Rapid replacement will not save the OEMs. Automakers who are expecting to avoid a collapse in vehicle demand because autonomous vehicles will be replaced more frequently are in for a nasty shock because I calculate that their maths is wrong. The most important factor in vehicle demand is miles driven because it is this that is the biggest determinant in...
The best refinement is to ditch Bixby Undeterred by its failure to launch Galaxy Home, a smart speaker with the execrable Bixby, Samsung is doubling down with a mini version which may just have the beginnings of a use case. The new device is slightly larger than the Amazon Dot and in addition to Bixby, the device will be able...
Huawei’s ex-China smartphone share is heading to 0%. Q4 19 will be a crucial test for Huawei as its new flagship (Mate 30) will not be a Google ecosystem device (see here) meaning that Huawei faces a Herculean task to convince users to buy its device. I think that without the Google ecosystem installed at the factory, market share outside...
No telling when frantic spending can stop. Peloton is to fitness what Lyft and Uber are to taxis. All have reinvented an industry and have reached scale, but appear chronically incapable of making money. Peloton is a connected fitness equipment company that also sells content (virtual classes) for its equipment and has filed its S-1, (see here) signaling its...
Radio Free Mobile has taken a trip to the Empty Quarter (Rub’ al Khali) to race falcons. Service will resume on August 28th. Radio Free Mobile wishes its readers a pleasant summer break.
Lyft and Uber are becoming taxi companies. Lyft reported what was received as good Q2 19 results, but I really don’t see much progress as the company is currently less profitable now (-77% EBIT margin) than it was 12 months ago (-61%). Looking at its commentary it is clear that the gulf between ride-hailing and the taxi companies is...
Mate 30 Pro won’t sell without Google. Commentators are getting excited about the leaked specifications of Huawei’s next big launch (Mate 30 Pro) but the only thing that matters is Google as, without Google Services, no one will buy the device no matter how good the camera is. The Mate 30 Pro is the first major device launch by Huawei...
A test of ByteDance’s AI. By moving into search, ByteDance is throwing down the gauntlet to Baidu where the contest will be decided by the quality of the algorithms that each company uses. My money is on Baidu but there is no doubt that ByteDance represents a threat to Baidu’s long-term search business. ByteDance is a new entrant into the...
Brute force only benefits Microsoft. Open AI is making a big bet on compute power being the answer to the limitations of AI in a move that I think will fail but completely explains why Microsoft was willing to throw $1bn at this project. Since Microsoft’s purchase of the most expensive lottery ticket in history (see here), Open AI has...
Richard is founder, owner of research company, Radio Free Mobile. He has 16 years of experience working in sell side equity research. During his 11 year tenure at Nomura Securities, he focused on the equity coverage of the Global Technology sector.
Amazon Automotive – Stuck in the box
Alexa’s access to the vehicle is strictly limited. Amazon has grand plans for the vehicle but until it can convince OEMs of its benign intentions, Alexa will be a simple voice assistant that is also present in the car. If its demonstration area is anything to go by, Amazon clearly intends for Alexa to be able to control every aspect...