Starting with the Wrist
Today's Above Avalon story:
- Starting with the Wrist
There have been a handful of occasions over the past decade that stand out as era-defining moments in the tech space. We take a closer look at current tech trends to discover if we will one day look at 2015 as the start of a new tech era.
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Elon Musk Talks Autonomous Cars, The Hidden Media Story of 2015
Today's Above Avalon stories:
- Elon Musk Talks Autonomous Cars
- The Hidden Media Story of 2015
In today's email, we go over Elon Musk's latest comments to Fortune about autonomous driving. We are getting a much clearer view on how to think about the prospects and likelihood of self-driving cars. We then shift to the media space and specifically the hidden media story of 2015. While M&A in the media space has picked up dramatically this year, there is a trend taking place that few saw coming. We discuss the implications this trend may have on media companies going forward, including news services such as Apple News.
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The '60 Minutes' Apple Profile, Google and Ford to Form Joint Venture, Apple Cuts iPhone 6s and 6s Plus Pricing in India
Today's Above Avalon stories:
- The '60 Minutes' Apple Profile
- Google and Ford to Form Joint Venture
- Apple Cuts iPhone 6s and 6s Plus Pricing in India
We kick off today's email by taking a closer look at the '60 Minutes' profile about Apple. Charlie Rose was given unprecedented access to Apple in an effort to understand what makes Apple tick. We go over a few observations from the interviews. We then shift over to news that Google and Ford are going to announce a joint venture at CES. We conclude with Apple cutting iPhone 6s and 6s Plus pricing in India. What is going on in India? We take a closer look at Apple's evolving strategy.
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Apple Announces Executive Changes
Today's Above Avalon stories:
Apple Announces Executive Changes
- Jeff Williams
- Phil Schiller
- Johny Srouji
- Tor Myhren
- Final Thoughts
In today's email, we take a closer look at Apple's recent management changes. Specifically, we break apart the announcement into five sections: Jeff Williams, Phil Schiller, Johny Srouji, Tor Myhren, and Final Thoughts. We discuss the background and motivation behind each move, including the implications from the promotions/hire. We conclude with a few overall thoughts on Apple's executive changes and big-picture takeaways about Apple going forward.
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Huawei Targeting U.S. Smartphone Market, George Hotz's Self-Driving Car, Thursday Q&A
Today's Above Avalon stories:
- Huawei Targeting U.S. Smartphone Market
- George Hotz's Self-Driving Car
- Thursday Q&A: How will the U.S. Fed's interest rate decision impact Apple's plans to raise debt to fund buyback?
We begin today's email by taking a closer look at reports indicating Huawei is looking to enter the U.S. smartphone market in a big way in 2016. With a focus on the high-end of the market, Huawei's story is quite a bit different than Xiaomi's strategy. We go over Huawei's challenges and likely targets. We then shift over to a quick discussion on the fascinating Bloomberg story about George Hotz and self-driving cars. We conclude with Thursday Q&A and a question on how the Fed raising rates will impact Apple's share buyback plans.
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Howard Stern Signs New Deal with SiriusXM, Craig Federighi Talks Swift
Today's Above Avalon stories:
- Howard Stern Signs New Deal with SiriusXM
- Craig Federighi Talks Swift
In today's email, we discuss Howard Stern's new deal with SiriusXM including a streaming video app component. There is much to say about this deal and the current state of media consumption and content delivery. We then shift over to Craig Federighi's interview with John Gruber of Daring Fireball. Federighi may have provided some clues on future products when discussing how certain Apple teams have embraced Swift.
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Thoughts on iPhone Sales
Today's Above Avalon stories:
- Thoughts on iPhone Sales
- The Morgan Stanley Report
- What's Really Happening with iPhone Sales?
- Changing iPhone Strategies
- AAPL Stock in 2016
- Final Takeaways
Today's email will be dedicated to the iPhone and specifically my thoughts on iPhone sales. Morgan Stanley released a report yesterday calling for iPhone sales to decline in FY2016. We take a look at the note and then peel back some layers to see what is really happening with iPhone sales in recent months and what may be the root cause. We then look at three strategies Apple management will likely utilize to address these iPhone sales concerns. We conclude with a few thoughts on AAPL shares in context of these slowing iPhone sales reports.
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Apple's Taylor Swift Movie, Faraday Future's Nevada Car Factory, Hyundai Gives Up on Car Software
Today's Above Avalon stories:
- Apple Wins Exclusive Taylor Swift Movie Deal
- Faraday Future To Build Nevada Car Factory
- Hyundai Gives Up Auto Software Efforts
We begin today's email by discussing how Apple is once again moving down the path of original programming, this time with a Taylor Swift movie. Apple faces one huge dilemma when its comes to content, and this Taylor Swift movie only goes to exemplify how difficult it is for Apple to choose a path forward. We then shift over to news that Faraday Future, the "secretive" electric car start-up, chose Nevada to build its car factory. There are a few takeaways about this news when thinking of Project Titan. We conclude with a few notes on Hyundai giving up on its auto software efforts.
