Apple Watch Is And Isn't... | Monday Note

Excerpt from a Jean-Louis Gassée Apple Watch perspective

"Stepping back a little, when I see the team of watch industry execs, design luminaries, and fashion experts Apple has brought on board, I have a hard time believing that Apple is going to stop at watches. At the very least, will Mssrs. Ive and Newson bring livelier, more varied designs to the iPhone? And what does Tim Cook mean when he slyly alludes to products that “haven’t even been rumored yet…”?

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves — we’re still barely past the demo. We’ll have to wait for the actual product to come to the wrists of real users. Only then will we have the Apple Watch make-or-break moment: Word-of-mouth from non-experts."

Apple Watch Is And Isn't... | Monday Note

Peter Thiel: Competition Is for Losers - WSJ

Final paragraphs from an excerpt of Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future, by Peter Thiel and Blake Masters (to be published 9/16)

"Perfect equilibrium may describe the void that is most of the universe. It may even characterize many businesses. But every new creation takes place far from equilibrium. In the real world outside economic theory, every business is successful exactly to the extent that it does something others cannot. Monopoly is therefore not a pathology or an exception. Monopoly is the condition of every successful business.

Tolstoy famously opens "Anna Karenina" by observing: "All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." Business is the opposite. All happy companies are different: Each one earns a monopoly by solving a unique problem. All failed companies are the same: They failed to escape competition."

Peter Thiel: Competition Is for Losers - WSJ

A Conversation With Peter Thiel - NYTimes.com

From the intro paragraphs of an interesting interview/book summary

"Having founded a conservative/libertarian newspaper while a Stanford undergraduate, he earned a law degree from that school, and then quit his career to co-found PayPal, a payments company that set out to undermine government-issued currency. When that didn’t pan out, he sold PayPal to eBay for $1.5 billion in 2002.

He also co-founded Palantir, a data analysis company that struggled for years and is now valued at more than $9 billion. He was one of the earliest outside investors in Facebook, and now manages a global hedge fund and a venture capital fund."

A Conversation With Peter Thiel - NYTimes.com

Google to Give Start-Ups $100,000 in Cloud Computing Credits - NYTimes.com

tbd if/when/how Microsoft and IBM will respond

"Google would like to make more money selling data storage on other services on its Google Cloud Platform, and it’s going after it the old-fashioned Internet way: Give stuff away and make it up on volume.

On Friday, Google is set to announce a new program in which it will offer start-up companies a $100,000 credit on its Google Cloud Platform, according to a post on the company’s Google Cloud Platform blog. The effort is the company’s latest effort to take on Amazon Web Services, the leader in so-called cloud services that encompass a range of back-end computing functions."

Google to Give Start-Ups $100,000 in Cloud Computing Credits - NYTimes.com

Apple Store Crashes As iPhone 6 Goes On Sale - Business Insider

Launch different

"The non-functional online store is the third glitch in a row to plague the launch of iPhone 6. At the launch event, the livestream failed for 25 minutes, leaving viewers staring at a fuzzy test-card and listening to commentary in Chinese. Then Apple delayed the iPhone 6 launch in China after failing to get regulatory approval on time (or, as conspiracy theorists would have it, the company wanted to punish its wireless carrier partners for leaking pictures of the new phones on their web sites prior to the launch).

Of course, one might equally argue that the crashing web site illustrates the huge demand for the new phones — and is thus a good sign for Apple (and yet another piece of good publicity for Apple)."

Apple Store Crashes As iPhone 6 Goes On Sale - Business Insider

The Apple Watch Knows When It's On or Off Your Wrist [Mashable]

See the full post for more Apple Watch feature details

"It all comes down to sensors. The sensors on the Apple Watch will know if a device is being worn on a wrist and when it is taken off. If you take the Apple Watch off, it will lock itself and can't be used for payments unless a code is entered into the watch. Additionally, taking the watch off and putting it on again will mean you need to enter in a security code.

We're sure Apple will figure out a way to make this entry process as seamless as possible — as to not be annoying — but it's good to know the watch can tell when it is on a wrist or just sitting on a desk or charging pod."

The Apple Watch Knows When It's On or Off Your Wrist

HP Is Committed to the Cloud, Even if It Kills - NYTimes.com

"... even if it kills" refers to existing HP product lines

"If HP wants to show determination to change with this deal, Mr. Mickos is a particularly telling executive to put in charge of the cloud business.

He previously sold MySQL, an open source database company, to Sun Microsystems for $1 billion in 2008. Besides making enough money personally to be able to pick where (and if) he works, Mr. Mickos got an up-close view of a company that couldn’t change with the times. Sun was purchased by Oracle for $7.4 billion in 2009.

He is also on the board of Nokia, which last year was forced to sell its once-mighty phone business to Microsoft."

HP Is Committed to the Cloud, Even if It Kills - NYTimes.com

Banks Did It Apple's Way in Payments by Mobile - NYTimes.com

A snapshot from the looming payment ecosystem battle

"Even so, the partnership with Apple is much more attractive than an initiative being led by some of the biggest retailers, known as the Merchant Customer Exchange, that appears to be looking to replace the card networks altogether. That concern was brought to the fore on Thursday when two of the biggest supporters of the Merchant Customer Exchange, Walmart and Best Buy, announced that they would not accept Apple Pay.

And upstart projects like Bitcoin are looking to bypass the current financial system. Earlier this year, JPMorgan’s chief executive, Jamie Dimon, told investors that the companies in Silicon Valley “all want to eat our lunch.”"

Banks Did It Apple's Way in Payments by Mobile - NYTimes.com

Apple's Smart Smartwatch Play: Let Developers Find the Killer App - NYTimes.com

Platform++

"And it essentially punted on the question of the “killer app” for smartwatches — the feature that will make them indispensable in people’s lives. Instead, wisely, Apple turned that job over to its developers, with the WatchKit development platform.

As it arguably did with the iPad before it and maybe even the smartphone and personal computer before that, Apple did the hard work of building a device with a well-considered and usable interface, and then handed developers that workable canvas on which to draw."

Apple's Smart Smartwatch Play: Let Developers Find the Killer App - NYTimes.com

Apple Watch and HealthKit Could Help Spur Mobile Medical Revolution | New Republic

A healthy debate

"But Apple has such enormous sway with consumers, particularly younger ones, that it could help overcome the biggest obstacle to a mobile transformation in health: culture. People just aren't in the habit of thinking about their health in this way, let alone using a mobile device to track it. But that could change with the Apple Watch, which requires an accompanying iPhone, just because the latter is so ubiquitous. If more people start using it, that would create a lot more interest among developers, including those affiliated with hospitals or physician practices, to build new apps and integrate them into their practices. And so a virtuous cycle would begin."

Apple Watch and HealthKit Could Help Spur Mobile Medical Revolution | New Republic

From Oculus to Twitch to Minecraft, Why Gamers Are in Hot Demand | Re/code

From a timely gaming market dynamics reality check

"On the surface, Facebook’s purchase of Oculus for $2 billion, Amazon’s purchase of Twitch for $1.1 billion and Microsoft’s likely deal to buy Minecraft maker Mojang for $2.5 billion would seem to have little in common. One is a virtual reality technology company, the second is a video-streaming media platform and the third is just a really, really popular game.

But common to Oculus, Twitch and Mojang is an audience — more specifically, a trend-bucking subset of that ethereally defined group, “gamers,” who tend to be young and, more importantly, are harder to reach through traditional media like TV, or even Facebook. These companies’ products are totally different from one another, but they’re attractive to acquirers because their consumers think and act differently from other groups."

From Oculus to Twitch to Minecraft, Why Gamers Are in Hot Demand | Re/code

Google’s Hardware Shift Takes a Medical Turn - Digits - WSJ

Later in the article: "Google X became interested in Lift Labs because the startup is developing 'real technology to solve a real problem,' Pathak said."

"Google has not been just an Internet company for awhile. The search giant is pursuing a host of projects that combine hardware and software, including self-driving cars, delivery drones and Internet-connected thermostats.

This hardware push took a medical turn Wednesday with Google’s acquisition of Lift Labs, a startup that makes a tremor-canceling gadget to help people with Parkinson’s disease or essential tremor perform everyday tasks like eating. No price was disclosed."

Google’s Hardware Shift Takes a Medical Turn - Digits - WSJ

Atlassian’s Sales Rise 44% to $215 Million - Digits - WSJ

A rare profitable and growing collaboration tools vendor

"Atlassian continues to grow quickly as it defies the conventions of most young business-software companies.

