Writing for Above Avalon, Neil Cybart pulled together a thoughtful set of questions for Apple, all business/analysis related. Definitely worth reading through the lot.
Business
Ford adds Apple CarPlay to SYNC 3
A great move for Ford, a big get for Apple.
Apple, Android competition shifting to the high end
Interesting post by Jan Dawson, founder and Chief Analyst at Jackdaw. He digs into the margins for Apple versus the margins for Android related companies. Which segment do you think is doing better?
Court orders Brazil to cut off WhatsApp service for 48 hours
WhatsApp is huge, with more than 100 million users in Brazil alone. This will have major impact on people’s lives.
Apple names Jeff Williams Chief Operating Officer
It’ll be interesting to see what changes Phil Schiller brings to the App Store.
A little-known panel just forced Pandora to pay millions more to artists
Pandora has to pay bigger royalties, Apple does not. Interesting.
NFL sends request to Apple for bid on Thursday Night Football
Thursday Night Football has become a major brand, pulling even with Monday Night Football in popularity. The NFL has put both the broadcast and streaming rights up for bid in separate auctions. Enter Apple.
Apple’s refreshed business site and funky new URL scheme
Apple has long had a program specifically designed for businesses, designed to offer discounts at different purchasing tiers and a corresponding level of support. Here are the URLs and an observation about Apple’s puzzling URL scheme.
How Microsoft plans to make the Xbox great again
Chris Plante, writing for The Verge:
In theory, the Xbox One was an improvement on everything fans loved about the Xbox 360: a more powerful Kinect, new hardware that merged the console with your cable box, and lots of talk about the cloud. Microsoft only forgot one thing: the games.
This is a great read.
Why retailers are discounting Apple Watch and iPad
Interesting to see this effect. Apple product discounts used by retailers to fend off Amazon. I did some price checking too.
Pandora CFO slams Apple, Steve Jobs, then apologizes
One could argue that Pandora would not exist if it were not for Steve Jobs and iTunes. At least he walked it back.
Walmart moves away from MCX, rolls out Walmart Pay
QR codes. Walmart Pay is made out of QR codes.
The numbers behind the Apple TV App Store
Lots of app data and sales numbers, including some detailed charts. Good stuff.
Yahoo to spin off core businesses, keep Alibaba stake
Their stake in Alibaba has long been the most valuable part of the company. No real choice here.
Macs replacing PCs across enterprise at ‘unprecedented rate’, survey claims
Doomed.
Apple ranked world’s most innovative company, Forbes disagrees
BCG lists Apple as number one. Forbes does not list Apple in the top 100. Someone is wrong!
Samsung announces payment of $548 million to Apple but reserves right to seek reimbursement
There’s still a long way to go in this battle. One thing that sticks out to me is the arc of Samsung’s business since all this started. It’s entirely possible that Samsung will exit the smartphone market before all is said and done and that final appeal goes by the boards, that final payment is made.
The Grand Unified Theory of Apple Products
Neil Cybart, writing for Above Avalon, digs into Apple’s evolving product lineup, laying out some insights from Phil Schiller to give a sense of the direction in which that lineup is moving. Great read.
Apple’s MacBook Air and MacBook Pro top Consumer Reports laptop reliability survey
Consumer Reports details reliability numbers for laptop product lines. Apple wins.
United to give iPhone 6 Plus to 6,000 customer service reps
Nice get for Apple and the iPhone team.
What’s to become of the Mac App Store?
The Mac App Store is failing developers. Another key app has left the Mac App Store. What will Apple do to fix this?
A comprehensive guide to the iTunes Affiliate Program
Few people outside of Apple know as much about the iTunes Affiliate Program as John Vorhees. An expert guide.
Jean-Louis Gassée: Why Apple should make a car
Jean-Louis Gassée, writing for Monday Note, first makes the case that the car market is not, on the surface, even worth Apple’s time. He then stands that logic on its head. Great read.
Amazon “a few weeks” from shipping Instant Video app for Apple TV
Some thoughts on Amazon’s love/hate relationship with Apple TV.
Shifting ad-blocking from Apple to the carrier
This would potentially be a major shift in leverage in controlling mobile ads, shifting power from Apple to the carrier.
How the iPad Pro can get millennials hooked on iOS
Some interesting analysis about the potential for iOS to displace Windows as the OS of choice for millennials.
Apple Seeks to Launch Apple Pay in China by February
Amazing that Apple has been able to penetrate this market.
Swiss watch exports plummet
My 2 cents: It’s only going to get worse.
Apple’s sales in India cross the $1 billion mark
Huge growth in India.
IBM’s Watson predicts Apple Watch as hottest holiday gift
IBM’s supercomputer, Watson, tracks what people are talking about buying for Xmas.