Sales of Apple Watch Suggest a Familiar Path to Success: Bits The Business of Technology - July 23, 2015.

Thursday, July 23, 2015

 

Daily Report

Sales of Apple Watch Suggest a Familiar Path to Success | Asking if the Apple Watch will become a hit or a flop is a bit like asking if my 2-year-old daughter is destined to go to Yale or to jail. Interested parties can speculate on the basis of thin evidence - she learned to walk pretty early, though on the other hand, she still thinks cats say "bow wow" - but youth is inherently unpredictable, and anyone venturing a long-term forecast based on short-term performance runs the risk of looking quite silly, Farhad Manjoo writes in his State of the Art column.

Technology pundits tend to be a rash bunch, though, so there has been no shortage of prognostication about the Apple Watch, a device that went on sale three months ago. Because reviews (including mine) were mixed and the device hasn't proved to be culturally revolutionary, some are declaring the watch dead on arrival.

Apple's 'Amazing Quarter' Isn't Good Enough for Wall Street: Bits The Business of Technology - July 22, 2015.

Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Daily Report

Apple's 'Amazing Quarter' Isn't Good Enough for Wall Street | Apple's profit soared 38 percent and revenue rose 33 percent in its fiscal third quarter, as sales of iPhones continued to surge, Brian X. Chen reports.

"We had an amazing quarter, with iPhone revenue up 59 percent over last year, strong sales of Mac, all-time record revenue from services, driven by the App Store, and a great start for Apple Watch," Timothy D. Cook, Apple's chief executive, said in a statement, adding that excitement for Apple Music, its new streaming music service, was "incredible."

Bits The Business of Technology - March 19, 2015: Suddenly, Lots of Streaming Options for Cord Cutters.

Thursday, March 19, 2015

For the latest updates, go to nytimes.com/bits »

Morning Report Suddenly, Lots of Streaming Options for Cord Cutters | Television fans who want to break free from a traditional TV subscription now have more options than ever to pay for what they want to watch, and how they want to watch it, Emily Steel reports. On Wednesday, Sony added to the flood of new offerings with the introduction of its PlayStation Vue streaming service, which offers a bundle of channels like CBS, Fox and USA, along with a personalized, searchable approach to watching live and on-demand television. It costs $49.99 a month. With Vue, Sony joins Apple, Dish Network, HBO and others who are aiming at a growing number of people who pay for Internet but do not subscribe for television. Some are so-called cord cutters, who have canceled their subscriptions to cable or satellite services, and others are "cord nevers," who never subscribed in the first place. But all the choices are likely to force viewers to make more choices, too - deciding what they value most and what they can live without. And they might need a calculator to determine whether their monthly bills will rise or fall. "The reality is, each individual service is not all that important, but when you start to layer lots of different options together, you have the ability to piece together your own bundle," said Rich Greenfield, an analyst with BTIG Research. "I don't think it is about saving money as much as it is about empowering consumers to build the experience you want." Explore a guide to streaming services »

Sony's PlayStation Vue Is Introduced in 3 Cities | The web-based service, targeted at gamers, is initially available to PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 owners in New York, Chicago and Philadelphia. Personal Technology

Bits The Business of Technology - August 4, 2014: Turning Users Into Customers at Facebook

Technology | Business Day | Personal Tech

Monday, August 4, 2014

For the latest updates, go to nytimes.com/bits »

Morning Report Turning Users Into Customers at Facebook | Ever since it began selling ads 10 years ago, Facebook has been fighting doubts about its value to marketers. Search engines like Google offer advertisers a direct link to people seeking out particular products, while television remains the dominant way to reach a mass audience. Now, Facebook claims, it can provide the best of both, Vindu Goel reports. With its trove of knowledge about the likes, histories and social connections of its 1.3 billion users worldwide, Facebook executives argue, it can help advertisers reach exactly the right audience and measure the effect of their ads - while also, like TV, conveying a broad brand message. Facebook, which made $1.5 billion in profit on $7.9 billion in revenue last year, sees particular value in promoting its TV-like qualities, given that advertisers spend $200 billion a year on that medium. "We want to hold ourselves accountable for delivering results," Carolyn Everson, Facebook's vice president for global marketing solutions, said in a recent interview. "Not smoke and mirrors, maybe it works, maybe it doesn't." John Swift, who heads North American media buying for the Omnicom Media Group, one of the world's largest purchasers of advertising, says Facebook will not replace TV anytime soon, but it offers a flexible canvas to reach consumers. "You're not going to Facebook to watch a show," he said. "But Facebook offers the unique combination that you don't really see in a lot of digital platforms of amazing scale as well as a very personal engagement opportunity." Read more » More From The Times Wealth Managers Enlist Spy Tools to Map Portfolios |Companies like Addepar are using data-filtering techniques honed at spy agencies to help track and value clients' diverse holdings. Cloud Revenue Jumps, Led by Microsoft and IBM | Titans from earlier heydays of computing have both seen recent increases that outstripped the cloud-computing industry generally, according to industry reports. Square Said to Be in Talks to Buy Food Delivery Start-Up Caviar | The deal, for about $90 million in stock, would be a handsome payout for the two-year-old Caviar, but might be even more significant for Square. Nickelodeon's Digital Generation | The 36-year-old network is making a broad effort to discover, develop and disseminate shows for children who barely distinguish among a television set, a laptop, a tablet and a mobile phone. Where Tech Is Taking Us: A Conversation With Intel's Genevieve Bell | An anthropologist who is also an Intel Fellow, Ms. Bell is convinced we are at a rare period of social change, with the explosion of digital intelligence into every part of our lives. Airbnb Pushes to Modify San Francisco Housing Laws |The start-up introduced a new lobbying effort this week, with the goal of allowing residents to rent out their homes without fear of retribution from local government agencies. Amazon Wants Cheaper E-Books. But Should It Get to Enforce Prices? | The retailer argues that e-books should be priced at $9.99. But there is a risk that eliminating price experimentation could stifle creative business ideas. Brad Maiorino, Target's New Cybersecurity Boss, Discusses Being a 'Glutton for Punishment' | As a chief information security officer, Mr. Maiorino may have one of the hardest jobs in corporate America. In an interview, he explains why he doesn't see it that way. ADVERTISEMENT