The Australian maker of online collaboration software tools announced at its annual conference on Wednesday that sales rose 44% to $215 million for the fiscal year ended June 30. That growth marks an acceleration from the year prior when sales rose 35% to $149 million. The company also has about 40,000 organizations who use Atlassian products, up from 35,000 in April."

Atlassian’s Sales Rise 44% to $215 Million - Digits - WSJ

In Minecraft, Tech Giants Like Microsoft See More Than Fun - NYTimes.com

Final paragraphs from a Microsoft/Minecraft scenario perspective

"The rising popularity of Minecraft brought great wealth for Mr. Persson, but unwanted pressures too. In June, Mojang faced an outcry from members of the Minecraft community after it changed its policies related to people who run Minecraft servers for profit. Mr. Persson said on Twitter that he was fed up with the criticism.

“Anyone want to buy my share of Mojang so I can move on with my life?” he wrote. “Getting hate for trying to do the right thing is not my gig.”"

In Minecraft, Tech Giants Like Microsoft See More Than Fun - NYTimes.com

REPORT: Apple Will Acquire Path, The Struggling Social Network - Business Insider

Perhaps a few more Apple headlines yet to come this week

"The appearance of Path founder Dave Morin in the front row of Tuesday's iPhone 6 launch event has added credibility to a Pando report that says Apple is about to acquire the struggling social network. Morin tweeted a selfie of him and Dr Dre, who has occupied the front row slot at previous events. Dre's Beats Entertainment was Apple's last acquisition."

REPORT: Apple Will Acquire Path, The Struggling Social Network - Business Insider

How Apple Pay Will Destroy the Online-Offline Shopping Divide | Enterprise | WIRED

Excerpt from an Apple Pay reality check (although I suspect "thousands of pockets" might be a bit conservative)

"The difference is not just that Apple offers the service on a new phone that will quickly wind up in thousands of pockets. It’s not just that, with 800 million credit cards on file with its existing iTunes store, it can so easily activate the service for so many people. It’s also that these advantages—together with the company’s general clout—have allowed Apple to convince so many big name merchants to accept the service from day one.

“You need so many points of acceptance to make mobile payments work, and Apple has made that happen, striking partnerships with top national brands across a variety of categories that will give consumers plenty of opportunity to use the service,” says Carrington, who tracks the mobile payments market for Forrester. “That’s what’s distinctly different.”"

How Apple Pay Will Destroy the Online-Offline Shopping Divide | Enterprise | WIRED

Apple Watch, HealthKit, and Tim Cook's Health-Care Strategy - Businessweek

Live different

"Chronic disease accounts for three-fourths of U.S. health-care costs, and it’s largely driven by smoking, diet, and physical activity, all behaviors people can modify. The question is whether an Apple Watch or any gadget can actually goad people into moving—or simply provide a way for those already motivated to work out to measure it more precisely. We don’t know yet. Most Americans are overweight or obese, and it’s going to take much more than a buzzing wristwatch to dent our weight problems.

But at the margin, for some people, the Apple Watch might help. If not, at least you can still send goofy emoji to your friends."

Apple Watch, HealthKit, and Tim Cook's Health-Care Strategy - Businessweek

Making Sense of Microsoft's $2 Billion Bid for Minecraft - Businessweek

A different kind of productivity and platform value proposition

"Buying Minecraft would make a lot of sense for Microsoft. For one, the company has billions upon billions of dollars in overseas cash that it wants to spend and few targets worth buying. In Minecraft, Microsoft would get a game that has taken over the lives of children around the world and brings in about $100 million a year in profit. It’s a huge hit on the Xbox as well as mobile devices and the PC and would provide Microsoft with a massive, growing audience. In these respects, the story is in some ways similar to Microsoft’s purchase of Skype in 2011. (Beware, Europe; none of your popular services are safe.)"

Making Sense of Microsoft's $2 Billion Bid for Minecraft - Businessweek

Apple Watch Compared to Motorola, Samsung, LG Smart Watches - Businessweek

Check the link below for a handy future-collectors'-item  feature/function comparison chart

Apple Watch Compared to Motorola, Samsung, LG Smart Watches - Businessweek

Beyond the Major Apple Headlines, 11 Things You Need to Know - Digits - WSJ

Check the full article for a useful rumor/reality review on the Apple news

"Apple delivered three big, expected pieces of news during its two-hour event: larger-screen iPhones, a watch and a mobile-payments system. But there were intriguing and even surprising details. Here are some key takeaways beyond the big headlines:"

Beyond the Major Apple Headlines, 11 Things You Need to Know - Digits - WSJ

Apple Is Back, Better Than Ever - NYTimes.com

Definitely a good day in Cupertino...

"But more important is that Apple, under Mr. Cook, is operating at a scale it never achieved under Mr. Jobs. It is creating more new hardware and software, and tying all of its products together more seamlessly than most of its rivals. In responding to customer demand to offer bigger phones, and in granting outside developers deeper access to its mobile operating system, Mr. Cook has also signaled a slightly more open philosophy at Apple. The firm is not as ideologically rigid about how people use its products as it once was."

Apple Is Back, Better Than Ever - NYTimes.com

Jawbone doubles battery life, makes fun of smartwatches | PCWorld

Also see As Jawbone Opens API for Up Health Tracker, It Is Also Seeking $100 Million in Additional Funding (re/code)

"Jawbone also took a jab at smartwatches offered by the likes of Motorola, LG Electronics and Samsung Electronics, saying, “In a world where some wearable devices barely last a day, we’ve always been proud of the week-long battery life of UP24.”

That’s a message Jawbone needs to hammer home if the company wants to remain relevant in the wearables segment, which will get a lot more competitive with Apple’s expected entry. Smartwatches have screens that lets them offer more functionality than wristbands. Their drawbacks are a higher price, bulkier size and the need to charge them every day."

Jawbone doubles battery life, makes fun of smartwatches | PCWorld

U2 Said to Play Role at Apple Event - NYTimes.com

It's going to be an interesting day in Cupertino

"Extending a decade-long connection with Apple, U2 will play a significant part in Apple’s event, which will be held at a performing arts center in Cupertino, Calif., the company’s home base, according to three people briefed on its plans. In addition to performing, the band will reveal an integration with Apple’s products that is connected to its next album, which is expected to come out by the end of the year, according to these people, who spoke anonymously because the band’s appearance — and its deal with Apple — is supposed to be a surprise."

U2 Said to Play Role at Apple Event - NYTimes.com

Wi-Fi Should Scare the Hell Out of Verizon and AT&T - Businessweek

Tangentially, see The Internet of Things Is Getting Its Own Wireless Networks (Businessweek) and Nancy Pelosi urges FCC to reclassify broadband as a utility (The Verge)

"Well more than half of the online activity produced by smartphone users happens over Wi-Fi, according to newly released data from Adobe Systems (ADBE). Although the report just came out on Monday, Adobe’s research found that Wi-Fi had already surpassed Web browsing via cellular networks by early 2013. The data come from more than 10,000 websites.

AT&T (T) and Verizon (VZ) have spent years building towers and hoarding expensive wireless spectrum for their LTE (long-term evolution) networks under the assumption that they could charge more once their customers became accustomed to watching Netflix (NFLX) on their phones. The carriers have gradually tightened the ropes on how much data customers can use without forking over extra money each month."

Wi-Fi Should Scare the Hell Out of Verizon and AT&T - Businessweek

Twitter Begins Testing a ‘Buy’ Button for Instant Purchases by Its Users - NYTimes.com

Lots of Twitter "experimenting" lately; e.g., also see Twitter CFO hints at big changes to how your timeline works (Engadget)

"The test comes as competition in the world of mobile e-commerce intensifies. Apple is expected to unveil a new phone-based payment system on Tuesday as part of its latest update to the iPhone. And Facebook, Twitter’s biggest rival, began testing a “buy” button on its service in July. Social networks, including Pinterest, a sort of visual wish book, see e-commerce as a potentially huge moneymaker. All of them are experimenting with ways to make it easier to buy directly from their sites, but so far none have introduced purchase technology on a wide scale."

Twitter Begins Testing a ‘Buy’ Button for Instant Purchases by Its Users - NYTimes.com

Home Depot Data Breach Could Be the Largest Yet - NYTimes.com

Perhaps Home Depot will start accepting payments via Apple's new devices sometime soon... Also see Security Breaches Trigger Retail’s Big Players to Call for Major Tech Changes (WSJ)

"Home Depot confirmed on Monday that hackers had broken into its in-store payments systems, in what could be the largest known breach of a retail company’s computer network.

