There is no greater influence on Stratechery than Professor Clayton Christensen, but it is another death — Kobe Bryant’s — that reminds me of what truly matters.
iCloud Backups and Encryption; Facts, Principles, and Concerns; Determining Defaults
More encryption news, this time about how Apple holds the keys to iCloud backups. I think this approach strikes the right balance: privacy exists, particularly if you work for it, while acknowledging legitimate societal concerns.
Lime Leaves 12 Cities; Scarcity Amongst Abundance; An Update on Apple, Trump, and Encryption
Scooter companies appear to be struggling, which is not a surprise; still, it is an excuse to re-visit assumptions around ride-sharing in comparison, and an generalizable principle about Aggregation Theory. Plus, an update on Apple versus the FBI.
Visa/Plaid Follow-Up; Apple v FBI, Round 2; 2020 Differences
More on Visa/Plaid, including why payments in the U.S. and China are so different. Then, Apple is facing off against the FBI again, but its position is both stronger technologically and weaker politically.
The End of the Beginning
The beginning of technology was about the shift from batched computing in one place to continuous computing everywhere. That era of paradigm changes may be over, which means the real changes are only beginning.
AB 5 and Health Care, Project Connected Home Over IP, Ecosystem Pragmatism
A more flexibility economy would benefit from a stronger safety net. Then, a new standard that actually has real potential. It’s a win for some companies, but questionable for others.
A Framework for Regulating Competition on the Internet
Understanding the differences between platforms and Aggregators is critical when it comes to considering regulation.
Portability and Interoperability
Data portability is friendly to consumers, but it has very little to do with encouraging competition, at least relative to interoperability.
Trump Visits Mac Pro Factory, Apple’s Tariffs, Apple Versus GitHub
Trump visited the Mac Pro factory, and people are disappointed in Tim Cook. First off, tariffs are certainly the driving fact, but I am disappointed too, for different reasons than most.
Integration and Monopoly Follow-Up, Apple Paternalism, TikTok and CFIUS
More on Apple and restrictions on competition, and why it is different than Google. Then, Apple’s actions around vaping cross the line, plus why TikTok does not deserve the benefit of the doubt.