Reply to this post I suspect many unicorns are actually donkeys in disguise. The unicorn is a mythical beast of extreme beauty and rarity but recent events are indicating that many members of the start-up herd may not be genuine. The latest event is Fidelity’s write down of its position in Snapchat by 25% from...
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...
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...
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...
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 /...
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...
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...
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 /...
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...
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.
Yahoo! – Admission of defeat
Reply to this post Calling in McKinsey is very unlikely to help. Yahoo! has called in McKinsey to help it with its strategy but I fear that McKinsey will make a bad situation even worse. Furthermore, fearing further executive losses, Marissa Mayer is thought to be asking her leadership team to sign 3 to 5...