The retailer said the exact number of customers affected was still not clear. But a person briefed on the investigation said the total number of credit card numbers stolen at Home Depot could top 60 million. By comparison, the breach last year at Target, the largest known attack to date, affected 40 million cardholders."

Home Depot Data Breach Could Be the Largest Yet - NYTimes.com

Amazon drops Fire Phone to 99 cents after lackluster debut - GeekWire

Probably should have launched at that price; see this Amazon page for more details (tbd if the rumored ~35K people who already bought one will receive a refund); also see Dropping the price of the Amazon Fire Phone to 99 cents doesn’t go far enough

"Following a lackluster debut for its new flagship smartphone, Amazon this morning announced that it is dropping the price of the Fire Phone to 99 cents with a two year wireless contract on AT&T.

Amazon has also dropped the price of the Fire Phone by $200 without a contract, from $649 to $449."

Amazon drops Fire Phone to 99 cents after lackluster debut - GeekWire

Big data skills growing "exponentially," says AWS Data Science GM - TechRepublic

Excerpt from a timely big data reality check, via @datameer

"That's not surprising to Matt Wood, however. As he told me, the biggest inhibitor to big data productivity has been inflexible data infrastructure.

"The skills were there two years ago" to analyze and derive value from data, he suggested, "but the cost of running a big data project was too high." It's hard to get a manager or purchasing department excited about buying expensive hardware or software for an experiment, but by their very nature, big data projects are experimental.

As he told me, "You're going to fail a lot of the time, and so it's critical to lower the cost of experimentation." After all, you don't necessarily know which data you need to collect in advance or the questions you should ask of it."

Big data skills growing "exponentially," says AWS Data Science GM - TechRepublic

Apple and Disney Stores upgrading iBeacons and NFC scanners ahead of iPhone 6 launch | 9to5Mac

More Apple payment partner permutations

"Speaking of NFC, sources at Disney tell us that the entire chain of stores is being equipped this week with new credit card machines that support NFC. It’s unconfirmed if the Disney NFC installations are related to the upcoming iPhone 6 launch, but given that Disney is a close partner with Apple (CEO Bob Iger sits on Apple’s board, for example), it’s possible that this is more than just a coincidence. Similarly, as we reported last week, major fast food chain McDonalds has begun installing NFC-based credit card machines in many franchises, so it’s possible that McDonalds will also be an Apple mobile payments launch partner."

Apple and Disney Stores upgrading iBeacons and NFC scanners ahead of iPhone 6 launch | 9to5Mac

How Apple's iPhone 6 Can Finally Make Mobile Payments Happen - Businessweek

Check the full article for a summary of reasons why Apple's timing may be right, for mobile payments

"There is enough moving in Apple’s direction to think that it will help mobile wallets finally reach the mainstream, even if the transition takes a while. Retailers move very slowly by tech industry standards. IBeacon, for example, came out a year ago; since then it has made its way into about 1 percent of U.S. retail stores."

How Apple's iPhone 6 Can Finally Make Mobile Payments Happen - Businessweek

Nielsen Finds Older Adults Are Embracing Digital Video - NYTimes.com

Down to a mere 6 hours and 12 minutes a day in front of TV screens...

"Digital video may be most popular with children and young adults, but it increasingly is being embraced by viewers of an older set.

People 50 to 64 years old watched an average of 19 minutes a day of digital video during the second quarter of 2014, up from 11 minutes a day during the same period last year, according to a Nielsen report being released on Monday.

The jump in online video viewing comes as adults in that age group have cut back the time they spend in front of television screens by six minutes, to 6 hours and 12 minutes a day."

Nielsen Finds Older Adults Are Embracing Digital Video - NYTimes.com

Facebook’s Feeds Give Videos a Boost - NYTimes.com

Another aspect of Facebook/Google competition

"YouTube is still the big gorilla of online video, especially as an archive for work with lasting appeal and as a place where creators can make money from ads sold around their material. But Facebook’s ability to use social connections to make content popular quickly, along with changes the social network has made to its news feed to showcase video better, have helped fuel rapid growth in the amount of video viewed on the service over the last year. Since June, Facebook, which has about 1.3 billion monthly users worldwide, has served up an average of a billion video views a day, two-thirds of them on mobile devices. About 100 million new videos are uploaded every month. While that is a small fraction of YouTube’s traffic, it is up significantly from just a few months ago."

Facebook’s Feeds Give Videos a Boost - NYTimes.com

OkCupid’s Unblushing Analyst of Attraction - NYTimes.com

Also see Online Dating Stats Reveal A 'Dataclysm' Of Telling Trends (NPR)

"Indeed, “Dataclysm” illustrates the potential hazards of taking consumer data collected for one purpose and using it to extract meaning about a secondary theme.

“Decisions about the secondary use of data are never ethically neutral,” says Evan Selinger, an associate professor of philosophy at the Rochester Institute of Technology who specializes in the ethics of emerging technologies. “It’s a stark reminder of how little control you have of your own data on a proprietary platform.”"

OkCupid’s Unblushing Analyst of Attraction - NYTimes.com

The Amazon.com of Stolen Credit Cards Makes It All So Easy - Businessweek

A sign of the cyber security times

"Looking for stolen credit cards? The Rescator site has become something like the Amazon.com of the black market—an efficient, easy-to-use purveyor of quality products for cyber criminals. The latest batches were likely pilfered from Home Depot (HD), as reported on Sept. 2 by the security blogger Brian Krebs. The American Sanctions cards are broken into two installments, 1 and 2, and those who monitor the Rescator site expect many more to come."

The Amazon.com of Stolen Credit Cards Makes It All So Easy - Businessweek

For iPhone 6 Defects, Apple Has Failure Analysis Team Ready - Businessweek

Support different

"All consumer-electronics companies try to keep an eye on complaints during their product launches to head off major problems early, but the sheer number of Apple devices produced around the clock in Chinese factories makes even small tweaks a massive enterprise. Apple’s advantage is its retail stores, Fawkes says: HP and Dell would have to coordinate similar operations with retailers such as Best Buy (BBY), but first responders in Cupertino learn directly of a defective iPhone in New York, Paris, or Tokyo as soon as a Genius Bar staffer reports it. The phone goes on the next FedEx (FDX) plane to California. Using the serial numbers in each device, Apple can trace a problem down to individual workers on an assembly line."

For iPhone 6 Defects, Apple Has Failure Analysis Team Ready - Businessweek

Will Microsoft's $400 million NFL contract pay off? Yusuf Mehdi thinks it will - Puget Sound Business Journal

A Surface Hail Mary pass?...

"Microsoft is banking big on a deal with the NFL.
The company inked a $400 million contract with the NFL to be the exclusive provider of tablets to the league. The Redmond-based tech giant is also expanding its presence in the space with its new and improved NFL app and NFL Now integration for the Xbox."

Will Microsoft's $400 million NFL contract pay off? Yusuf Mehdi thinks it will - Puget Sound Business Journal

Mobile payment, not a bigger screen, will define the iPhone 6 (Slate)

Final paragraphs of an Apple potential payment plan perspective

"It’s unclear if and how this service will become an extra revenue stream for Apple, but if people can actually—finally—substitute all of the items in their wallets with valid digital substitutes, it should give consumers one more reason to buy an Apple device this season.

People might be happier about having a bit more visual real estate to use their apps, but killing the credit/debit card once and for all with a simple and more efficient solution—if that's what actually happens on Sept. 9—would be a much bigger deal."

Mobile payment, not a bigger screen, will define the iPhone 6

As Promised, Facebook’s Privacy Checkup Has Arrived | Re/code

Facebook provides a tool in an attempt to help address conceptual model complexity creep

"Facebook’s privacy settings — which have changed frequently over the years — are notorious for their complexity. Navigating them can be particularly difficult for new users, as there’s a slew of different settings to keep track of. For example, you can keep some parts of your profile private, share other parts with friends only, and still share other elements publicly. You can keep your friends list private — although not entirely private if you have friends with different settings — and users can tag you in photos you haven’t approved (unless, of course, you change the settings to manually approve each one). Confused yet?"

As Promised, Facebook’s Privacy Checkup Has Arrived | Re/code

DataStax Raises $106 Million in New Pre-IPO Round, Chips Away at Oracle - Digits - WSJ

The NoSQL parade continues -- perhaps with a subtle positioning shift; there isn't a single instance of "NoSQL" in the WSJ article, and the only "NoSQL" reference in the related Datastax press release is in an investor quote; it's all about "distributed database management systems" now...

