Apple
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Apple is well and truly a services company; hardware is necessary but insufficient for future growth.
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Apple is expected to announce a range of AI features at WWDC; the company is well placed to benefit from AI: they are not too late, but right on time.
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Apple introduced some impressive product updates; the real news, though, were the prices, which suggested that Apple is fully embracing being a services company.
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For Apple, hitting middle age means a strategy primarily focused on monetizing its existing customers. It makes sense, but one wonders what happens next.
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A core part of what makes Apple Apple is its organization structure; Tim Cook has said it will never change. However, if Apple is serious about being a services company, change it must.
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Clayton Christensen continually predicts that Apple will be disrupted because his theory does not incorporate the importance of the user experience.
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Apple Watch Import Ban, Apple v Masimo, Apple’s Response
Apple Watches are facing an import ban; the relevant court cases seem reasonable on all sides, and the Biden administration should let them play out.
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Google’s True Moonshot
Google could do more than just win the chatbot war: it is the one company that could make a universal assistant. The question is if the company is willing to risk it all.
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Google Loses Antitrust Case to Epic; The Differences Between Apple and Google, Revisited; The Tying Question
Epic won its antitrust case against Google, which shouldn’t be a surprise to Stratechery readers: the situation is very different than Apple. What matters most in the decision, though, is tying.
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Google Gemini; Performance, Infrastructure, and Integration; Apple MLX
Google’s Gemini launched with a demo that misrepresented its capabilities, which seems like a bizarre decision given that Gemini seems capable enough on its own, and also demonstrates Google’s ability to integrate from silicon to model.
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Google’s Apple Payments; Apple Services: Narrative vs. Reality; Google’s Motivation
The juiciest detail yet came out of the Google antitrust case: how much the company pays Apple. This isn’t just a function of Apple’s leverage, but also Google’s strategic foresight.
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Apple Earnings, Shopify Earnings
Apple’s earnings were fine, with a notable Services spike — is it from Google? Then, Shopify is back to the basics, and looking good for it.
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ESPN Financials, NBA Spin, Jon Stewart vs. Apple
ESPN has released its financials, which show why they haven’t yet signed a new deal with the NBA. Amazon might bid, but the NBA’s product isn’t as compelling for streaming as it is for cable.