At the risk of painting too broad a stroke, it seems to me that much of the opposition to changes wrought by the Internet undervalue the positive impact said changes have on normal people. For example, people despair over newspapers closing without appreciating the explosion in quality content freely available to anyone anywhere in the […]
September 2014
Daily Update: Japan and the Distinction Between Consoles and Mobile Gaming, Gaming in China and Asia, Xbox China Launch Delayed
Good morning, Until a few months ago gaming in general was a bit of a blind spot for me, and I think was hardly alone in that among technology observers. Still, it always bothered me that, for example, Apple spent so much time on gaming in their keynotes, yet I simply spaced out. So, asSubscribe […]
Podcast: Exponent Episode 018 – Agree to Disagree
On the newest episode of Exponent, the podcast I co-host with James Allworth: In this week’s episode Ben explains why he has changed his mind about Apple Watch. James is not convinced. We go on for a while. Links Ben Thompson: What I Got Wrong About Apple Watch – Stratechery John Gruber: Apple Watch: Initial […]
Daily Update: Uber, Contract Workers, and Driver Power; Alibaba Raises $21.8 Billion; Larry Ellison Takes Care of Larry Ellison
Good morning, The iPhone goes on sell today, and there are lines all over. Many suspect the lines are longer due to resellers looking to take advantage of Apple’s China delay, but at least one of the licensing obstacles to the iPhone going on well was removed yesterday. Several folks have asked me if theSubscribe […]
Daily Update: Amazon’s New Devices, Sony Gets Crushed, Apple Takes Aim on Google
2014-09-18 Good morning, From my email, it seems like my post yesterday about Apple Watch surprised a few of you (please check out the full piece on Stratechery, as it differed from yesterday’s email in a few key areas). I don’t like changing my mind, but I hate being wrong more, and I changed mySubscribe […]
What I Got Wrong About Apple Watch
While I stand by last week’s opinion that the Watch presentation was poor, I’ve somehow, at least in my little corner of the Internet, become the face of people who don’t believe in Apple Watch at all. The biggest problem with that view is that I’m actually a big believer in the category, having written […]
Daily Update: What I Got Wrong About Apple Watch, The Best iPhone Review, German Court Lifts Uber Ban
Good morning, So much for too much Apple. I’ve had a tumultuous day. As I recount below, a tweet and an article have convinced me that, while my concerns about Apple’s presentation approach may be valid, I likely have the Apple Watch as a whole completely wrong. The result was what I intended to beSubscribe […]
Daily Update: American Girl, Minecraft, and the Next Generation of Builders; The Panasonic Cameraphone; China’s Antitrust Crusade
Good morning, I wrote yesterday that I thought the Minecraft acquisition made a lot of sense for Microsoft both from a financial point-of-view – given it’s engagement numbers, I think Minecraft has a lot of latent revenue opportunities – but also from a strategic point-of-view. It’s a natural fit with where Satya Nadella wants toSubscribe […]
Microsoft’s Good (and Potentially Great) Minecraft Acquisition
It’s difficult to overstate what a big deal Minecraft is. It’s the third best-selling game of all time behind Tetris and Wii Sports, and unlike the latter especially, it is a remarkably sticky experience: the vast majority of customers (over 90 percent on PC, according to Microsoft) sign in every single month. Were Microsoft to […]
Daily Update: Google Launches Android One in India, Good News on Patents, Apple’s Payment Strategy
Good morning, I hope you had a pleasant and relaxing weekend! Google launched Android One this week, and there are more rumors that Microsoft will indeed buy Mojang. More on that if it happens. On to the update: Google Launches Android One in India Google first announced Android One at this year’s Google I/O, promisingSubscribe […]