"Although DataStax is not alone in the race to provide more scalable and capable databases to corporate customers–MongoDB has raised more than $231 million at a valuation of more than $1 billion, while Couchbase has raised about $115 million–DataStax excels at the type of heavy-duty transaction processing for which Oracle used to be an automatic choice, according to Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers Partner Matt Murphy, whose firm led the new Series E round of funding. Oracle declined to comment.

Most new applications now run on the Web, across data centers and geographies, so that data can be close to the users wherever they are. That’s what DataStax is designed to support, Murphy said."

DataStax Raises $106 Million in New Pre-IPO Round, Chips Away at Oracle - Digits - WSJ

Cisco Has a Server-Centric Vision for Itself - NYTimes.com

From a Cisco metamorphosis checkpoint

"It sounds impressive, so much so that it calls for a bit of a reality check. Routing and switching, the core networking businesses, were 46 percent of Cisco’s fiscal 2014 revenue. U.C.S., which Cisco calls on its balance sheet the data center business, was 6 percent.

And while $1 billion is a big number, it happened over several years. In fiscal 2014 alone, Cisco’s revenue was $47 billion. And yet Cisco’s chief executive, John T. Chambers, flagged Thursday’s announcement in a quarterly earnings call in August.

So what is going on here? Mr. Perez and his bosses are proud that U.C.S. is growing 30 percent annually, for one. More important, they believe that these servers can be a place into which other parts of Cisco can be placed."

Cisco Has a Server-Centric Vision for Itself - NYTimes.com

Apple Says It Will Add New Security Measures After Celebrity Hack - NYTimes.com

Better late than never...

"The company said it would add alerts to tell people about activities that could be signs of a break-in.

Customers will receive emails and alerts called push notifications, which are messages that show up prominently on iPhones and iPads, when someone tries to change the password for their iCloud account, upload their backed-up account data to a new device or log into their accounts for the first time from an unknown device, the company said. The notifications will be added in two weeks."

Apple Says It Will Add New Security Measures After Celebrity Hack - NYTimes.com

Apple Nears Introduction of Smartwatch and Bigger iPhones - NYTimes.com

Excerpt from a surprisingly detailed preview in the NYT

"The so-called smartwatch will be the first brand-new product unveiled under Apple’s new chief, Timothy D. Cook, who took the helm after Mr. Jobs died nearly three years ago.

It is expected to come in two sizes and combine functions like health and fitness monitoring with mobile computing tasks like displaying maps, said people knowledgeable about the product. It will have a unique, flexible screen and, like the new phones, will support technology that allows people to pay for things wirelessly."

Apple Nears Introduction of Smartwatch and Bigger iPhones - NYTimes.com

You’re Reacting to Celebgate Wrong [Yahoo! Tech]

Final paragraphs of a David Pogue "celebgate" reality check

"So. The moral of the nude movie-star photos scandal is not “iCloud is dangerous” or “The Internet should be shut down” or “The victims brought this on themselves.”
The moral is: “If you’re a famous person, you have to be unusually careful in choosing what to post online — and how to protect it.”
For the rest of us — well, let’s keep our heads on."

You’re Reacting to Celebgate Wrong

Salesforce.com adds Jawbone, Oculus Rift, smart devices to wearables platform | ZDNet

Check the Salesforce press release for some scenarios that make it clear this is more than just a plan to remain fully buzzword-compliant

"Announced on Thursday, the cloud services company revealed that the platform is now compatible with an extended list of wearable devices. While already compatible with wearables running the Android Wear operating system -- including Google Glass, ARM, Fitbit, Myo from Thalmic and Pebble -- Salesforce now runs additional support for: 

• Epson Moverio: Smart glasses 
• Jawbone UP: Fitness tracker 
• Meta Glasses: 3D smart glasses
• Oculus Rift: Virtual reality headset
• Vuzix M100 Smart Glasses: Android based wearable computing, communications and display system"

Salesforce.com adds Jawbone, Oculus Rift, smart devices to wearables platform | ZDNet

Samsung Reminds Us It Can Innovate, but Will That Be Enough? | Re/code

From a Walt Mossberg review of Samsung's latest product introductions

"Meanwhile, Samsung’s archrival Apple will suck the oxygen out of the tech media next week, with a flashy event in its hometown of Cupertino, Calif. Apple is expected to roll out two new iPhones, which will finally be of the large-screen variety that has sold so well for Samsung. It’s also expected to unveil its first wearable device, something Samsung has already done, but with little success. And it is rumored to be announcing a phone-based payment system that, if done right, could make its new iPhones more attractive.

So, this morning, in New York, Samsung struck first. It didn’t just introduce a new standard model in its popular stylus-based Galaxy Note line of phones, as it usually does around this time of year. It also unveiled three more unusual products: A phone with a screen that’s curved at one edge to display icons and information, a smartwatch that can connect to a cell network all by itself and virtual-reality goggles that are powered by a phone."

Samsung Reminds Us It Can Innovate, but Will That Be Enough? | Re/code

Intellectual Ventures: Patent Troll Funds Startups, New Products - Businessweek

From an extensive IV profile; also see Who's Suing Whom? Intellectual Ventures' Investors and Targets

"Having earned billions in payouts from powerful technology companies, IV is setting out to build things on its own. Rather than keeping its IP under lock and key, the company is looking to see if its ideas can be turned into products and the basis for new companies. The first wave of products includes an ultra-efficient nuclear reactor, a waterless washing machine, self-healing concrete, and a giant squeegee for sucking up oil spills. One country has asked IV to help lower its temperature, and another wants it to create robots that can replace migrant workers.

As part of its transformation, IV fired 20 percent of its employees, about 140 people, most of whom were tied to its patent business, on Aug. 19. A new team busy turning ideas into products has raised millions of dollars to fund a flood of IV-backed startups. A network of 25,000 independent inventors submits ideas for review by IV and earns royalties when products based on their ideas reach market. Says Edward Jung, IV’s chief technology officer and co-founder, “We have built an engine that can solve big problems.”"

Intellectual Ventures: Patent Troll Funds Startups, New Products - Businessweek

Samsung Unveils Curved Phone, Virtual Reality Headset - WSJ

Check the full article for more details on Samsung's phabulous and Facebook/Oculus-powered virtual reality strategies

""Competitors are catching on," said Shoneel Kolhatkar, senior director of product planning for Samsung's U.S. mobile business, referring to the increasingly crowded market for larger smartphones. "How can we show our differentiators to consumers?"

Underscoring the importance of the product segment, Mr. Kolhatkar said Samsung's internal research showed that users of its smartphone-tablet hybrids spent 390 minutes a day on such devices—far more than 244 minutes a day for its tablet users and 229 minutes a day for its smartphone users."

Samsung Unveils Curved Phone, Virtual Reality Headset - WSJ

Grading Teachers, With Data From Class - NYTimes.com

Rethinking educational analytics

"Panorama has followed the model of Uber and Airbnb in using the unconventional methods of tech start-ups to reinvent industries that have long been seen as tech backwaters. And its increasing popularity suggests that techniques pioneered by the tech industry — including the collection and analysis of large troves of data — may help address problems in American education.

The firm’s techniques have been widely praised by education experts, and it has won prominent supporters in the tech industry. Mark Zuckerberg, the co-founder of Facebook, and Google Ventures, the search company’s investment arm, are among its largest backers."

Grading Teachers, With Data From Class - NYTimes.com

Path of Stolen Credit Cards Leads Back to Home Depot Stores - NYTimes.com

Perhaps timely for Apple to introduce an iPhone-based payment system alternative (rumored to be part of the 9/9 event agenda)

"Bank employees, fraud detectives at computer security companies and law enforcement officials are tracing the path taken by the stolen cards, tracking the source of what appears to be the latest in a series of major data breaches that the Secret Service and the Department of Homeland Security believe has affected more than 1,000 American retailers. So far, all roads point back to Home Depot. And if the evidence uncovered so far proves to be valid, the hack could top the record-setting breach of Target’s network last December."

Path of Stolen Credit Cards Leads Back to Home Depot Stores - NYTimes.com

Online, good guys wear masks - Business - The Boston Globe

Google+ started allowing fake names in July; Facebook is also expected to relax its "real name" requirement

"But Judith Donath, a fellow at Harvard University’s Berkman Center for Internet and Society, says it’s not quite that simple. Donath’s new book, “The Social Machine: Designs for Living Online,” argues that the ability to don a digital mask is vital to truly free speech on the Internet. “If you want to have a discussion about things that are very controversial or there’s a real danger of being traced, you need to have anonymity,” Donath told me in a recent conversation.

