Apple
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Tim Cook had an extraordinary run — and impeccable timing, both in terms of when he became CEO, and when he is stepping down.
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Apple has survived 50 years by being the only company integrating hardware and software; if the company loses because of AI it will be because the point of integration changes.
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Apple is well and truly a services company; hardware is necessary but insufficient for future growth.
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For Apple, hitting middle age means a strategy primarily focused on monetizing its existing customers. It makes sense, but one wonders what happens next.
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A core part of what makes Apple Apple is its organization structure; Tim Cook has said it will never change. However, if Apple is serious about being a services company, change it must.
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Clayton Christensen continually predicts that Apple will be disrupted because his theory does not incorporate the importance of the user experience.
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The Cost of Apple News
Apple News is primed to offer a subscription bundle, but publishers should be wary of being Aggregated.
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Spotify and Podcasts Follow-up, Apple and Podcasts, Luminary and Himalaya
More on podcasts, including why I’m cautiously optimistic, plus Apple’s missed opportunity, and why I’m skeptical of startups in the space.
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Spotify’s Podcast Aggregation Play
Spotify is making a major move into podcasts, where it appears to have clear designs to be the sort of Aggregator it cannot be when it comes to music.
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Google “Other Bets” Follow-up, Angela Ahrendts Out at Apple, Microsoft Earnings
Does Angela Ahrendts’ departure from Apple signify a pivot in retail? Then, Microsoft’s earnings highlighted how the company has benefited from its focus on being a horizontal company.
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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.
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BuzzFeed Followup, The Future is Niche, Atlassian and Bing
BuzzFeed’s relative scale problem, and why venture capital doesn’t make sense for content, because the future is niche. Plus, important follow-up on Bing and Atlassian.
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More on Apple and China (and Podcasts!), Apple and Duck Duck Go, WordPress Newspack
How much was Apple impacted by the arrest of Huawei’s CFO? Then, Apple’s agreement with DuckDuckGo and its connection with Google, and why WordPress Newspack is so exciting.
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MongoDB Follow-up, AWS’ Incentives, Batteries: The iPhone’s Missing Miss
While there is reason to be concerned about the long-run future of VC-funded OSS, MongoDB is in pretty good shape thanks to its hosted service. Then, AWS and platform incentives, and why battery replacements may have hurt iPhone sales.
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AWS, MongoDB, and the Economic Realities of Open Source
Amazon’s latest offering highlights the economic challenges facing open source companies — and Amazon should pay attention.