Circumstances — and outlooks — have changed from a year ago, which is why I don’t think Apple should buy Netflix. Then, Snap’s earnings are a reminder of why the company shouldn’t have gone public, but Tencent throws a lifeline.
The End of AOL Instant Messenger, Innovation Versus Interoperability, Portability > Interoperability
AOL Instant Messenger is dead, and there is a new debate as to whether interoperability killed it. The answer is almost certainly no, but that doesn’t necessarily mean interoperability is a bad thing…or is it?
Uber in London: A Correction, Books and Blogs Revisited, More Aggregators
A comment on Twitter 280, and a correction on Uber in London. Then, why blogs are better than books (in some cases), and a whole list of aggregators not covered in Defining Aggregators.
Tencent Earnings, WeChat Advertising, The Potential of WhatsApp Status
Tencent’s earnings were good, but as opaque as always. Still, there are insights to be gleaned about advertising in particular, and what that says about Messenger and WhatsApp.
Uber and Yandex; Grab Raises $2 Billion; Softbank, Ride-Sharing, and Capital
Uber has made a deal in Russia that, to the extent it approximates China, is a great idea. However, the company may soon be knocked out of Southeast Asia: capital is the ultimate aggregator.
Apple-WeChat Follow-up, Windows 10 S and the Education Market
Apple was never in a position to respond to WeChat, just as Microsoft couldn’t respond to Google. Then, Chromebooks win in education for more reasons than cost.
Apple’s China Problem
Apple had mixed earnings: most of the world was great, but China was bad again. The reason is that in China WeChat matters more than iOS.
The New York Times Versus Uber, Uber Versus Apple, Apple Versus Tencent
The New York Times has a story about Uber and Apple that had a fundamental flaw and lacked context; then, Apple won this round against Tencent, but this is a battle to watch
Microsoft, eBay, and Tencent Invest in Flipkart; The Indian E-Commerce Market; Lyft Raises $500 Million
Microsoft, eBay, and Tencent are investing in Flipkart: the opportunity is just too big to miss out on, even if Amazon looks ever stronger. It’s the same reason investors are putting more money into Lyft.
Is AWS a Commodity?, Chat App Updates: WeChat, Facebook, and Google
The conventional wisdom is that AWS is a commodity, but that only makes sense in the context of the old world. Then, Google tries to catch up to Facebook which tries to catch up to WeChat which is leaping ahead.