YouTube Red is a response to blocking ads, Amazon Local is no more, Android and Chrome OS will be united, Jeremy Clarkson shills for his new corporate overlords, and Duracell spoils Star Wars.

PewDiePie Defends YouTube Red

YouTube recently announced YouTube Red, a paid version of the video-sharing site priced at $9.99-per-month. Much has been written about YouTube Red since the launch, with our own Justin Dennis weighing in with reasons YouTube Red is bad for the YouTube community. Now, PewDiePie, the most popular YouTuber in the world, has got involved.

In a blog post titled "Thoughts on YouTube Red", PewDiePie (AKA Felix Kjellberg) gives his thoughts on YouTube Red. PewDiePie defends YouTube Red against the wave of haters, explaining why a paid service has become a necessary evil. The reason? People who use ad-blockers such as AdBlock and AdBlock Plus to remove the ads from the YouTube experience.

According to his statistics, around 40 percent of YouTube viewers now use ad-blocking software, which means neither YouTube or the content creators actually making the videos, are getting paid. Which is patently unfair. Is it any wonder, then, that YouTube decided to erect a paywall for premium content, which also removes the ads while still allowing everybody to get paid?

You may personally disagree with the idea of YouTube Red, and mistrust YouTube's motives. However, the fact remains that the more people who block ads online, the more services and sites will have to find other ways of making the money they need to even keep operating as businesses. YouTube Red is just the beginning, unless people who use ad-blockers come to their senses.

Amazon Kills Local Daily Deals

Amazon is killing Amazon Local, its daily deals website which it launched in 2011. Amazon Local was launched a response to the popularity of Groupon and LivingSocial, but the daily deals scenario seems to have been nothing but a passing fad. Amazon Local will cease to exist on December 18th, 2015.

Amazon Local may be going away, but, according to TechCrunch, all vouchers purchased until December 18th will be honored, and Amazon is continuing to sell vouchers right up until that date. Which, with the online retailer looking to clear its inventory, should mean there are bargains to be had.

Despite the closure of Amazon Local, Amazon is carrying on with its Deal of the Day, Gold Box Deals, and Kindle Daily Deals. The company stated, "We’ve learned a great deal from the daily deals business and will look for ways to apply these lessons in the future as we continue to innovate on behalf of our customers and merchants".

Google Rolls Chrome OS Into Android

There are rumors swirling that Google is planning to fold Chrome OS into Android, choosing to focus on one mobile operating system rather than two. However, it seems the truth is a little more complicated than The Wall Street Journal originally reported.

The WSJ suggests Google will unveil its new, single operating system, combining the best of both Android and Chrome OS, in 2017, with a preview arriving next year. However, Re/Code reports that while Android will start powering laptops, manufacturers can choose instead to stick with Chrome OS.

In truth, we doubt many (if any) manufacturers will choose Chrome OS over a new and improved (and seriously beefed-up) version of Android, so enjoy Chrome OS while you can. If Microsoft can make Windows 10 work across multiple devices, then we're pretty sure Google can do the same for Android.

Jeremy Clarkson Shills for Amazon

Jeremy Clarkson is now a paid-up member of the Amazon army, with Amazon paying him and his cronies a small fortune to make the new Top Gear exclusively for Amazon Prime. But before actually making the new Top Gear, Clarkson wants to sell you something… an Amazon Fire Stick.

Judging by his hangdog expression throughout the ad, either Clarkson missed the clause in his contract requiring him to shill for Amazon, or they didn't pay him enough to ride around on a Segway and sit on a sofa lightly roasting the BBC. Still, this performance isn't as bad as these other celebrities selling their souls to tech companies.

Duracell Spoils Star Wars

[Possible Spoilers Ahead!]

And finally, Duracell may have just spoiled at least two things about Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Namely, that C-3PO has a red arm, and Rey has Jedi powers. Although we have now seen the final trailer for the new Star Wars, there is a lot of information being held back. Unfortunately, Duracell appears not to have got the memo.

In the new ad embedded above, Threepio's red arm is revealed in full, and a girl dressed as Rey uses a Force push to get away from a couple of Imperial Stormtroopers. We still don't know how C-3PO gets a red arm, or who Rey inherited her Jedi powers from, but Disney may just be losing control of the marketing monster it has unleashed onto the world. [H/T Polygon]

Your Views on Today’s Tech News

Do you agree with PewDiePie that YouTube Red is a necessary evil? Are you sorry to see the end of Amazon Local? Is Google right to kill (or at least wound) Chrome OS in favor of Android? Do you believe Jeremy Clarkson has ever seen an Amazon Fire Stick in his life? Has Duracell actually spoiled Star Wars: The Force Awakens?

Let us know your thoughts on the Tech News of the day by posting to the comments section below. Because a healthy discussion is always welcome.