Apple on privacy, security and identity — Benedict Evans

Excerpt from a timely Apple/privacy/security/identity reality check; tangentially, see With Dropcam Founder And Technology VP Exits, Nest Restructures Management (TechCrunch)

"However, it may also be that as our phones go from sharing pictures to unlocking our front doors, privacy becomes a much more valuable selling point. This might be one reason why Nest is being kept semi-detached at Google. Worrying that Google knows what you search for has always seemed to me rather like worrying that your bank knows how much money you have, but Google knowing when you get out of bed or unlock your front door might be different (though of course it gets a fair bit of this through Android). So, perhaps Apple is talking about privacy not because of its current products, but because it thinks privacy will be a real competitive advantage for future ones. Not the iPhones, but the Watch, or other wearables, or the connected home. There's an interesting question here - is the big data dividend worth the privacy implications? Is it better to let Google know when you flush the loo for what it can tell you about your bowels, or would people really rather not? "

Apple on privacy, security and identity — Benedict Evans