Digital Assistants
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Google Buys Fitbit, Why Fitbit is a Good Idea, Why It Isn’t
First some important updates about Stratechery, then Google is seeking to acquire Fitbit. Why the acquisition makes sense, and why it doesn’t.
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Ambient Computing and Antitrust, Google’s New Revenue Streams, Netflix Earnings
The real antitrust concern is with potential constraints on ambient computing. Then, Google has its own Services Narrative, and Netflix’s earnings should be viewed with concern.
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Google and Ambient Computing
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.
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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.
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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.
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Apple Updates Siri Policy, The Missed Middle Way, Alexa and Automobiles
Apple has updated its Siri policy, but misses a middle way on privacy that Amazon gets right. Then, Alexa has an opening in cars, but probably not for long.
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Google Fights Back
At Google I/O, Google was the opposite of defensive: the company set out to make the case that its approach made for better products that makes people’s lives better
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Alexa’s Human Listeners, New Questions, Disney’s Presentation
Why Bloomberg’s article about Alexa was both scare-mongering and a missed opportunity, plus why Disney’s 2015 plummet in the stock market was a blessing in disguise.