But doesn’t pure anonymity mean toxic speech? Not if you do it right, Donath says. Online communities have found that the solution is persistence. When people adopt a consistent fake persona and cling to it over time, they tend to become solid Internet citizens, rather than flame-throwing vulgarians."

Online, good guys wear masks - Business - The Boston Globe

Toshiba’s Encore Mini Tablet Runs Windows 8.1 And Is Just $119 | TechCrunch

Available 9/17, including a one-year subscription to “Bing Office 365 Personal” (per this page)

“Want to jump into Windows 8.1 on the cheap? Toshiba has you covered. For just $119, you can snag the new Encore Mini, which runs Windows 8.1 on a teeny-tiny 7-inch, low-resolution screen.

Inside is a quad-core Intel Atom CPU, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of storage and a microSD card slot. The 7-inch screen is of the 16:9, 1024 x 600 variety. There are of course front- and rear-facing cameras, a micro USB 2.0 port and 802.11n. The specs won’t sell this tablet but the price will.”

Toshiba’s Encore Mini Tablet Runs Windows 8.1 And Is Just $119 | TechCrunch

The Police Tool That Pervs Use to Steal Nude Pics From Apple’s iCloud | Threat Level | WIRED

Perhaps “the rest of the story”

“On the web forum Anon-IB, one of the most popular anonymous image boards for posting stolen nude selfies, hackers openly discuss using a piece of software called EPPB or Elcomsoft Phone Password Breaker to download their victims’ data from iCloud backups. That software is sold by Moscow-based forensics firm Elcomsoft and intended for government agency customers. In combination with iCloud credentials obtained with iBrute, the password-cracking software for iCloud released on Github over the weekend, EPPB lets anyone impersonate a victim’s iPhone and download its full backup rather than the more limited data accessible on iCloud.com. And as of Tuesday, it was still being used to steal revealing photos and post them on Anon-IB’s forum.”

The Police Tool That Pervs Use to Steal Nude Pics From Apple’s iCloud | Threat Level | WIRED

Apple says photo theft used passwords, not a break-in to iCloud (full statement) | BetaBoston

In fewer words, “You were using it wrong”…

“It turns out the theft of celebrity photos was done the old-fashioned way, according to Apple, with the hackers figuring out user names, passwords, and security questions of the celebrities.

The statement from Apple aims to dispel concerns that hackers were able to break into its iCloud service—which would’ve opened the possibility of data being stolen from any number of consumers.”

p.s. the Blogger Blog This! Chrome extension isn’t working for me this morning, so postings are likely to be light

Apple says photo theft used passwords, not a break-in to iCloud (full statement) | BetaBoston

Official Google Blog: Introducing Google for Work (the artist formerly known as Enterprise)

In other enterprise ambition news, the final paragraph from an Eric Schmidt blog post

"But technology for the workplace isn't just about a better way of doing business. It's about empowering anyone, whether they're a developer with an idea in their basement or a baker with a better cupcake or a company with thousands of employees, to have an impact. We never set out to create a traditional “enterprise” business—we wanted to create a new way of doing work. So the time has come for our name to catch up with our ambition. As of today, what was called Google Enterprise is now, simply, Google for Work. When we use the tools that make our lives easier—Google Apps, Maps, Search, Chrome, Android, Cloud Platform and more—work gets better. And that’s what we’re working on—the best of Google, now for work."

Official Google Blog: Introducing Google for Work (the artist formerly known as Enterprise)

Evernote Turning Its Focus to the Workplace | Re/code

An excerpt from an overview of Evernote's enterprise ambitions

"Libin makes no bones about having Microsoft in his sights, but it is Office he wants to dethrone, not OneNote.

The world, he said, would be a better place if OneNote were popular. Instead, workers spend their time in programs like Word and Outlook, which he says are relics that should be placed in the Recycle Bin."

Evernote Turning Its Focus to the Workplace | Re/code

Facebook and cloud security

What Facebook suggested as a “related video” for the article referenced in my previous post (no kidding):

The Jennifer Lawrence Leak: Who Is at Risk Now? - The New Yorker

Excerpt from a timely cloud + smartphone security reality check

"The larger security problem, it seems, comes from a general misunderstanding about how a smartphone differs from, say, a large online forum. Most discreet people know not to upload nude photos onto the Internet but are unaware that a photograph shared privately, through a text message or e-mail, is hardly private at all. “Storing data on a phone carries an inherent risk,” Felten wrote. “The complexity of the software on our phones, and the network and cloud infrastructure to which they connect, makes it difficult to identify, let alone secure, all of the points of vulnerability. It’s prudent to assume that anything on your phone is potentially at risk.”"

The Jennifer Lawrence Leak: Who Is at Risk Now? - The New Yorker

Cab sharing could be exactly this great: MIT’s Senseable City Lab | BetaBoston

In other sharing perspectives, see Why Uber must be stopped (Salon)

"The urban living experts at MIT’s Senseable City Lab have mathematically modeled the benefits of sharing a cab using the 150 million trips by more than 13,000 New York City cabs in 2011. 

Almost 95 percent of those rides could be shared, the researchers find. Also, those shared rides could have cut the time on the road by 40 percent, they report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences this week. The data comes from the HubCab data source of New York City cab pickups and drop-offs hosted by the lab."

Cab sharing could be exactly this great: MIT’s Senseable City Lab | BetaBoston

Apple Investigating Reports of iCloud Vulnerabilities - WSJ

iLeaked?

"A posting on online code-sharing site GitHub said a user had discovered a bug in Apple's Find My iPhone service, which tracks the location of a missing phone and allows a user to disable the phone remotely if it is stolen. The bug allowed a hacker to keep trying passwords until identifying the right one.

Most online services lock down an account after multiple incorrect password attempts to prevent this type of so-called "brute force" attacks.

The GitHub post was updated on Monday to read: "The end of fun, Apple have just patched.""

Apple Investigating Reports of iCloud Vulnerabilities - WSJ

Three Years Later: Tim Cook’s Apple | Monday Note

Jean-Louis Gassée reflects and projects

"After three years at the helm, we’ll soon know in what sense Tim Cook “owns” Apple. For having broken Steve’s creation, for having created a field of debris littered with occasionally recognizable remains of a glorious, more innovative, more elegant past. Or for having followed the spirit of Steve’s dictum – not to think of what he would have done – and led Apple to new heights."

Three Years Later: Tim Cook’s Apple | Monday Note

Apple Said to Team With Visa, MasterCard on IPhone Wallet - Bloomberg

More speculation about the likely 9/9 Apple event headlines

"The agreement includes Visa Inc. (V), MasterCard Inc. (MA) and American Express Co. (AXP) and will be unveiled on Sept. 9 along with the next iPhone, said the person, who asked not to be identified because the talks are private.

The new iPhone will make mobile payment easier by including a near-field communication chip for the first time, the person said. That advancement along with Touch ID, a fingerprint recognition reader that debuted on the most recent iPhone, will allow consumers to securely pay for items in a store with the touch of a finger."

Apple Said to Team With Visa, MasterCard on IPhone Wallet - Bloomberg

Amazon Bets on Content in Deal for Twitch - NYTimes.com

More Twitch perspectives

"Twitch has built a platform that hosts live events akin to the N.F.L., the United States Open or the X Games — and it has the audience to show for it. Part of the magic is that on Twitch, you are not just watching other gamers, but hyper-talented digital warriors, the Peyton Mannings and Roger Federers of Counter-Strike and Minecraft.

From a standing start in 2011, Twitch garnered 55 million unique users in July who watched 155 billion minutes of gaming and has become the country’s fourth-largest user of Internet bandwidth."

Amazon Bets on Content in Deal for Twitch - NYTimes.com

In E-Sports, Video Gamers Draw Real Crowds and Big Money - NYTimes.com

From a snapshot of the games industry

"Having already upended the entertainment world — global revenue for games is $20 billion higher than the music industry’s and is chasing that of the movie business — the games industry has turned its ambitions toward the lucrative world of professional video game competition, widely known as e-sports.

The signs of success already mirror the achievements of major sports. Game tournaments sell out giant arenas, and some attract at-home audiences larger than those of top traditional sporting events. Madison Avenue’s highest fliers, like Coca-Cola and American Express, have lined up as sponsors. Prize money has soared to the millions of dollars, and top players earn six- or seven-figure incomes and attract big and passionate followings, luring a generation of younger players to seek fame and fortune as gamers."

