Google has made a rather odd deal with HTC — basically an acquihire. What are the two company’s motivations? Then, Apple Watch news and reviews, and a smartphone-related acquisition that is actually more important than Google’s.
Category: Daily Update
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Toys ‘R’ Us Goes Bankrupt; Debt, the Internet, Forests and Trees; Twitter: The Good and the Bad
Toys ‘R’ Us went bankrupt because of debt, not e-commerce; that said, debt was a problem because private equity didn’t consider e-commerce. Then, Twitter gives good news and bad news.
The GDPR and Facebook and Google, Intelligent Tracking Prevention, Data Portability and Social Graphs
The GDPR will hurt Google and Facebook; it will hurt their competitors far more, which means the position of the two biggest digital ad companies will actually be strengthened. Then, why data portability won’t help build the next social network.
The iPhone 8 Price Rise, The Cellular Apple Watch, Apple TV 4K and Disney
The iPhone 8 price raise was unexpected and a reminder of how much Apple values margin. Then, the cellular Apple Watch was the real glimpse of the future, and why no one should be surprised Disney didn’t make a deal with Apple.
Amazon Studios Shifts Strategy, Spotify and Hulu, Facebook to Spend $1 Billion on Video
Amazon Studios is shifting its strategy, which rationalizes Prime Video; the big winner is Netflix. Then, Spotify makes a smart move with Hulu, while Facebook is resorting to brute force in video.
Amazon’s Second Headquarters, Amazon’s Internal Primitives, Facebook and Political Ads
Amazon is uniquely capable of having a second headquarters, and don’t be surprised if politics influences the choice of location. Then, Facebook should learn from Amazon about picking battles. Plus, a brief preview of Apple’s iPhone event.
The Platform Paradox, Voice Assistants Vulnerable?, Facebook and Russian Ads
Aggregators have value not only because they benefit consumers but also because they enable new businesses. Then, voice assistant vulnerability shows how focusing on the user experience can backfire; Facebook is arguably the best example.