“The question that needs to be asked and answered is why hardware.” To Satya Nadella’s credit, he provided not just the answer, but the question as well. And, looked at narrowly, there were good things seen – and not seen – at Microsoft’s Surface event. Having clearly failed as a mass market device, it makes […]
Daily Update: GoPro Files for IPO, Angela Ahrendts’ and Apple Retail, Groupon Launching iPad Checkout System
I wrote a piece yesterday on Stratechery called The Net Neutrality Wake-up Call. While I did touch on some net neutrality specifics (again, I know), my broader point is that the collision of the political and technological worlds is only beginning; we as an industry would be well-served by getting involved sooner rather than later.Subscribe […]
Microsoft Cloud Announcement, Cordova and Windows RT, Xbox Silliness
Good morning, I went deep on Apple’s (alleged) acquisition of Beats, yet in some ways, I’m not sure I went deep enough. One thing I was trying to capture is that there is a very benign explanation for this acquisition: Beats solves a lot of problems for Apple. And maybe that’s all it is. Still,Subscribe […]
Why Apple Is Buying Beats
That’s a bit of a presumptuous headline: The sale is not yet confirmed UPDATE: The deal was confirmed on May 28 It’s likely no one outside of 1 Infinite Loop will ever likely know the true reasons Indeed, as Benedict Evans wrote in his weekly newsletter: The deal [is] something of a Rorschach Blot – […]
Apple and Beats, Box adds GE, Comcast Entering Online Ads
Hi all, Keep an eye out today for the Week in Daily Updates, especially if you would like to encourage others to subscribe (please do!). In addition, as I note below, I’ll almost certainly write something about Apple and Beats. Speaking of: Apple Reportedly Buying Beats The Financial Times had the scoop: Apple is closingSubscribe […]
Apple Retail and the Innovator’s Dilemma
Angela Ahrendts officially took over as head of Apple Retail last week, and just in time. Same store sales were down five percent last quarter, and have been hovering around zero for several quarters prior. To be fair, that decline is mostly due to Apple’s slowed growth; more concerning is the declining rate of store […]
Twitter’s Marketing Problem
Twitter achieved product-market fit too easily, preventing the company from figuring out exactly what it was.
Daily Update: Twitter Earnings, WWDC Hardware Speculation, Google Identity
Good morning, I believe I have isolated the private feed problem being experienced by Feedly users to aggressive cacheing by my host, WPEngine. They are investigating the issue and will hopefully have a fix some time today. Sorry for the trouble. On to the update. Twitter’s Earnings Twitter’s stock is getting killed in after-hours afterSubscribe […]
Daily Update: Bitcoin and China, Samsung Earnings, International Plans for Xiaomi and Lenovo
Good morning, Please remember to update your GlassBoard, t-shirt, poster, and book preferences on your profile page if you have not already done so. Access members, also check out GlassBoard as I have a few ideas I want to put past you, and remember you can contact me directly by email here (the link isSubscribe […]
The Problem with Payments
Payments are one of the eternal tech rainbows,1 enticing startups and established companies alike with the promise of priceless data and incredible volumes. Many who dive in, though, like Google with Wallet, find it’s incredibly tough going. Square, for example, is burning through cash and may be acquired whether they want to be or not. […]