Category: Apple

Panic Blog » The Future of Transmit iOS

~ michael_msft ~ Leave a comment

This is a bummer but makes sense given the revenue numbers. I have to admit I use it mostly on the macOS since I don’t use my iPad Pro much anymore but when I did I relied heavily on Transmit for iOS. I also have coda but don’t do that much with it now.

I also moved over to WordPress hosting and use MarsEdit which means I don’t need server level type access.

Apple needs to sort out upgrade pricing and come up with a way for these type of app models to not just survive but thrive.

Panic Blog » The Future of Transmit iOS

Breaking up Big Tech

~ michael_msft ~ Leave a comment

Such a great video – check it out first:

I think a lot of what he says is terribly true and I wonder if most of the world’s governments have simply bowed down to Big Tech assuming that it will always do the right thing for everyone. Sure – these companies are doing amazing things but some of their success feels like it is coming at the cost of meaningful things.

I don’t have the answers but I think government and the people must remain vigilant and not always assume Big Tech has all the answers or always means well.

This is also why I feel conflicted about bitcoin or crypto – on the surface the ideas are amazing but at the same time it is for the moment creating another way to generate wealth that is concentrated mostly with the tech elite and creating a sense of moving away from central management of capital. This could be good or it could be bad, all depends on how you see it or benefit from it.

I think this post is slightly sensationalist but does make some meaningful points :: https://hackernoon.com/ten-years-in-nobody-has-come-up-with-a-use-case-for-blockchain-ee98c180100

All in all I am pro-tech and crypto is here to stay but the world still feels like it continues to bifurcate into the have’s and have not’s and I am sure that is a bad thing.

 

Daring Fireball: Amazon Prime Video Arrives on Apple TV

~ michael_msft ~ Leave a comment

I hope the good story explains why the app is so crappy. Yes – it works and all, I can stream movies and shows on it but for sure this thing is NOT optimized for the Apple TV and looks like it was made for a smart TV platform and then ported over.

Given the amount of time we have waited for this thing – one would have hoped it would have looked or felt like it was made for the Apple TV.

No such chance.

Daring Fireball: Amazon Prime Video Arrives on Apple TV

Not missing the USA

~ michael_msft ~ Leave a comment

I miss my family a ton. I miss old friends, camping, shake shack and long motorcycle rides along the Cali coast to nowhere. I really miss those things.

But what is going in America is scary. Trump, the FCC and the takeover of large unchecked tech giants is not a great future.

If you don’t already read Redef – you should start. Great daily curation of awesome web reads and the best part – the Rant from Jason Hirschhorn the Curator.

I love his work. I am hoping him and the Prof get together some time for a the Prof’s video series.

All the experts…

~ michael_msft ~ Leave a comment

I was listening to a podcast the other day and basically heard Barry Ritholtz come to the conclusion during the interview with the Prof that Apple should buy Netflix.

What I find fascinating is how quickly armchair quarterbacks can make an off the cuff declaration that turns into a business meme.

Days after that podcast Barry writes this :: https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2017-11-07/why-apple-should-buy-netflix

Of course people will read Bloomberg and quickly think this should happen but my take is that it shouldn’t happen and it won’t. For many reasons.

First reason is I don’t think Reed wants to be bought. People will counter that with everyone has a price but I generally think Reed has been bought before, has purposefully worked to build a big company he loves to run and has a vision for Netflix that doesn’t include an acquisition.

That point aside it would appear that folks like Barry and others who say Apple should buy Netflix don’t actually get OTT businesses at all. For a company to be successful in OTT they need three things – the ability to stream content, they need the content to stream and they need distribution or devices to consume the streams. Apple already has 2 out of the 3 and most companies have to pay for all 3. They have to build streaming, they have to buy content and they have to buy distribution – in other words they have to spend a shit ton of money on adverstising. This is why OTT businesses are a funding game these days. I always proffer the biggest winners here are Google, Facebook, OVPs and the content guys – not the OTT companies.

Since Apple has 2 out of the 3 then all Apple has to do is buy or make content. Those not in the know don’t realize that before Netflix was an aggregator of content and didn’t produce much of their own content but now Netflix is not only buying content but it is is making content. However making content is not magic and esentially means Netflix operates like any other studio which means it has all the issues like any other studio and with each passing day Netflix has to be a studio and be a aggregator which is not easy.

Plus it is very expensive.

Which means Apple can do exactly what they are now doing. Use their tech and their massive distrubtion – iTunes, iOS, MacOS, Apple TV and whateve else they are creating to highlight content that they will make much in the same way Netflix is doing. This means buying Netflix would be waste of capital. Apple could actually use their cash to outspend Netflix on similiarly great content – like what they have just announced here, http://variety.com/2017/tv/news/apple-jennifer-aniston-reese-witherspoon-morning-shows-amazing-stories-1202610068/

Keep in mind that almost all celebrities in the world use Apple phones. Which means that Apple has a direct relationship with the people that star in and produce content already. Not difficult at all for Apple to get exclusive content for their ecosystem.

John says much the same thing here :: https://daringfireball.net/linked/2017/11/08/apple-netflix-ritholtz

Also the latest Daily Update from Ben Thompson corrects his earlier mistake where he discusses that Apple should buy Netflix. https://stratechery.com