Archive For

January 2019

Apple FQ1 19 – Nice but dull.

Apple is looking like a safe haven once again. Hardware is by far the most efficient method of digital ecosystem monetisation but at the same...

Google Automotive – Wobbly wheels

Android Automotive is far from a foregone conclusion. Google clearly still thinks of vehicles as nothing more than handsets on wheels which I think is the...

Facebook – The obvious move

Integration benefit overshadowed by AI. After a long 4½ year wait, Facebook is finally integrating its Digital Life services that will enable it to meaningfully...

Google vs. Amazon – Battle for the smart home pt . XIII

Google increasingly at risk of losing. Walmart has abandoned Google Express dealing what is likely to be a fatal blow to Google’s attempt to challenge...

Sharing economy – China bloodbath.

Didi in pole position but should not rush to IPO. The Mobike brand is about to disappear in yet another sign that while the sharing...

Network economy – Unicorns and Donkeys Pt. VI

2019 will be the year of the shake-out. With a darker economic picture and shrinking access to capital, 2019 is shaping up to be a...

Facebook – The foot vote.

Facebook must entice users not to disengage. Facebook’s future is going to be determined by whether users uncomfortable with being tracked disengage from using Facebook...

Voice Assistants – All about auto

Integration with the vehicle is essential A recent survey has found that voice assistants are quite widely used in the vehicle, but I think that...

Microsoft Cortana – Dead or alive.

Cortana offers more dead than alive. With usage at rock bottom and its Cortana leader resigned, Microsoft is clearly distancing itself and its products from...

Wearables – Fossil fuel.

Wearables to remain fossilised. Google has purchased the right to use and disseminate core IP from Fossil for $40m (stoking rumours of a Pixel Watch)...