Hello everyone. There continues to be quite a bit of interest in what’s unfolding in video and music streaming. While Netflix (and Spotify) appear to be finding their strides, Apple's strategy is increasingly being drawn into question by the press and some users. There are various topics that we will discuss. For today, we will dissect Netflix's earnings. Let's jump in.   Netflix 2Q24 Earnings Like how we cover Apple earnings, there is value found in setting the stage before diving headfirst into Netflix’s numbers. For the past few quarters, Netflix has seen very strong paid subscribe ..read more

Hello everyone. Today's update will be dedicated to discussing the CrowdStrike / Microsoft catastrophe which is still impacting the corporate world. Let's jump in. The CrowdStrike / Microsoft Outage Will Benefit Apple Here’s the WSJ: “The blue screen of death has been a dreaded symbol of technological failure since Microsoft’s Windows became the world’s dominant operating system in the 1990s. On Friday, it showed up on millions of computers around the world at once, highlighting both Microsoft’s continued ubiquity in workplaces and decades-old design choices that allowed the actions of a l ..read more

Given a busy news flow, we are going to stay in video streaming land for one more update. We begin by going over a report pegging Apple as looking to license more movies for Apple TV+. The discussion then turns to Warner Bros. Discovery, Skydance, and Paramount. Hello everyone. Two quick notes: 1) With Netflix reporting earnings a few hours ago, the CY2Q24 tech earnings season has officially begun. We still have some time before preparing for Apple earnings. One thing that has been on my to-do list is take a fresh look at the business performance (i.e. cash flow) for paid streamers as they r ..read more

We begin with a closer look at some churn vs. engagement data for paid video streaming. The discussion then turns to Disney looking to boost engagement within its streaming properties. We conclude with a look at some implications regarding engagement and Apple TV+. Hello everyone. Today's update will take us to the paid video streaming industry. Let's jump in. Churn vs. Engagement in Paid Video Streaming In his Screentime newsletter, here’s Bloomberg's Lucas Shaw: “There is a direct link between how much time people spend watching your [paid video streaming] service and how likely they are t ..read more

We begin by examining Apple’s new minisite: “Apple Watch For Your Kids.” The discussion then turns to Apple Watch SE 3 and its connection to Apple’s sales pitch to parents. The update concludes with a look at my Apple Watch unit sales growth figures, new user totals, and adoption figures. Hello everyone. It’s good to be back after a mini vacation. Over the coming days, we will gradually get back into the swing of things. Fortunately, the tech news flow has been rather light. This gives us time to pursue a few topics that grabbed my attention over the past week or so. Apple Pushes Apple Watch ..read more

We kick things off with my thoughts on changes to OpenAI’s non-voting observer board seats. The discussion then turns to why so much of these attempts to regulate AI come across as silly. We conclude with a few Apple TV+ observations that have been on my mind. “Dark Matter” became the latest Apple TV+ series to be placed on my watched list. Happy Wednesday. I will be taking two vacation days to make this upcoming weekend a long one. The next update will go out on Tuesday. Microsoft and Apple Give Up OpenAI Observer Board Seats On Monday, we talked about Apple being given an OpenAI non-voting ..read more

Today’s update will have an Amazon theme. We begin with my thoughts on Amazon bringing the Echo Spot back. The discussion then turns to Amazon’s shocking level of data center spending commitments. We conclude with Amazon finding itself in an AI predicament involving Alexa and AWS. Hello everyone. Today’s update will have an Amazon theme. Let’s jump in.   Amazon Unveils Updated Echo Spot In a press release issued yesterday, here’s Amazon: “Introducing the all-new Echo Spot, the latest addition to Amazon’s lineup of Alexa-enabled devices. Echo Spot is a sleek new customizable smart alarm ..read more

We begin with my thoughts on Apple being given an observer board seat at OpenAI. The discussion then turns to Apple’s Phil Schiller, who reportedly will fill Apple’s seat on OpenAI’s board. In some ways, this new stage for Schiller comes across as something of a renaissance. Hello everyone. Happy Monday. Let's jump right into some news that came out last week. Apple Given Observer Board Seat at OpenAI Over at Bloomberg, here’s Mark Gurman: “Apple Inc. will get an observer role on OpenAI’s board as part of a landmark agreement announced last month, further tightening ties between the once-un ..read more

Hello everyone. Over at Above Avalon’s sibling site, Inside Orchard, my essay last week, "Big Tech Is Winning Over Wall Street," went over a Wall Street observation that has been on my mind for the past few weeks. While NVIDIA was capturing many hearts and minds on Wall Street, a larger story was quietly unfolding in the background. Wall Street was turning decidedly more bullish on the broader Big Tech bucket (Microsoft, Apple, Alphabet, Amazon, Meta). The change in tone isn’t just attributable to AI either. That may come across as a shocking stance to hold - the Inside Orchard essay goes int ..read more

Given where we finished last week, there are a few follow-up discussions worth pursuing. We talk about how Apple devices are lasting longer. The discussion then turns to iPhone upgrading and the difference between iPhone average lifespan and upgrade cycle. We conclude with a look at where Apple’s growth potential is found (HW vs. Services). Hello everyone. Welcome to July. Let's jump into today's update. More on Apple Device Longevity Last Thursday’s update was focused on the ramifications associated with Apple having industry-leading device longevity (improving secondhand value, longer produ ..read more