ICYMI: News and Opinions of the Web Worth Reading

As a new feature for Tech.pinions Insiders, we will be featuring an end-of-the-week list of links to some of the best tech writing on the web.

“Microsoft’s Mobile Muddle” At Stratechery, Ben Thompson consistently produces some of the best analysis, particularly on Apple, Android, and Microsoft. This one dissects Microsoft’s confused mobile strategy.

“Apple Passing Microsoft” Another prescient Ben (along with our own Ben Bajarin), Benedict Evans notes that if you combine smartphones, tablets, and traditional PCs as computing devices, Apple’s total has now passed Windows. The now-closed comments are worth reading, not necessarily in a good way.

“How to Survive the Next Wave of Technology Extinction” In his debut column for The New York Times, Farhad Manjoo, late of Slate and The Wall Street Journal, explains how to avoid getting caught with orphaned technology. His advice, which suggested no Microsoft hardware or software, drew a response in Business Insider by Microsoft communications chief Frank X. Shaw.

“Jawbone Is Now the Startutp Apple Should Fear Most” At Wired, Marcus Wohlson takes a deep dive into Jawbone (formerly Aliph) , a design-forward company that launched 12 years ago with a clunky but effective noise-reducing telephone earphone and has expanded into Bluetooth speakers and fitness sensors. 

“Here’s Why the Biggest Cable Company in the Country Thinks It Can Get Bigger” At Re/code, Peter Kafka cuts through the hand-wringing dominating tech world analysis of the Comcast-Time Warner deal and explains why it may win approval.

“Intel Delays Broadwell Availability to 4Q14” Taiwan-based DigiTimes‘ predictions should usually be taken with a grain of salt, especially when they involve Apple. But this report that Intel is delaying mass production of its new Broadwell chip, based on a 14 nonmeter fabrication process, until fall because of a glut of current Haswell chips sounds solid.

“Android and iOS Continue to Dominate the Worldwide Smartphone Market with Android Shipments Just Shy of 800 Million in 2013, According to IDC” Android captured 78% of the worldwide smartphone market last year, a very solid gain of eight points of share. But the telling fact is that nearly 43% of the worldwide market is now in the sub-$200 sector.

And  if you are a glutton for more, I highly recommend Stefan Constantinescu’s Tab Dump, a daily collection of links to worthwhile news from all over the web. Well worth a $4 monthly subscription.