The announcement that Shop Pay is available to any merchant on Facebook and Google marks an evolution in both e-commerce and Shopify itself
Daily Update
Archive of Daily Emails for Stratechery Members
Starfield, an Xbox Exclusive; Xbox Cloud Gaming; New Consumer Paradigms
Microsoft’s E3 announcement give more shape to its cloud gaming ambitions, and highlight how difficult new consumers paradigms are today.
Apple and Creators; Fanhouse and a Middle Way; Pragmatism and Conversions
Apple is receiving objections from the creator economy about its share, but it is likely that creators will have to accepts Apple’s terms as they are.
ShazamKit and Weather, iOS 15’s New Privacy Approach, Mail Privacy Protection and Newsletters
Apple and Microsoft have similar approaches to developers, and iOS 15’s approach to privacy is better than iOS 14.
Passport Update, F8 Refresh, Trump Ends Blog
F8 was all about developers, and there is reason to believe that Facebook is serious about building a real platform, particularly on messaging.
A Note to Subscribers
A note of explanation to subscribers about this crazy week, and an expression of gratitude.
Amazon Buys MGM, The Streaming Opportunity, Anti-Monopoly vs. Antitrust
Amazon’s purchase of MGM makes sense strategically, but also points to bigger ambitions; it also highlights how a lot of antitrust talk is actually anti-monopoly.
Apple Ads and the Anti-Steering Argument, Additional Follow-up
Apple’s argument defending its anti-steering provisions also explain the company’s approach to its burgeoning ad business.
Snap Partner Summit, Spectacles AR, Scan and Minis
Snap’s Partner Summits continue to provide compelling looks into what Snap is building today, and how it connects to the future.
Google IO: Google’s Reality, Workspace and Smart Canvas, Wear + Tizen
Google’s IO seemed boring, but taken in totality, revealed Google’s ambition to create a new reality. Plus Smart Canvas and the partnership between Wear OS and Samsung’s Tizen.