Bits The Business of Technology - May 29, 2014: Jimmy Iovine, a Master of Beats, Lends Apple a Skilled Ear.

Technology | Business Day | Personal Tech

Thursday, May 29, 2014

For the latest updates, go to nytimes.com/bits »

Daily Report

Jimmy Iovine, a Master of Beats, Lends Apple a Skilled Ear | In acquiring Beats Electronics, Apple is betting that its co-founder's four decades in the recording industry, his knack for trend-spotting and his credibility with artists will help rejuvenate its music business, Ben Sisario reports.

Mr. Iovine pulled no punches on Wednesday as he talked about his new employer, the competition and Silicon Valley.

The $3 billion deal for Beats could help Apple play catch-up with rivals that offer subscription-based music services.

As Apple beefs up its music offering, a short video explains what the acquisition means for the company and for you.  Personal Technology State of the Art: The Soylent Revolution Will Not Be Pleasurable | A powder that purports to obviate the need for eating traditional meals may offer nourishment, says Farhad Manjoo, but it does not deliver any of food's joys ... ... in a video taste test, sommelier, a gastroenterologist, a personal trainer and a Times dining reporter tested out Soylent to see if it could one day replace food for them. Gadgetwise: Finally Breaking Up the Cable Bundles | Nick Wingfield tries to recalculate monthly bills by paying separate companies for high-speed Internet, cable television and landline telephone service. App Smart: Mobile Companions to Summer Music Fests | Kit Eaton reviews a variety of apps to help festivalgoers with packing, parking, eating and not tripping in the dark. More From The Times Hachette and Amazon Dig In for a Long Fight Over Contract Terms | The only thing the publisher and the retailer agree on is that there is no deal in sight, and 5,000 Hachette books are caught in the middle. Google Releases Employee Data, Illustrating Tech's Diversity Challenge | Google on Wednesday released statistics on the makeup of its work force, providing numbers that offer a stark glance at how Silicon Valley remains a white man's world. Cyberespionage Attacks Tied to Hackers In Iran | A series of cyberespionage attacks against American defense contractors, lobbyists, journalists and Congressional personnel has been traced to hackers in Iran. State of the Internet: Still Growing but More Mobile Than Ever | Mary Meeker, an influential venture capitalist, analyzes the rapid growth of mobile devices, Internet video and China in her annual report on the state of the Internet industry. Facebook Wants European Blessing for WhatsApp Deal | Facebook is turning to the European Commission in hopes of sidestepping country-by-country hurdles to the potential $19 billion acquisition. Making Twitter Easier to Use | Dick Costolo, chief executive of the social network, said Twitter is trying to make its service easier to use, including using more sophisticated algorithms to showcase the most relevant posts. Police, Pedestrians and the Social Ballet of Merging: The Real Challenges for Self-Driving Cars | John J. Leonard, a veteran Massachusetts Institute of Technology roboticist, thinks that Google is trying to tackle tremendous challenges in its autonomous driving project. Intel Shows Off 'Smart' Wearable Shirt | Intel announced that it was making a smart T-shirt in partnership with AIQ, a company that makes electronic-based textiles. Samsung Stakes Claim on Wearable Tech That Monitors Health | Samsung announced plans for a platform to allow developers, medical professionals and hardware makers push forward the idea of "intelligent digital health." Spark Capital Raises $375 Million for Later-Stage Investments | Spark Capital has closed on its first growth capital fund, raising $375 million, as part of an effort aimed at jumping into the target-rich world of older start-ups. ADVERTISEMENT Best of Scuttlebot  News from the Web, annotated by our staff Tim Cook's Memo on the Beats Acquisition | 9 to 5 Mac Mr. Cook to Apple employees: "I hope you are as excited as I am about this new chapter in our history." - Ashwin Seshagiri Google Discloses Its Diversity Record, and It's Not Good | PBS Google discloses data on female and minority employment. Will other big tech companies follow? - Vindu Goel

Bits The Business of Technology April 28, 2014: New York Tech Has a Lot of Money, but No Big Winner.