In E-Sports, Video Gamers Draw Real Crowds and Big Money - NYTimes.com

Apple tells developers they may not sell personal health data to advertisers | Technology | theguardian.com

Leading by example

"Its new rules clarify that developers who build apps that tap into HealthKit, of which Nike is rumoured to be one, can collect the data it holds.

But, they stated, the developers "must not sell an end-user's health information collected through the HealthKit APIs to advertising platforms, data brokers or information resellers". Although, the rules add that they could share their data with "third parties for medical research purposes" as long as they get users' consent."

Apple tells developers they may not sell personal health data to advertisers | Technology | theguardian.com

Apple Makes September 9 Event Official With New iPhones and Wearables Expected | Re/code

tbd if the press/punditry and Wall Street will have the same wish, on 20140910

"Apple, for its part, is characteristically vague on what to expect on Sept. 9.

“Wish we could say more,” is all the invite says beyond offering logistical details."

Apple Makes September 9 Event Official With New iPhones and Wearables Expected | Re/code

Apple's iBeacon: Retail Stores Make Little Use of It So Far - Businessweek

Final paragraph from an iBeacon market dynamics reality check

"Some barriers to iBeacon adoption are falling away. Google (GOOG) has built more iBeacon functionality into the latest versions of Android. GE Lighting (GE) has formed a partnership with startup ByteLight to develop lightbulbs that can also help track shoppers via iBeacon, which would eliminate the need for retailers to buy separate hardware. More companies are curious. “We have half of Fortune 500 developing with us,” says Steve Cheney, a senior vice president at startup Estimote, which designs hardware and software to work with iBeacon. There is just one major group of holdouts to persuade: shoppers."

Apple's iBeacon: Retail Stores Make Little Use of It So Far - Businessweek

YouTube: Hollywood's Hit Factory for Teen Entertainment - Businessweek

An excerpt from the latest Bloomberg BusinessWeek cover story

"It’s perhaps inevitable that Hollywood eventually turned its tool kit to YouTube. The platform’s net global advertising revenue continues to grow, from $1.2 billion in 2012 to a projected $3.4 billion this year, according to estimates from EMarketer. Every month, 1 billion people around the planet go to YouTube, where they collectively consume some 6 billion hours of video. Every minute, 100 more hours of programming are added to the platform.


With summer TV ratings falling, the domestic movie box office down sharply, and upfront sales of TV advertising surprisingly weak, a slew of mergers, acquisitions, and investment has shaken the YouTube cosmos. Big media companies, which a few years ago were furiously filing copyright lawsuits against YouTube, are jostling for a piece of the action."

YouTube: Hollywood's Hit Factory for Teen Entertainment - Businessweek

Inside Google's Secret Drone-Delivery Program - The Atlantic

From an extensive profile of Google's no-longer-secret drone delivery program

"Though a couple of rumors have escaped the Googleplex—because of course Google must have a drone-delivery program—Project Wing’s official existence and substance were revealed today. I’ve spent the past week talking to Googlers who worked on the project, reviewing video of the flights, and interviewing other people convinced delivery by drone will work. 

Taken with the company’s other robotics investments, Google’s corporate posture has become even more ambitious. Google doesn’t just want to organize all the world’s information. Google wants to organize all the world."

Inside Google's Secret Drone-Delivery Program - The Atlantic

The Dropbox Blog » Blog Archive » Introducing a more powerful Dropbox Pro

Check the full post for other new Dropbox Pro features

"One plan, more room
We don’t want you to worry about choosing the right plan or having enough space. So today, we’re simplifying Dropbox Pro to a single plan that stays at $9.99/month, but now comes with 1 TB (1,000 GB) of space.

Get started
Already a Pro user? Dropbox will update automatically in the next couple days. You don’t have to do a thing."

The Dropbox Blog » Blog Archive » Introducing a more powerful Dropbox Pro

The Future Could Work, if We Let It - NYTimes.com

Check the full review for some caveats. The Kindle edition of the full book is currently $1.99 -- see this McKinsey page for more details

"If you’re feeling down about the world, the book, “Resource Revolution: How to Capture the Biggest Business Opportunity in a Century,” is an antidote. Mr. Rogers and Mr. Heck outline how emerging advances — among them 3-D printing, autonomous vehicles, modular construction systems and home automation — might in time alter some of the world’s largest industries and bring prosperity to billions of people.

They put forward a rigorous argument bolstered by mountains of data and recent case studies. And once you start looking at Silicon Valley their way, your mind reels at the far-reaching potential of the innovations now spreading through society."

The Future Could Work, if We Let It - NYTimes.com

JPMorgan and Other Banks Struck by Cyberattack - NYTimes.com

Cyber-signs of the times

"The intrusions were first reported by Bloomberg, which indicated that they were the work of Russian hackers. But security experts and government officials said they had not yet made that conclusion.

Earlier this year, iSight Partners, a security firm in Dallas that provides intelligence on online threats, warned companies that they should be prepared for cyberattacks from Russia in retaliation for Western economic sanctions.

But Adam Meyers, the head of threat intelligence at CrowdStrike, a security firm that works with banks, said that it would be “premature” to suggest the attacks were motivated by sanctions."

JPMorgan and Other Banks Struck by Cyberattack - NYTimes.com

High prices take the shine off Chromebooks - Business - The Boston Globe

Final paragraphs of a Hiawatha Bray Chromebook market dynamics reality check

"But what’s the point of paying $400 for a Chromebook anyway? Nowadays you can get a decent Windows machine for not much more than that. Matter of fact, Dell’s been running a promotion on a two-in-one laptop that converts into a tablet and runs Windows 8. Just $400. Such machines are underpowered and short on features. But so are Chromebooks. If you’re going to buy a stripped-down computer anyhow, you might as well choose one that can run Microsoft Word.

Unless you can find something else -- a sleek, simple machine that’s good enough for real work and cheap enough to purchase for the kids. I’ve seen a few. They’re called Chromebooks, and they sell for around $250. At least, they ought to."

High prices take the shine off Chromebooks - Business - The Boston Globe

Automation Changes the Work We Do, But it Doesn’t Have to Kill the Joy | MIT Technology Review

Excerpt from a review of The Glass Cage, Nicholas Carr's latest book (which will be released 20140929)

"The centerpiece of his argument is the Yerkes-Dodson curve, which plots the relationship between human performance and the stimulation our tasks provide. Too much stimulation makes us feel panicked and overloaded, but when we have too little stimulation—when our work is too easy—we become lethargic and withdrawn. Activities that provide moderate stimulation yield the highest level of performance and, as Carr argues, turn us into better people in the process."

Automation Changes the Work We Do, But it Doesn’t Have to Kill the Joy | MIT Technology Review

In Defense of Tablets | Re/code

Excerpt from a timely Walt Mossberg tablet market dynamics reality check

"I believe that tablets — and especially the iPad — are extremely versatile and productive tools for consumers, schools and businesses, and are better for many tasks than the PC or the smartphone. I use my iPad many times a day, and it has cut my use of my laptop by more than half.

In a brief interview about tablets I had this week with Apple CEO Tim Cook, he said, “We couldn’t be happier with how we’ve done with the first four years of the iPad,” and added that, “I’d call what’s going on recently a speed bump, and I’ve seen that in every category.”"

In Defense of Tablets | Re/code

Hyperlapse, Instagram’s New App, Is Like a $15,000 Video Setup in Your Hand | Design | WIRED

Steady progress

"Using clever algorithm processing, the app makes it easy to use your phone to create tracking shots and fast, time-lapse videos that look as if they’re shot by Scorsese or Michael Mann. What was once only possible with a Steadicam or a $15,000 tracking rig is now possible on your iPhone, for free. (Instagram hopes to develop an Android version soon, but that will require changes to the camera and gyroscope APIs on Android phones.) And that’s all thanks to some clever engineering and an elegantly pared-down interaction design. The product team shared their story with WIRED."

Hyperlapse, Instagram’s New App, Is Like a $15,000 Video Setup in Your Hand | Design | WIRED

In raising cash, Square heads for $6B valuation: Sources [CNBC]

A new Square round

"Another hurdle for Square is a fierce set of competitors. PayPal, Google and Amazon are all deep-pocketed rivals that are vying for a bigger piece of the payments pie. Meanwhile, popular services like Uber and Airbnb bake the payment process into their apps, eliminating the need for Square in some areas where online and mobile commerce is growing the fastest.