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iPhone Sales Trends in October, Netflix's Growing Bet on Original Content, Thursday Q&A
Today's Above Avalon stories:
- iPhone Sales Trends in October
- Netflix's Growing Bet on Original Content
- Thursday Q&A: What type of financial impact would Apple's accessories have on Apple and will stronger accessories revenue make it more difficult to estimate Apple Watch sales? What do I think about these rumors about a new Apple TV box in early 2016?
We kick things off with a look at the latest smartphone sales trend for the month of October via Kantar. We break up the discussion into three buckets: U.S., Europe, and China. There does appear to be some changes taking place when compared to how iPhone had been doing earlier this year. We then shift over to Netflix's recent presentation at a Wall Street conference earlier this week. Netflix's comments about its original programming strategy on a global scale caught my attention and has direct implications on Apple and Apple TV. We conclude with Thursday Q&A and two questions (one on Apple accessories, the other on Apple TV).
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A Big Setback for Apple TV, Apple's $99 iPhone Smart Battery Case
Today's Above Avalon stories:
- A Big Setback for Apple TV
- Apple's $99 iPhone Smart Battery Case
We kick off today's email by looking at the exclusive scoop from Bloomberg saying that Apple's plans for a slimmed down TV cable bundle have stalled. We run through the reasoning, implications, and takeaways from this announcement. We then turn to the intense debate concerning Apple's decision to release a Smart Battery Cover for iPhone. There are two non-design takeaways related to this announcement. We also briefly touch upon the interesting Apple design debate that took place on the web yesterday.
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Deep-Dive Into 3Q15 Wearables Market, Self-Driving Cars as Living Pods
Today's Above Avalon stories:
- Deep-Dive Into 3Q15 Wearables Market
- Self-Driving Cars as Living Pods
Today's email is focused on the 3Q15 wearables market. We take a closer look at the market share leaders and then analyze ASP and revenue trends to reach a more valuable discussion about the industry. Clear trends begin to appear in terms of how the very young wearables market is bifurcating in terms of functionality and price. We then conclude with a thought-experiment dealing with self-driving cars and why the future will likely be very different than most people think.
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A New 4-Inch iPhone, TAG Heuer Provides Early Update on Its Connected Watch
Today's Above Avalon stories:
- A New 4-Inch iPhone
- TAG Heuer Provides Early Update on Its Connected Watch
We kick things off by taking a closer look at the latest round of 4-inch screen iPhone rumors. These rumors are so intriguing because they are not intuitive. By selling a new 4-inch iPhone, Apple may be going after a few new goals, which we will discuss. We then shift to news of TAG Heuer disclosing production rates for its new connected watch and Jean-Claude Biver giving clues as to what may be next from TAG Heuer. We may be seeing two distinct paths form in the smartwatch market, which will undoubtedly impact Apple and the range of Swiss watchmakers.
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Additional Thoughts on The Grand Unified Theory of Apple Products, United Airlines Will Buy 6,000 Apple Computers, Thursday Q&A
Today's Above Avalon stories:
- Additional Thoughts on The Grand Unified Theory of Apple Products
- United Airlines Will Buy 6,000 Apple Computers
- Thursday Q&A: Why don't retailers encourage Apple Pay usage?
In today's email, we are going deeper into The Grand Unified Theory of Apple Products post that I published yesterday. Specifically, we are going to look at some of the financial implications behind Apple's new product theory, some of which may be a bit controversial. We then shift over to news of United Airlines buying 6,000 Apple computers for its customer service representatives. There is a very straightforward, yet powerful, takeaway from this news when looking at Apple and the enterprise market. We conclude with Thursday Q&A and a question about retailers advertising their Apple Pay support.
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Apple News Is a Proxy, Declining Apple Pay Usage Trends, Google Hires Tesla "Autopilot" Executive
Today's Above Avalon stories:
- Apple News Is a Proxy
- Declining Apple Pay Usage Trends
- Google Hires Tesla "Autopilot" Executive
We begin today's email by discussing Apple News. Eddy Cue discussed Apple's latest app with CNN, representing the first extended comments from Apple on Apple News since launch. At the end of the day, Apple News is a proxy for a much bigger question facing Apple. We then shift over to new data pointing to declining Apple Pay usage and what may be going on with mobile payments. We conclude with news of Google hiring a Tesla executive and an update on the new talent war taking place in technology.
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Selling Electric Cars, Target's "Apple Monday" Sale
Today's Above Avalon stories:
- Selling Electric Cars
- Target's "Apple Monday" Sale
We begin today's email by looking at the recent The New York Times article on why car dealers don't like selling electric cars in the U.S. We discuss how the way cars are sold today will end up being a problem facing legacy automakers while new auto start-ups, like Apple, will be given an opportunity to rethink distribution. We also go over details as to how electric cars will likely be sold in the future. We then shift over to Target's big bet on Apple for its Cyber Monday sale and why Target should have renamed it "Apple Monday."
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