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.
Apple App Store Changes, Google to Remove French News Excerpts, Europe Bans Content Worldwide
Apple is softening App Store lock-in by the barest amount possible. Then, Google shows its power in France, but a case against Facebook shows how limited that power is.
Google’s Earnings, Amazon’s Earnings
Google’s earnings came with the usual dearth of information, although it appears that Google Cloud is growing more than expected. AWS growth, meanwhile, is definitely slowing as Amazon’s business broadly is running out of low-hanging fruit.
Tech and Antitrust
A review of the potential antitrust cases against Google, Apple, Facebook, and Amazon suggests that only Google is vulnerable.
Google IO Follow-up, Linux on Windows, Microsoft’s Developer Strategy
More on Google’s I/O keynote, particularly about how the company is well-positioned for a privacy-centric world. Then, Microsoft is doing an excellent job of appealing to developers.
Apple’s Earnings, Google’s Earnings, Amazon Earnings
Apple, Google, and Amazon’s earnings all showed fundamental weaknesses in the consumer market; perhaps these companies are not all-powerful.
Mark Zuckerberg’s Proposal, The Copyright Directive and Sunk Costs, You Say You Want Some Regulation
Recent regulation highlights why Mark Zuckerberg’s call for regulation was so self-serving. The place where regulators should actually start is advertising.
Google Fined by the EU, Contracts and the Android Decision, Custom Search and the Shopping Decision
The EU has again fined Google for anticompetitive behavior. At first glance this looks like the Android decision, but I think the better comparison is the shopping decision, which I believe was wrong.
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.
The Value Chain Constraint
Companies succeed or fail not based on technology but rather according to their ability to integrate within their value chains.