For now, Square is showing it can cash in on its momentum. As long as the funding floodgates are open, there's plenty of investor demand to fund its growth while Square claws toward a profit, which it expects to hit by mid-2015."

In raising cash, Square heads for $6B valuation: Sources

Save the Fav, Twitter's Digital Body Language - NYTimes.com

fav #RIP?

"The new plan won’t change Twitter very much for most users. Yet there is something to celebrate about the fav as it’s used today on Twitter and to mourn its potential transformation into something more Facebook-like. Even if you don’t care about Twitter, the fav is a model for something we need more of in more places online: It is nonspecific, flexible communication — a kind of body language for the web.

One of the problems of communicating online is that words are too precise. It’s especially difficult to express much nuance when you’re trying to be brief."

Save the Fav, Twitter's Digital Body Language - NYTimes.com

Apple Said to Prepare New 12.9-Inch IPad for Early 2015 - Bloomberg

A larger iPad display, along with expected multitasking enhancements in iOS 8, would be an expanding competitive threat to traditional PCs

"Apple Inc. (AAPL)’s suppliers are preparing to manufacture the company’s largest-ever iPad, with production scheduled to commence by the first quarter of next year, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

The new iPad will have a screen measuring 12.9 inches diagonally, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the details aren't public. Apple currently produces iPads with 9.7-inch and 7.9-inch displays. The Cupertino, California-based company has been working with suppliers for at least a year to develop a new range of larger touch-screen devices, said the people."

Apple Said to Prepare New 12.9-Inch IPad for Early 2015 - Bloomberg

Snapchat Is Said to Have More Than 100 Million Monthly Active Users - Digits - WSJ

tbd how ephemeral these attributes of Snapchat will prove to be

"The majority, or roughly two-thirds of those users, log on to the ephemeral-messaging service daily, according to the people.

Snapchat is quickly adding users to help it live up to the lofty expectations of its investors. An investment by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers valued the company close to $10 billion, according to people familiar with the matter."

Snapchat Is Said to Have More Than 100 Million Monthly Active Users - Digits - WSJ

How Social Media Silences Debate - NYTimes.com

Cyberpolarization R Us

"Social media, like Twitter and Facebook, has the effect of tamping down diversity of opinion and stifling debate about public affairs. It makes people less likely to voice opinions, particularly when they think their views differ from those of their friends, according to a report published Tuesday by researchers at Pew Research Center and Rutgers University.

The researchers also found that those who use social media regularly are more reluctant to express dissenting views in the offline world."

How Social Media Silences Debate - NYTimes.com

News Feed FYI: Click-baiting | Facebook Newsroom

Crowdsourced click-bait criteria

"So how do we determine what looks like click-bait?

One way is to look at how long people spend reading an article away from Facebook. If people click on an article and spend time reading it, it suggests they clicked through to something valuable. If they click through to a link and then come straight back to Facebook, it suggests that they didn’t find something that they wanted. With this update we will start taking into account whether people tend to spend time away from Facebook after clicking a link, or whether they tend to come straight back to News Feed when we rank stories with links in them.

Another factor we will use to try and show fewer of these types of stories is to look at the ratio of people clicking on the content compared to people discussing and sharing it with their friends. "

News Feed FYI: Click-baiting | Facebook Newsroom

Amazon Pounces On Twitch After Google Balks Due To Antitrust Concerns [Forbes]

"Sources" on why Google was unable to close a Twitch deal

"Google was unable to close the deal, said sources familiar with the talks, because it was concerned about potential antitrust issues that could have come with the acquisition. The Mountain View, Calif. company already owns YouTube, the world’s most-visited content streaming site, which competes with Twitch to broadcast and stream live or on-demand video game sessions. One source noted that because of the concerns, Google and Twitch could not come to an agreement on the size of a potential breakup fee in case the deal did not go through."

Amazon Pounces On Twitch After Google Balks Due To Antitrust Concerns

Why Amazon Is Paying $1 Billion to Help People Watch Video Games - Businessweek

Check the full article for an overview of Amazon's historical game-related investments

"There are some interesting differences between Twitch and, say, an Amazon-produced show such as Alpha House. The main one: Twitch broadcasts feature a strong level of interaction among viewers via running chats streamed live. Often the broadcaster interacts directly with the audience, too. This experience—watching while chatting—is how many television futurists think we’ll be watching our video in the future. It’s not yet clear that people want to watch everything in this manner. People who watch video games love it."

Why Amazon Is Paying $1 Billion to Help People Watch Video Games - Businessweek

More Game Time Equals Lower Test Scores - Digits - WSJ

In other gaming news...

"Elementary school students who answered that they never played video games on weekdays answered 77% of the questions correctly on a test of basic language skills, compared to a 70.5% score recorded by those who said they played two to three hours. Elementary students who said they spent more than four hours a day playing games scored the lowest, getting only 64% of the answers correct.

Similar patterns were observed on the math tests, according to the ministry."

More Game Time Equals Lower Test Scores - Digits - WSJ

What’s Twitch? Gamers Know, and Amazon Is Spending $1 Billion on It - NYTimes.com

Potential synergies with other Amazon services tbd

"Video games have long been something people played. But in the last few years, thanks in part to fast Internet access and multiplayer games, the games have become something that people sit back and watch, too. On Monday, that new habit enticed the web giant Amazon to reach a $1.1 billion deal to buy Twitch, the most popular website for watching people play games.

The deal for Twitch is the latest sign of the way forms of behavior once seemingly on the fringe can, in the hands of tech entrepreneurs, turn into huge online communities in no time. Twitch did not exist a little over three years ago, and it now has 55 million unique viewers a month globally, helping turn games into a spectator event as much as a participatory activity."

What’s Twitch? Gamers Know, and Amazon Is Spending $1 Billion on It - NYTimes.com

Predicting Amazon’s Secret Plans in Physical Retail | Re/code

Speculation about how Amazon may extend its reach

"Since I first wrote in January about Amazon’s plans for an in-store payments system, I’ve consulted with a handful of former employees as well as some of the smartest people I know in the retail payments industry to analyze what Amazon’s next moves will be. All of them have requested anonymity because they believe they are relaying ideas currently being discussed at Amazon or are restricted from speaking about the company.

Broadly, they said the world’s largest online retailer aims to make it easy for a wider array of brick and mortar shops to sell on Amazon while giving Amazon shoppers another way to receive orders on the same day they are purchased. The move would extend Amazon’s reach far beyond the virtual checkout aisle to the real ones in your neighborhood."

Predicting Amazon’s Secret Plans in Physical Retail | Re/code

Shift Happens: Apple + IBM. This Time It’ll Be Different. | Monday Note

Final paragraphs of a Jean-Louis Gassée Apple/IBM reality check; I'm sure those IBM numbers jockeys are using IBM Symphony rather than Microsoft Excel, however...

"Another more immediate effect, across a wide range of enterprises, will be the corporate permission to use Apple devices. Recall the age-old mantra You Don’t Get Fired For Buying IBM, which later became DEC, then Microsoft, then Sun…and now Apple. Valley gossip has it that IBM issued an edict stating that Macs were to be supported internally within 30 days. Apparently, at some exec meetings, it’s MacBooks all around the conference room table — except for the lonely Excel jockey who needs to pivot tables.

We’ll see if the company whose motto once was Think actually works well with the Think Different squad."

Shift Happens: Apple + IBM. This Time It’ll Be Different. | Monday Note

Apple's Next Act for the iPad -- HEARD ON THE STREET - WSJ

Excerpt from an iPad business snapshot

"But Apple needn't control the market for the iPad be an important—and profitable—business. In fact, the average selling price for the iPad rose nearly 2% year over year in the June quarter despite a 9% decline in unit sales in that time. UBS estimates total iPad gross margins reached 30% in the quarter compared with 25% in the December period.

For Apple, the iPad is about more than just unit sales, as the device also provides an important extension for the company's iOS platform. Revenue from iTunes, software and services grew 14% year over year for the nine-month period ended June 28—Apple's fastest-growing segment in that time."

Apple's Next Act for the iPad -- HEARD ON THE STREET - WSJ

Box, Dropbox and Hightail Pivot to New Business Models - NYTimes.com

Accentuating the potential *Box positive

"So how do you avoid free? Box is trying to cater to special data storage needs, like digital versions of X-rays for health care companies and other tasks specific to different kinds of customers. Hightail is trying to do something similar for customers like law firms. And Dropbox? It is trying to make sure that its consumer-minded service stays easier to use than what the big guys provide."

