Apple vs. Samsung – The weakness of essential (Part VII)

          Apple’s outrageous demand is damaging to its case. Apple’s latest demands for remedy against Samsung are outrageous but it is well within its rights to ask for whatever it wants. On January 23rd a hearing was held with regards for remedies that each will be asking for at the new patent trial that is due...

China Internet – Pie in the sky

          M&A in Chinese Internet is being defined by the Digital Life pie. The Chinese market for fixed and mobile internet services is so large that it is likely to be self-sustaining. This means Chinese services provided by Chinese ecosystems on Chinese handsets and tablets for users in China. RFM thinks that the number of Chinese...

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Microsoft vs. Sony – More than consoles

          The console war goes much further than the living room. The initial momentum has gone to Sony but Microsoft is looking to close the gap with exclusive titles. Xbox One and PS4 have been available for some months now and Sony is comfortably ahead having shipped 6m consoles compared to Microsoft’s 4m. (RFM estimates). I...

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Android – The biggest issue

          Fragmentation remains the single biggest issue facing Android. Google looks set to release support for Android on another subset of devices; wearables. At South by Southwest, Google announced a software development kit (SDK) that will allow developers to write apps for wearable devices that are running Android. Wearables are still a solution looking for a...

Sina Weibo – Fair deal

          Sina Weibo is heading for an IPO at a fair price. Sina Weibo, the Chinese Twitter look alike, has broken even just in time for it to IPO. Weibo saw 61.4 active users in Q4 2013 up from 58.9m in Q3 2013 upon which it was able to earn $197m in Q4 13 revenues. The...

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Yahoo! – Essential move

          Eliminating other sign ons is essential for recovery. Yahoo! has moved to remove booth Google and Facebook from its properties as it will son require users to use a Yahoo! login to get access to its services. This means that everyone who wants to use Yahoo! internet services will have to have their own account...

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Microsoft / Sony – Going Live

          Microsoft and Sony have a huge opportunity in mobile gaming.   It looks as if Microsoft is intending to make a much bigger deal of its underutilised asset XBox Live. Sony has the same opportunity but I have yet to see the company do anything to capitalise on this opportunity, A recent job posting at...

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Apple – Apps and autos

          Services are the only way for Apple to hold its edge. The limitations of a unified ecosystem is staring to hurt Apple’s ability to differentiate in hardware. The single biggest complaint heard from users is that Apple iPhone screen is too small when compared to the slabs of glass made by Samsung or LG Electronics....

Apple Auto – Not my model

          Apple will have to make cars in order to make money from them. It is the Geneva auto show this week and there is suspicion that Apple will launch iOS 7 to be built into dashboard infotainment systems. Apple is expected to launch with Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo. There is some smoke with this fire...

MWC Day 3 / Samsung vs. Google – Brass tacks

            Samsung has no choice but to push into the ecosystem. Samsung and Google have signed a 10 year patent agreement but there does seem to be more involved than just a simple IP cross licence. The first sign of this is that the media hubs through which Samsung was selling movies and music have...

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