The Death of Phones, the birth of “And”

I remember my first cell phone. It was a hand-me-down from my father and it looked like this: As many who had these early cell phones will remember, there was a liberating feeling in the ability to talk to any one, any time, any place. Mobile phones were liberating in an entirely new way. Smartphones … Continue reading The Death of Phones, the birth of “And”

Mobile Opportunities and Challenges In the Android Ecosystem

The more I study the mobile landscape the more it becomes clear that many companies are competing for what is arguable the most important device for global consumer–the mobile device. Winning mobile, and by that I mean being sustainably relevant, is the battle that is happening as we speak. Those who entrench themselves as leaders … Continue reading Mobile Opportunities and Challenges In the Android Ecosystem

Only Apple, Yes, But Only Tim as Well

John Gruber of Daring Fireball wrote a great piece called “Only Apple” where he laid out a solid case that, in many instances, only Apple could deliver the type of experiences and devices that make up a huge part of their success. I suggest you read it when you have time as it delivers a … Continue reading Only Apple, Yes, But Only Tim as Well

Where the Fire Phone sits in Amazon’s strategy

In the run-up to Amazon’s Fire Phone announcement, and especially as it was announced, I saw a wide range of responses from bloggers and others that seemed to fundamentally misunderstand where the Fire Phone sits in Amazon’s strategy. So I thought I’d have a go at explaining where I think it sits, based on my … Continue reading Where the Fire Phone sits in Amazon’s strategy

Tech Observations From the Field

Over the past few days, I have been taking notes on my observations of tech, primarily mobile usage, of “regular humans” in the wild. And by that, I mean at Disney World where my family and I are vacationing. I have been compiling notes here and there as well as spending time in lines talking … Continue reading Tech Observations From the Field

Moving to Markets of One

The consumer tech industry is reaching a bit of a crossroads as many companies are finding it harder and harder to create megahit products that sell in the tens or even hundreds of millions, such as Apple’s iPad, or Samsung’s Galaxy 5S. In fact, there’s increasing chatter about how we may never see those kinds … Continue reading Moving to Markets of One

Dell and the Battle for Business

There’s been a fair amount of talk recently about the state of PCs and PC makers, with many predicting fairly dire circumstances for those “dinosaur” companies still stuck making PCs. While clearly the consumer PC market isn’t enjoying a heyday moment—nor is it expected to any time soon—recent news from Intel regarding their improved outlook … Continue reading Dell and the Battle for Business

Why Do All Of You Hate Windows Phone So Much?

I have used mobile phones for two decades. I have tried nearly every single platform. I consider myself a good judge of functionality, durability, usability and value. I have spent the past six months using a Windows Phone — a Lumia 1520 — as my primary device. It is big, beautiful, intuitive, powerful. The battery, … Continue reading Why Do All Of You Hate Windows Phone So Much?

Screen Overload To Drive Screen-less Devices

As we move into an increasingly connected world, where the number of devices we own and use continues to rise and the activities we’re trying to track and control continues to expand, there’s at least one obvious challenge confronting both the industry and us. Where do we get shown the information/content we want to see? … Continue reading Screen Overload To Drive Screen-less Devices

Up-Selling The Mac

Yesterday, in “Whither Apple Or Wither Apple?” I wrote about Apple’s efforts to steal market share from Android. Today I focus on Apple’s efforts to up-sell their iPhone and iPad customers to the Mac. Continuity At WWDC 2014, Apple introduced the concept of continuity — a slew of new features for OS X that are … Continue reading Up-Selling The Mac

A Google Like Device for Physical Objects

In late April, I had a fascinating video call with a gentleman named Dror Sharon, the CEO of Physical Objects. He showed me a product that just went up on Kickstarter about a month ago. The device is a hand scanner that can scan physical objects and tell you about the chemical make up of that … Continue reading A Google Like Device for Physical Objects

The Next Mobile Era: Digital Identity

We are still deeply rooted in the first mobile era. However, As I am always looking for trends, I think it is interesting to form some ideas of what the next mobile era might look like. While I think the very far off future will include the decentralization of the modern smartphone experience into other … Continue reading The Next Mobile Era: Digital Identity

Google, Microsoft, Apple, and the Divergence of Computing Philosophies

When it comes to computing platforms, the dominant leaders of today — Apple, Google, Microsoft — have embarked down three fundamentally different paths. Debating the superiority of these philosophies is not only premature, it is futile. The market is the final arbiter. Not the media, pundits, or analysts like myself. All we can do is … Continue reading Google, Microsoft, Apple, and the Divergence of Computing Philosophies

