Amazon, Google, Apple, and Facebook are battling for the home; what are their strengths, weaknesses, go-to-market strategies, and business models, and who is the favorite? Or does it matter?
The Bill Gates Line
Understanding the differences between aggregators and platforms matters for companies interacting with them and also regulators considering antitrust.
The Moat Map
The Moat Map describes the correlation between the degree of supplier differentiation and the externalization (or internalization) of a company’s network effect.
Ring, Alarm.com, and Bottom-up Ecosystem Building; Dropbox and Timing; Apple, China, Microsoft, the United States
More follow-up on both Ring/Amazon and Dropbox, then why Apple in China explains why the Supreme Court should rule in favor or tech companies.
Amazon Buys Ring, Ring’s Exit, Amazon’s Strategy and the Integration of the Home
Amazon is buying Ring: it makes sense for the latter to sell, and while the reasons for the former to buy are less obvious, they are equally compelling.
Apple’s Middle Age
For Apple, hitting middle age means a strategy primarily focused on monetizing its existing customers. It makes sense, but one wonders what happens next.
HomePod Goes on Sale, The Smartphone and the End of History, The Success of the Nintendo Switch
The HomePod goes on sale tomorrow — finally — and it’s still not clear whether or not Apple is ready to move beyond the smartphone; the success of the Nintendo Switch suggests the world isn’t waiting.
Why Facebook Shouldn’t Be Allowed to Buy tbh
Facebook is acquiring tbh, another burgeoning social network; regulators erred in allowing the Instagram and WhatsApp acquisitions, but there is no better place to start enforcing the law than now.
Google’s Search for the Sweet Spot
Google’s hardware event shows the company’s commitment both to devices and to artificial intelligence; just doing what you are good at, though, is not always enough.
Apple and the Oak Tree Follow-up, Is HomePod Late?, Apple Earnings
More on Apple’s earnings, China prospects, and HomePod’s potential beyond simply being a speaker.