Apple Music was a muddled mess, which raised the question of why it exists in the first place. Is it important anymore? More importantly, is Apple having trouble remembering how to focus?
Apple and Privacy Follow-up, The Top 100 Retailers and Apple Pay, Android Pay’s Missing Bank Fee
More on the difference between privacy and security, and why precision in language is critical.
The Funnel Framework
The Internet has removed scarcity, meaning business models based on controlling distribution are no longer viable. Instead, the key to success is controlling access to the best customers — and that means being the best.
Vox Acquires Recode; Stars, Money, and Reach; The Apple Car and Jony Ive
Recode has sold to Vox, and while everyone involved is putting a happy face on the matter, it seems highly likely that Recode failed as a business. Understanding how content businesses work show where they went wrong, but what does that mean for someone like Bill Simmons?
Also, Jeff Williams spoke at Recode, and he just might have changed my mind about Jony Ive.
Apple Watch and Continuous Computing
The Apple Watch’s success depends on three things: the physical design, the interaction model, and how it interacts with its environment. It’s on the right track
The AWS IPO
AWS has long been a question mark when it comes to Amazon: it’s a good idea, and it makes money, but like it’s parent company, will it ever be profitable? The revelation that AWS is already very profitable indeed is a really big deal both for AWS but also for Amazon itself.
LinkedIn Misses, Sony’s Retreat
Good morning, The promised update to Stratechery is imminent — if all goes well, it will happen in the next 24 hours. I will include more details in tomorrow update, but the primary impact on subscribers is minimal. Specifically: Your Stratechery login will be your email address, not your old username The first time youSubscribe […]
Twitter Follow-up, Microsoft’s Build Keynote
Good morning, Just a reminder, there will be no Daily Update tomorrow, as I will be traveling with my family. In addition, the plan is to launch an updated design of Stratechery, along with a brand new membership system, and a Discourse-based discussion forum this coming Monday. There shouldn’t be any interruption in the dailySubscribe […]
Twitter Needs New Leadership
Yesterday Twitter released very disappointing quarterly results, with misses on both user and revenue growth. From the Wall Street Journal: Twitter Inc. delivered its weakest quarterly revenue growth as a publicly traded company, casting a shadow on its fledgling advertising business, which until now has been a consistent bright spot. Investors, who sent the company’s […]
Facebook and the Feed
In a week where much of the Internet was all atwitter about Mobilegeddon, Google’s pre-announced algorithm change that will favor mobile-friendly sites in mobile search results, a potentially far more impactful announcement was much more of a surprise: Facebook is tweaking the News Feed algorithm. This is a big deal for publishers in particular: according […]