Why Microsoft Should be Worried About Chromebooks

For more than 30 years, the Wintel consortium ruled the world of personal computers. This consortium was made up of a partnership between Intel and Microsoft joined at the hip when it came to creating PCs. But about three years ago that partnership began to break up. While Intel had been extremely loyal to Microsoft … Continue reading Why Microsoft Should be Worried About Chromebooks

The Terrible Tablet Tantrum, Part 2

Yesterday, in The Terrible Tablet Tantrum, Part 1, I raged at the notion that tablets were dead and enumerated facts that refuted that erroneous contention. Today, I take a deep dive into the two philosophical questions that seem to be perplexing Tablet Naysayers the most: — Is the Tablet good enough to replace the PC? … Continue reading The Terrible Tablet Tantrum, Part 2

The Terrible Tablet Tantrum: Part 1

In the first quarter of 2014, Apple sold 16.4 million iPads, a 16% drop compared to the number of units sold in the same quarter one year ago. Apple CEO, Tim Cook, explained the news away, but the tech press was having none of it. Sales of iPad were flat. Sales were less than flat. … Continue reading The Terrible Tablet Tantrum: Part 1

When Worlds Collide

After reading Ben Thompson’s recent blog post titled “The Net Neutrality Wake Up Call,” I couldn’t help but shake my head a little. This is not a knock on Thompson; his article was well written and his qualitative analysis of the tech industry is exceptional in my opinion. However, it often seems like a strong belief … Continue reading When Worlds Collide

Has iPhone Lost The Best Value Crown?

Smartphones have gotten so good, so fast, and become so vital and accessible in such a short time, it’s difficult to accurately predict the direction of this market over just the next year, and nearly impossible over say, the next five years. One aspect of the smartphone market that has remained steady throughout, however, is … Continue reading Has iPhone Lost The Best Value Crown?

The One Where Brian Is Wrong About Everything

Please allow me to introduce myself… You likely don’t care and would not believe the volume of blog posts, research reports, technical writings and analyst studies I sift through on a daily basis. This is necessary both to stay informed and to re-evaluate my opinions as new facts emerge. I refuse to let my initial reactions … Continue reading The One Where Brian Is Wrong About Everything

SanDisk: The Many Faces of Flash

If you were to ask most people about flash memory, you’d probably get a somewhat puzzled stare. Throw in a comment about 3D memory and that stare will likely turn into a frustrated frown. Even most industry observers tend to think of flash as just another commodity that, while important, isn’t that interesting. I have … Continue reading SanDisk: The Many Faces of Flash

The Android Paradox and Computing Inequality

Benedict Evans wrote a great article on android fragmentation. He and I have covered this theme a variety of ways but I wanted to add a few more elements for you to think about. I also tweeted over the weekend on this theme and faced fire from the twittersphere. It is a paradox that one … Continue reading The Android Paradox and Computing Inequality

The Technological Divining Rod

Finding what you are searching for can be a challenging task particularly if you aren’t entirely sure what you are searching for. Such is the case in the world of hardware devices, where companies seem to be struggling to figure out what the “next big thing” really is. Oh sure, there are some obvious winners. … Continue reading The Technological Divining Rod

Insider Intelligence Charts: Global Market Share Mobile OS

I pulled some recent data from Statcounter to get a sense of what the most active platforms were in each region. Statcounter, like NetMarketShare, tracks over a billion websites globally. Therefore, the tracking and market share numbers represent those actually using their devices to access the web in some way, shape or form. Interestingly, I … Continue reading Insider Intelligence Charts: Global Market Share Mobile OS

The Reinvention of Apple

Everyone knows Apple is one of the top three brands in the world and is known especially for their iPods, iPhones and iPad’s, as well as their Mac line of personal computers. As a company, they have had a miraculous track record of disrupting industries and competitors particularly since Steve Jobs came back in 1997 … Continue reading The Reinvention of Apple

Insider Analysis: Apple, Beats, Retail, and the Future of Entertainment

Assuming the rumor is true and Apple is indeed buying Beats, then reading between the lines becomes important for those of us who develop future outlooks for specific companies and product segments. There are pros and cons to every deal so in light of this rumor let’s examine them. Fundamentals Beats the Company, The Brand, … Continue reading Insider Analysis: Apple, Beats, Retail, and the Future of Entertainment