Daily Update: Microsoft Earnings and Surface’s Alleged Success, Amazon Earnings and the Fire Fantasy, The End of the Apple-GT Advanced Saga

Good morning, I hope you’ll forgive a longer update today: as you can see from the title, I’ve written something of a young-adult fiction trilogy. On to the update: Microsoft Earnings and Surface’s Alleged Success Microsoft reported its earnings yesterday and they were on balance very good. From Bloomberg: Microsoft Corp.’s quarterly sales topped estimatesSubscribe […]

Daily Update: More Amazon Bear Signals; Dropbox Hacked, Sort of…; Snapchat Too

Good morning, To the update! More Amazon Bear Signals Earlier this year I detailed why I’ve become an Amazon bear in Losing my Amazon Religion. With regards to Amazon’s convoluted plan to drive e-commerce through original video and the Fire phone I questioned: So what exactly is going on? Why is Amazon building vertical devicesSubscribe […]

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 […]

Daily Update: Another (Inevitable) Uber Controversy, Why Instagram’s Hyperlapse Damns Windows Phone, Pouring Water on Fire Phone

Good morning, I wrote a brief piece on Stratechery about Amazon buying Twitch; my takeaway was in the title: Amazon: Not an E-Commerce Company. One could argue that makes the upside in their stock even greater, but were I an investor, I think I’d be out. I buy the e-commerce story; Amazon ruling the world,Subscribe […]

Amazon: Not an E-commerce Company

Let’s start with the premise that Twitch, the video-game watching network, is the next ESPN – you know, the jewel in Disney’s crown that, by itself, is worth $50.8 billion. Like ESPN, Twitch is about live competition, and, like ESPN, Twitch does exceptionally well in the highly desirable young male demographic.1 Obviously this is the […]

Daily Update: Amazon Buys Twitch, Amazon’s Ad Program, Facebook Taking on DoubleClick

Good morning, If you’ll forgive a bit of braggadocio, I’ve certainly been getting lucky on Stratechery when it comes to acquisitions: I wrote about hardware-based business models the day before Google bought Nest, and how messaging was mobile’s killer app the day before Facebook bought WhatsApp. I can’t claim to be quite as spot-on whenSubscribe […]

Daily Update: The New Structure of Mobile Gaming, The Hidden Cost of Microsoft’s Devices, Amazon Affiliate Links in the Washington Post

Note: I put the wrong link in the Daily Email for Tuesday, September 2, 2014. The daily update for that day can be found here. Good morning, I’m really glad to be back in Taiwan and look forward to being back on a regular schedule – you’ll note how much earlier this update is arriving!Subscribe […]

Daily Update: Amazon Local Register, Messaging Apps Are Extremely Profitable, Samsung v HTC

Good morning. Hello from somewhere between Madison and Chicago. I’m in the car on the way to the airport, heading back to Taiwan. As I noted yesterday, updates for the rest of the week will come at odd hours, including, obviously, today’s. Thanks for your patience. Yesterday on the main site I asked Is BuzzFeedSubscribe […]