Box, Dropbox and Hightail Pivot to New Business Models - NYTimes.com

Uber Tries to Learn from the Obama Campaign [The New Yorker]

From a profile of Uber, which recently hired David Plouffe, formerly one of President Obama's chief political strategists

"Investors recently valued Uber at nearly twenty billion dollars, which struck some people as an absurdly high figure. But others, including Andrew Ross Sorkin, have written that Uber could, in fact, be worth more than that—not only because transportation is a big business, but because the company has the potential to do much more with its matchmaker app. Since Uber doesn’t own a fleet of cars or employ its drivers, it could, in theory, deploy its app for any number of other purposes. First it could displace the taxi industry. Then it could take on delivery trucks, moving vans, and more. Earlier this week, the company started testing out a home-delivery service in Washington, D.C."

Uber Tries to Learn from the Obama Campaign

Apple steps up Health push as it begins talks with insurers | ZDNet

Insure different

"Apple has been preparing the ground for the launch of its Health application, which will debut alongside iOS 8 later this year. Besides recent talks with US healthcare providers and developers of health-related apps, Apple has also been courting large US health insurance firms.

News of Apple's discussions with health insurers came via an interesting report from Bloomberg today on the emergence of company-funded wearables in the workplace. The report notes that Apple has talked with America’s biggest insurer, UnitedHealth, as well as fellow health insurer Humana."

Apple steps up Health push as it begins talks with insurers | ZDNet

Microsoft unveils Azure DocumentDB, a NoSQL database as a service — Tech News and Analysis [GigaOM]

See this Microsoft page for more Azure DocumentDB details

"The DocumentDB moniker might remind some of the popular MongoDB or Couchbase NoSQL databases, but T.K. “Ranga” Rengarajan, corporate vice president of Microsoft Data Platform, explained it as much more in an interview about the new offerings. Currently available as a technology preview, DocumentDB allows for SQL-like queries on semi-structured data (i.e., JSON files) and supports strong consistency for transactional applications. To boost performance, it utilizes the in-memory Hekaton technology that Microsoft incorporated into SQL Server earlier this year. It includes libraries for .NET, Node.js, JavaScript and Python.

As far as other cloud-provider-developed services go, DocumentDB sounds a lot more like Google’s similarly understated Cloud Datastore service than it does Amazon Web Services’ DynamoDB, which is actually more like a key-value store than a document database."

Microsoft unveils Azure DocumentDB, a NoSQL database as a service — Tech News and Analysis

Majority Of Digital Media Consumption Now Takes Place In Mobile Apps | TechCrunch

From a summary of the latest comScore U.S. mobile app study

"U.S. users are now spending the majority of their time consuming digital media within mobile applications, according to a new study released by comScore this morning. That means mobile apps, including the number 1 most popular app Facebook, eat up more of our time than desktop usage or mobile web surfing, accounting for 52% of the time spent using digital media. Combined with mobile web, mobile usage as a whole accounts for 60% of time spent, while desktop-based digital media consumption makes up the remaining 40%."

Majority Of Digital Media Consumption Now Takes Place In Mobile Apps | TechCrunch

Facebook, Google Go Beyond Cookies to Reap Data for Advertisers - Businessweek

Excerpt from a snapshot of potential post-cookie advertising/tracking realities

"Some programs track users by their IP addresses; others look at users’ operating systems and other factors. As of Aug. 1, anyone who wants to hawk new or updated Android apps in Google’s (GOOG) online store must catalog customers with Advertising ID, a unique number that corresponds to a particular customer. Google has confirmed that it’s working on ways to link mobile browser activity to app use. Advertising ID looks a lot like Apple’s system, Identifier for Advertising. In both cases, users can change their settings to limit tracking for advertising, but app makers keep finding ways around those restrictions. Facebook (FB), which can track user activity on any website that has a Like button, announced in June that it intends to ignore browsers’ do-not-track settings in order to better target ads. Its users can still opt out of some tracking by changing their browser settings at the website of the Digital Advertising Alliance, an industry group. Despite their new tracking methods, Apple, Google, and Facebook say they’re committed to making their data collection transparent and giving users control over their privacy settings."

Facebook, Google Go Beyond Cookies to Reap Data for Advertisers - Businessweek

Does Microsoft Need a Big Windows Unveiling at the End of September? - Digits - WSJ

Signs of the Microsoft times

"Financially, Windows is still hugely important to Microsoft — but not as much as it once was. The Microsoft division anchored by Windows generates about 20% of the company’s annual revenue, but Office and Microsoft’s software for servers and other back-office computing systems are each bigger revenue contributors. Even with a recent spark in sales, PCs are a minority of computing devices in the world; the 315 million or so PCs sold every year are dwarfed by the more than 1 billion smartphones sold annually.

The one-two punch of continual updates and shrinking relevance of PCs in the computing world mean new major releases of Windows don’t have the oomph they once had."

Does Microsoft Need a Big Windows Unveiling at the End of September? - Digits - WSJ

Samsung Nook Tablet Keeps Barnes & Noble's Hardware Alive, Sort of - Businessweek

Not exactly a warm welcome for the new Samsung tablet-based Nook

"The line of 7-inch tablets, largely given up for dead after the book chain failed to sell its hardware division and said it was abandoning the e-reader, embarked on a feeble afterlife of sorts on Wednesday in the form of a co-branded color Android tablet produced in partnership with electronics giant Samsung (005930:KS). The two companies unveiled their device at a media event in New York, adding to a market jammed with Android tablets and dominated by Apple’s (AAPL) iPad. The new Nook’s odds of success are long, which is unfortunate. Readers, authors, and book publishers—even mighty Amazon itself—desperately need a vibrant Nook."

Samsung Nook Tablet Keeps Barnes & Noble's Hardware Alive, Sort of - Businessweek

New Era in Safety When Cars Talk to One Another - NYTimes.com

Hopefully data privacy and security are top priorities

"Google may already be experimenting with its own driverless cars, but the technology being tested in this university town by a group of academic, industry and government researchers could be retrofitted into ordinary cars.  The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that vehicle-to-vehicle transmitters will add only about $350 to the total cost of a vehicle by 2020. The safety agency expects prices to fall as the mandate approaches, as has already happened with features like rearview cameras, which will be required in 2018. By the end of the decade, if all goes as planned, the typical American vehicle will be part of a network, constantly sharing information as it travels."

New Era in Safety When Cars Talk to One Another - NYTimes.com

Can cool Asus hybrid reheat tablet market? - Business - The Boston Globe

Another hybrid device permutation (smartphone + dumb tablet)

"You get a sleek, black Android phone with the usual high-end features. There’s a 5-inch screen, a quad-core processor, and a 13-megapixel camera that takes respectable photos — accurate color, but a bit grainy. The phone’s rear cover pops off to reveal a slot for adding up to 64 gigabytes of flash memory to the 16 gigs already built in. In all, it’s just another smartphone, no better than rival products from Samsung or HTC, but just about as good.

The Padfone X tablet features a high-resolution 9-inch screen, a pair of pretty good stereo speakers, a one-megapixel front-facing camera, and no brain at all. The tablet comes to life only when the phone is plugged in. The handset slides into a cradle built into the back of the tablet. The two pieces glide into place with an elegant, authoritative snap. In a second or two, the tablet lights up and gives you full access to the phone’s apps and services, as well as Android apps designed for tablet use."

Can cool Asus hybrid reheat tablet market? - Business - The Boston Globe

Uber’s Most Important Innovation Isn’t A Car Service: It’s the Pricing Algorithm | MIT Technology Review

James Surowiecki on Uber economics

"Uber’s most important innovation is the way it prices its services. But that innovation has not been unreservedly welcomed by customers. They’re wrong."

Uber’s Most Important Innovation Isn’t A Car Service: It’s the Pricing Algorithm | MIT Technology Review

Twitter now officially says your timeline is more than just tweets from people you follow - Quartz

Also see Twitter Pollutes The Timeline (TechCrunch); tangentially, see How Facebook Redesigns for a Billion Users (Bloomberg BusinessWeek)

"Facebook’s newsfeed only shows you a fraction of posts from your friends and reorders the posts based on how relevant they are to you. Twitter has traditionally shown you all tweets from people you follow in strict reverse chronological order. The new text makes clear that while that dynamic isn’t changing now, Twitter will also be adding tweets you might like.  Still, it’s a fundamental change in how Twitter works. And it’s probably a sign of things to come: Twitter must tweak things to drive growth, it has a new product lead running the show, and has promised many new “experiments” to follow."

Twitter now officially says your timeline is more than just tweets from people you follow - Quartz