Google presented a vision of ambient computing that goes beyond the smartphone. The company is well-placed, but faces challenges both in the marketplace and in the mirror.
Microsoft’s Surface Event, Victors and History, Microsoft’s Hardware Prospects
Microsoft (eventually) selling a phone that runs Android is not particularly meaningful in terms of its impact financially but is a totem of a major shift culturally.
Beachheads and Obstacles
Facebook and Amazon had events on the same day for Oculus and Alexa. Both are driven by lessons from the mobile era, but Amazon seems to have learned more than Facebook.
Neither and New Follow-Up, Adam Neumann Forced Out, Peloton IPOs
Why Neither/New companies are different than traditional marketplaces, how Vision Fund’s flaws led to Adam Neumann being forced out, and why Peloton has a big opportunity it might not see.
The iPhone and Apple’s Services Strategy
Apple’s annual iPhone event may have marked Apple’s true shift into being a Services company
Tech Companies and Hardware, The Cost of Low Margins
Software-differentiated hardware companies are tech companies, but be careful about low margins leading to a destructive cycle where marketing costs drown a company.
Where Warren’s Wrong
Senator Warren’s proposal about how to regulate tech is wrong about history, the source of tech giant’s power, and the fundamental nature of technology itself. That doesn’t mean there aren’t real problems — and potential solutions — though.
Apple Earnings, Apple the Services Company (for Real!)
Apple’s earnings were definitely weak in China, but the rest of the world wasn’t great either. No wonder the company is pivoting so strongly into services — and there is upside.
Apple’s Errors
Apple’s management made three errors that led to the restatement of revenue; those errors, though, suggest that the company’s business is in better shape than it appears.
Apple Music on Amazon Echo, The Implications, Apple-Amazon Quid Pro Quo’s
Apple Music is coming to the Amazon Echo, a development that I find absolutely fascinating: what does this mean for Apple, and Spotify? Plus, this isn’t the first time Apple and Amazon have made a deal.