Last Thursday, after waking up to the news of Dropbox’s most recent announcements,1 I couldn’t have been less impressed. To quote myself from a chat I had with a friend: “Dropbox is an unfocused mess.” But then I actually watched the event. I’ve long been a believer in cloud storage; back in college I experimented […]
2014
Microsoft Pursuing Original Content for Xbox
Another follow-up to my piece on TV, this time having to do with Microsoft. From Bloomberg: Microsoft Corp. is going Hollywood with a cast including comedians Sarah Silverman and Seth Green, aspiring World Cup players and eerily human robots. All are involved in shows that Microsoft’s new Xbox television studio plans to roll out globally […]
The Technology Behind Android TV
Here is an interesting follow-up to my piece yesterday about the various tech giants’ Black Box Strategy. From GigaOM, on The Technology Behind Android TV: To understand Google’s new take on smart TVs, it’s worth considering how consumers experience apps on smart TVs and connected devices today. On most devices, app makers have autonomy (for […]
Why the Web Still Matters
This post was originally posted on Matt Mullenweg’s blog This week Twitter was abuzz with the most recent report from Flurry that showed people spending most of their time on mobile using apps, not the browser: Many were quick to once again declare “The Web is Dead,” but I’m not sure that conclusion makes sense, […]
Black Box Strategy
With the announcement of the Amazon Fire TV and the leak of the alleged Android TV, all of the major players have (or soon will have) a TV offering. There’s been a lot of talk about how similar the products are, but those similarities are for good reason; what is more interesting to me are […]
When CEOs Matter
Sometime in 2012, during the runup to Windows 8, I was on a call with a Microsoft Developer & Platform Evangelist (DPE) strategizing how we would approach a particular partner.1 I asked his opinion of a specific feature in this partner’s iPad app, and was shocked at his response: “I don’t own an iPad, and […]
Is the Irreplaceable Excel in Trouble?
An analyst at R.W. Baird has a report out claiming that Tableau is a threat to replace Excel: Shares of data visualization software maker Tableau (DATA) are up $2.74, or 3.6%, at $78.82, after R.W. Baird’s Steven Ashley raised his rating on the shares to Outperform from Neutral, with a $95 price target, writing that […]
Why Targeting Increases the Value of Ads
I’ve written previously that “Targeting information is the new scarcity in advertising.” The Information has a perfect example of exactly that: Mobile app developers that rely on highly targeted ad campaigns to bring in new business are facing rising rates and inventory shortages as they compete to reach a small group of desirable, free-spending customers. […]
T-Mobile Ends Employer Discounts
Engadget frames T-Mobile’s latest move as a cost-saving measure: Over the past year, T-Mobile’s new policies have ushered in a new wave of changes to the way the US wireless industry works. It was the first national operator to introduce phone-financing plans, early upgrades and free international roaming; additionally, it also offers to pay your […]
Box, Microsoft, and the Next Enterprise Platform
Let’s get one thing out of the way: there is nothing about Box’s S-1 filing that suggests tech is in a bubble. Indeed, the fact Aaron Levie and company are not yet profitable is a good thing. To understand why, you must read Should Startups Focus on Profitability or Not by VC Mark Suster: There […]