Apple
-
Apple has survived 50 years by being the only company integrating hardware and software; if the company loses because of AI it will be because the point of integration changes.
-
Apple is well and truly a services company; hardware is necessary but insufficient for future growth.
-
Apple introduced some impressive product updates; the real news, though, were the prices, which suggested that Apple is fully embracing being a services company.
-
For Apple, hitting middle age means a strategy primarily focused on monetizing its existing customers. It makes sense, but one wonders what happens next.
-
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.
-
Clayton Christensen continually predicts that Apple will be disrupted because his theory does not incorporate the importance of the user experience.
-
The Cost of Developers
Microsoft paid a lot for GitHub, because it had to pay directly for access to developers. It doesn’t have the leverage of users the way that Apple does on the App Store.
-
The Bill Gates Line
Understanding the differences between aggregators and platforms matters for companies interacting with them and also regulators considering antitrust.
-
Adobe Buys Magento, Podcast News, ZTE Deal Reportedly Reached
Adobe reached the logical endpoint of its digital ad build-out, but was the journey worth it? Then, news from the podcast world, and the potential resolution of the ZTE ban.
-
The Moat Map Follow-up; Uber, YouTube, and Spotify; The Public Cloud and Scale
More on The Moat Map, and how it applies to Uber, YouTube, Spotify and the public cloud.
-
Platforms Versus Aggregators, What About Amazon?, Walmart Buys Flipkart
Tech’s two philosophies are also about the difference between platforms and aggregators, but even that has its own divisions. Amazon falls on both sides of the divide. Plus, why Walmart’s Flipkart purchase makes no sense.
-
Tech’s Two Philosophies
Google and Facebook represent one philosophy, and Microsoft and Apple represent another; tech needs both, but ultimately platforms are more important than aggregators.
-
Divine Discontent: Disruption’s Antidote
Apple has long defeated disruption by focusing on the user experience; Jeff Bezos and Amazon, though, show that user expectations for their experience are ever-changing.