Technology | Business Day | Personal Tech Monday, April 28, 2014 For the latest updates, go to nytimes.com/bits » Daily Report New York Tech Has a Lot of Money, but No Big Winner | Predicting that your city will be the next Silicon Valley is simple. But actually making it the next Silicon Valley is something else entirely - as New York is slowly finding out, reports Jenna Wortham on Monday. A few years ago, officials and executives in New York proclaimed their ambition: to build the city into a powerful hotbed for tech innovation. Officials funneled money into start-up incubators and approved a bid from Cornell University to transform Roosevelt Island into a two-million-square-foot, next-generation technology campus to rival Stanford's. Social media darlings like Foursquare, in downtown Manhattan, and the crafts retailer Etsy, in the Dumbo neighborhood of Brooklyn, were hailed as surefire breakouts. Since then, money has poured into the city's tech sector - not as much as in Silicon Valley, but at a faster clip. Dozens of homegrown tech companies have attracted millions of users. Start-ups connected with New York's major industries like media, advertising and commerce are finding particular success. But no New York start-up has been a breakout hit, the sort of blockbuster with a multibillion-dollar valuation that has become so commonplace in Silicon Valley. And that has led to some disappointment for people who helped set the city's sights so high. "The hype has definitely died down," said David Tisch, an investor and a co-founder of Techstars, a start-up incubator in New York, where he was formerly a managing director. "It's harder to point to one thing and say, 'that's New York tech.' " Few Consumers Are Buying Premise of Mobile Wallets| While numerous solutions are in the market, none have won widespread adoption, as consumers are either unaware of the option - or unimpressed by it. From The Times Supreme Court Taking Up Police Searches of Data Troves Known as Cellphones | The high court on Tuesday will consider two cases about whether the police need warrants to search the cellphones of the people they arrest. Despite Twitter Backlash, New York Police Dept. Plans to Expand Social Media Efforts | Commissioner William J. Bratton is determined to use social media to promote the New York Police Department, even after encountering a flood of negative attention on Twitter. 'Smart' Firearm Draws Wrath of the Gun Lobby | A handgun that can identify its user so no one else can fire it has met with the same uproar that has stopped many seeking tougher weapons laws. Milq Aims to Separate Wheat From Social Media Chaff| Milq, which makes its debut on Monday, lets users organize bits of media around common themes, resulting in something like collaborative mixtapes. Annual Profit Falls 52 Percent for Angry Birds Maker Rovio | The Finnish gaming company has diversified its efforts in recent years into movies, animation and theme parks to reduce its reliance on online gaming. Profit was $37 million last year, compared with $77 million in 2012. Netflix vs. Amazon, and the New Economics of Television | To succeed today, you need to control either the content or the pipes. For Fitness Bands, Slick Marketing but Suspect Results | Despite rising demand, many devices claiming to monitor fitness and health probably overpromise and underdeliver. If a Bubble Bursts in Palo Alto, Does It Make a Sound?| Silicon Valley's isolation from the rest of the economy guarantees it can't hurt us (or help us) much. In a Stock Trade, It's Man vs. Machine | An investor used an interactive voice response system to sell just a few shares of stock in his company. But, he contends, the system misheard him and sold all of them. A Gaming Company Devoted to Narrative Tackles 'Thrones' | Telltale Games, an independent video game studio, has developed an intense following by prizing nuance and narrative. It is working on a video game version of "Game of Thrones." A Student-Data Collector Drops Out | The demise of inBloom, after just 15 months in operation, offers a cautionary tale for purveyors of education technology software. The Elegance of Clattering Machines | The exhibition "Click! Clack! Ding! The American Typewriter," at the New Britain Museum of American Art, tells a story about the incremental way in which technology progresses. S.D. Shibulal of Infosys: Write It Down and Follow Through | The chief executive of the technology consulting firm says he learned from a previous boss the value of putting onto paper the tasks at hand - and making sure they were completed. Airbnb Host Welcomes Travelers From All Over | A Queens resident with a spare bedroom has rented it out over the past 10 months to scores of guests, taking in almost $18,000. Fill the Pantry, Skip the Line | Instacart, a grocery delivery app, arranges for shoppers in Manhattan to pick up your kitchen staples. Feuding in 140 Characters | Does the medium by which we hold grudges and wage feuds affect the shelf life of those grudges and feuds? Read more from The Times » Best of Scuttlebot  News from the Web, annotated by our staff I miss the old blogosphere | GIGAOM.COM Single=person blogs still have a place in a world dominated by group blogging. - Vindu Goel The Google Founder Phoenix | BUSINESS INSIDER The story of Larry Page's comeback at Google. - Ashwin Seshagiri Putin Calls Internet a 'C.I.A. Project' | THE GUARDIAN After carving off parts of Ukraine, will the Russian president make a play to break up the Internet? - Natasha Singer For more Scuttlebot, follow @nytimesbits »