 67% compared to April 2019. Destination and resort locations were also up 25% YoY. Conversely, demand in the 50 most populous cities was down by 41%. Overall, AirDNA predicts at least 2 years of higher occupancy rates due to fewer short-term rental units and higher demand. While Airbnb and Vrbo battle for hot rental properties, they are [partnering]( on one thing: shutting down those nuisance party homes everyone’s always complaining about on Nextdoor. [Share on Facebook]( [Share on Twitter]( [Send as email to a friend](mailto:?subject=The%20Hustle%20wrote%20something%20I%20think%20you%27ll%20like...%0A&body=Airbnb+and+Vrbo+grapple+for+more+hosts+amid+fresh+demand%0Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fthehustle.co%2F06222021-Airbnb-Vrbo%3Futm_campaign%3DSmartphones%26utm_content%3D06222021-Airbnb-Vrbo%26utm_medium%3Demail%26utm_source%3Ddaily%0A%0AYou%20can%20subscribe%20with%20my%20link%20here%20to%20get%20the%20latest%20in%20tech%20and%20business%20daily:%0A [View on our website]( Tokyo Olympics [Tokyo Olympics logo]( Will advertisers’ gamble on the Tokyo Olympics pay off? After being postponed last summer, the Tokyo Summer Olympics are slated to start on July 23. There’s a big problem, though: A lot of people don’t want it to happen. According to [The Economist](, 50%+ of Japanese citizens want the games to be postponed again. Due to COVID, parts of Japan are still in a state of emergency, and it’s not even clear if fans can attend. Big money is on the line To host the games, Tokyo was able to raise: - A record $3B+ from dozens of (mostly domestic) brands [including]( Japan Airlines, Toyota, and Canon - $500m from top global sponsors including Coca-Cola, Visa, and Airbnb While the actual return for Olympic sponsors is often not clear, the audience that the event offers can’t be disputed. Case in point: 3.2B people watched some part of the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, per The Economist. With so much opposition to hosting the games… … there may not be much Olympic halo for the Tokyo advertisers, particularly the domestic brands. The top sponsors -- like Coca-Cola -- are in a slightly different boat: They sign multiyear deals across many summer and winter games and can survive one bad Olympics. However, there is a big problem on the horizon for these global brands: The upcoming Winter Olympics in 2022 will be hosted in Beijing, which some countries may boycott based on China’s treatment of its Uyghur population. [Share on Facebook]( [Share on Twitter]( [Send as email to a friend](mailto:?subject=The%20Hustle%20wrote%20something%20I%20think%20you%27ll%20like...%0A&body=Will+advertisers%E2%80%99+gamble+on+the+Tokyo+Olympics+pay+off%3F%0Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fthehustle.co%2F06222021-Tokyo-Olympics%3Futm_campaign%3DSmartphones%26utm_content%3D06222021-Tokyo-Olympics%26utm_medium%3Demail%26utm_source%3Ddaily%0A%0AYou%20can%20subscribe%20with%20my%20link%20here%20to%20get%20the%20latest%20in%20tech%20and%20business%20daily:%0A [View on our website]( TRENDS How Modsy went from zero to $1.3m/month... Have you read [last week’s Trends report](? If not, you’re missing out on: - Our deep dive on[how to build a pitch deck]( that gets you funded - Trends’ first “[Brilliant Business Breakdown](” -- a case study on Modsy and how they went from zero to $1.3m/month in revenue - How to get in on the huge wave of funding for[children’s products and toys]( - And much, much more If you’re not already a member of Trends, [sign up today for a $1 trial]( to get access to the full report. During your one-week trial, you’ll also get access to exclusive livestreamed lectures, our growing database of upcoming market opportunities, and our private network of entrepreneurs, founders, and investors from around the world. [All for a buck.]( We’ll see you on the inside. [Read the full report →]( Prank of the day [Amazon boxes] Source: YouTube / CBS Amazon’s discount Prime Day started yesterday… which brings up one big question: What will you do with all those empty boxes once your shopping onslaught is over? Here’s a wild story. Back in 2019, a woman from Wisconsin gave her husband an April Fools heart attack by placing dozens of empty Prime boxes in front of their home. According to [PopSugar](, the woman saved the boxes up “for months” in preparation for the prank. So, yeah, there’s one idea. SHARE THE HUSTLE [Hustle Cons Greatest Hits ebook]( Over the years, we’ve learned… secrets. The business secrets, tips, and tricks that have helped founders go from zero to millions -- and even billions -- of dollars. Want to see ‘em? Just refer 3 more friends to The Hustle and we’ll send you our curated set of interviews with founders from brands like Zola, AWAY, Vungle, Bonobos, and more. Here’s a message you can use to share with your friends: Hey! Do you read The Hustle? It’s the best daily business newsletter out there -- only takes 5 minutes to read and you’ll sound like the smartest person in the room. Sign up here, it’s free: [ P.S. You can always check your referral count [here](. 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