Android Wear – Wearing thin Pt III

Reply to this post           Smartwatches and wearables remain in Limbo. Tag Heuer, Intel and Google have launched the Tag Heuer Connected smartwatch at an event in New York on November 10th. The device will be available as a limited edition of 50,000 pieces and will retail at $1,500. The device is powered by Intel, which...

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Activision Blizzard – Game on!

Reply to this post           Activision must integrate to do what King cannot. Activision’s acquisition of King has very little to do with Candy Crush and everything to do with King’s users and the fact that the gaming segment is wide open on mobile. Activision has announced that it will acquire King Digital for $18 per...

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Google – All about control

Reply to this post           Google is trying to stop others from writing Android code. I think that Google’s latest blogs and changes to some of its programs clearly point to increasing efforts to take greater control of the Android code and its distribution. I have long identified Google’s failure to control the code on the...

Facebook Q3 15A – Hidden dip

Reply to this post           I see a correction before Facebook fulfils its real potential. Facebook reported excellent Q3 15A results but the somewhat lacklustre response of the shares in after-hours trading indicates just how much is already built into expectations. Q3 15A revenues / EPS were $4.5bn / $0.57 compared to consensus at $4.4bn /...

Apple – Cycle economics

Reply to this post           The end of the iPhone 6 product cycle is normal and expected. It is starting to appear that the iPhone 6s is performing as I have been expecting rather than as the bulls are hoping. The last week has seen a raft of signals coming from the supply chain that instead...

Xiaomi – African safari

Reply to this post           Africa should help volumes but not margins. Moving into Africa might help Xiaomi’s volume shipments but margins are going to remain under severe pressure in this market. Xiaomi has entered into a distribution relationship with Mobile In Africa Group to distribute its devices in Nigeria, South Africa and Kenya. This looks...

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Sony Q2 16A – Glorious isolation

Reply to this post           Short-term progress at the expense of the long-term. . Sony reported Q2 15A results that beat expectations but I think that it is returning to a silo mentality that will damage the long term opportunity. Q1 15A revenues / net income were JPY1,901bn / JPY33.6bn ahead of consensus at JPY1,879 /...

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Google – Secret Squirrel

Reply to this post           Merging Chrome OS and Android is really about control. I suspect that the real aim of bringing Chrome OS and Android closer together is to allow Google to increase the level of control that it has over the Android OS. The wires are alive with speculation that Google intends to merge...

Samsung Q3 15A – Coming of age.

Reply to this post           Samsung is starting to look more like a mature, grown up company. Samsung reported reasonable Q3 15A results as the semiconductor powerhouse more than made up for the weaknesses elsewhere. Q3 15A revenues and EBIT were KRW51.68tn / KRW 7.79tn in line with guidance given earlier in the month of October...

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AAPL, TWTR, BABA – Mixed Bag

Reply to this post           Apple in line, Twitter miss and Alibaba beat. Apple reported a steady quarter while Twitter’s problems remain unresolved and Alibaba used mobile to defy the slowing Chinese economy. Apple Apple reported a steady quarter and set itself up for a good holiday quarter despite troubling rumblings from its supply chain. Fiscal...

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