Memorial Day Weekend marks the unofficial start of the summer, and it’s usually a period on the calendar where the technology integration industry is quiet.
This week’s KMB Comm Technology Week in Review includes news from the typical suspects, including Apple and Spotify, as well as a non-technology integration industry news item from Fender.
So, let’s fire up the grill, open some ice-cold adult beverages, and jump into the KMB Comm Tech Week in Review for May 18-22.
Newsmakers in the Residential Technology Market
Starting the week in review is a story from Residential Systems. Written by Christiaan Beukes, the post offers five recommendations to help readers improve their home theater designs.
The story emphasizes the respect of acoustics and the placement of seating, loudspeakers and subwoofers. Summarizing the approach, Beukes says to start with design, and he adds there are no shortcuts in achieving high-performance home cinema.
KMB Comm’s Tech Week in Review’s next couple of stories come from the website Connected Design.
In the first story the website reports that World Wide Stereo and Gramophone are partnering with the German-based luxury AV brand Loewe Technology. Connected Design states the newly announced partnership brings the manufacturer’s OLED line of TVs to multiple showrooms across Pennsylvania and Maryland.
The story also notes that as part of bringing the German brand to their showrooms, World Wide Stereo and Gramophone will focus on consumer experiences in their respective facilities.
Connected Design’s other Tech Week in Review story, “CEDIA CEO to Retire in 2027” looks at the announcement of Daryl Friedman’s upcoming retirement.
The story says Friedman took on the role of global president and CEO in 2021, and he has informed the CEDIA Board of Directors of his plans to retire in 2027.
The CEDIA Board of Directors will meet and June and it will develop a transition plan for Friedman’s retirement.
KMB Comm Tech Week in Review National & Global News
The next couple of stories come from LinkedIn. Picking up a story from Bloomberg, the social media website says that Apple’s soon-to-be-released iOS27 will include a newly redesigned Siri app that focuses on privacy.
Incorporated into the app’s privacy features the story points out is an auto-deleting chat and “tighter” memory controls. The story goes onto assert that through its work with Gemini, Apple’s AI will remain competitive with other companies.
Another LinkedIn post is reporting that after receiving harsh criticism, Spotify is changing its logo back its well-known, green circle. As part of the streaming service’s 20th anniversary, the company turned its logo into a glittering green disco ball, and according to the LinkedIn story, users were not happy with the change.
Wrapping up the KMB Comm Tech Week in Review for the week is a news item from Guitar World.
Following similar actions by the famed instrument company Gibson, Fender has sent the family-run guitar company LsL Instruments a cease-and-desist order to stop production of “S-style” guitars. The “S” stands for Stratocaster, and the information for the Guitar World post comes from the YouTube channels of Phillip McKnight and Tone Nerd.
The story says that McKnight claims that at least six U.S. guitar builders have also received the cease-and-desist orders.
This news comes on the heels of news that Fender won a European court case establishing a precedent to protect its Stratocaster body design.
Fender’s legal actions follow similar steps from Gibson in which the Nashville-based maker of guitars like the Les Paul, Flying V, Explorer, and SG won a ruling against Armadillo (parent company of Dean Guitars) in 2022 and retrial win in 2025.
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