In a busy week for CE Pro’s Weekly Rewind, we look at the doubling of steel and aluminum tariffs, a ‘reverse’ theater conversion, why people are saying the golden age of streaming might be over and much, much more.
Privacy Advocates Name Apple TV as ‘Go-To Streaming Device’
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Ars Technica reported that in the realm of data-harvesting via smart TVs, many privacy advocates seem to be rather enamored with Apple TV as “safe haven.”
According to independent research by Ars, one of the major reasons as to why this is the case is Apple’s straightforward setup process that allows users to disable a variety of tracking out the gate.
Apple TVs running tvOS 14.5 and later also make third-party app tracking more difficult by forcing the apps to request permission before being able to track user data. Apple also makes it so any data shared with the company, or its partners is not personally identifiable.
Trump Doubles Steel and Aluminum Tariffs
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President Donald Trump hiked nearly all tariffs on steel and aluminum this week. The current tariffs on these materials now stands at 50%, double the originally imposed tax.
Commenting on the measure, President Trump stated increasing the rates would help “further secure the steel industry in the United States” at a rally in Pennsylvania, Reuters reported.
The latest tariffs come yet another blow to the consumer electronics industry, whose products commonly rely on foreign-source steel and aluminum for production. The new tariffs also bring wider implications for the struggling homebuilding industry as well, as these tariffs could further add on to the cost of construction in the long run.
Washington State Passes Right to Repair Law
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Governor Bob Ferguson signed two bills earlier this week establishing the right for Washington residents to access tools, parts and information to fix personal electronics, among other things. The Electronics Frontier Foundation reports that the bill represents a swathe of new legislation aimed at making repairing and maintaining essential gear easier.
Related News: Professionally Installed vs. ISP Home Networks: What My Outage Taught Me About Their Value
The right-to-repair movement remains a momentous force with all 50 U.S. state now currently considering passing some form of the legislation. Washington now stands as the eighth state to pass such legislation.
While Washington’s right-to-repair law covers a substantial list of products, states such as New York, have opened carveouts for sensitive equipment like security systems, which it has deemed demand professional care in the name of security.
Kentucky’s Delbee Theater Converted to Single-Family Home
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Flipping the script on the usual narrative in custom integration, an old commercial theater recently got converted into a standard home. As reported by Cincinnati Magazine, this former entertainment hub of the 1940s now stands as a nearly 5,000-square-foot home with a very unique industrial style.
The building spans two floors and includes a one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment as well as a massive garage space with its own full bathroom.
What may come as a shame to integrators is that not a trace of the original theater was leveraged in creating a personal cinema room for the home. Instead, the old projector room was converted into a bedroom.
‘Streaming is Dead’ Proclaims Andor Creator
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While Andor might serve as a high point for many regarding the health of the streaming landscape, its creator Tony Gilroy has different thoughts. In an interview reported on by Fortune, the production of the series revealed a changing landscape with regards to funding and content creation among major streaming provider, Disney.
According to Gilroy, the creator had to fight “tooth and nail” with company executives to deliver a second season. Disney fought back, telling Gilroy specifically, “We don’t have the money we had before.”
The comment has led many to speculate whether the golden era of high-quality streaming content might be starting to slow down from the big providers.
Lighting Projects Help Integrators Pull in Median $36K in Revenue
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A recent deep dive into the lighting category by CE Pro found that integrators working on lighting projects earned roughly $36K for their efforts, with significant contributions coming from controls and fixtures.
The 2025 Lighting Controls & Fixtures Report also uncovered that landscape lighting and other forms of exterior lighting have grown to be very popular in recent years, with nearly two-thirds of all projects now incorporating these elements.
The full report offers an in-depth analysis and comprehensive insights into the lighting controls and fixtures market and can be downloaded on CE Pro now.
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