Mobile Forward

Quality Products and Recurring Revenue: Variations on a Theme

From focus, to fundamentals, to financials:

I have two quotes up on my wall: One is mine, “Quality and consistency creates the addiction.” Zane Lowe Talks […] (Jem Aswad; Billboard)

Apple is perceived as a hit-driven business. That’s not as attractive as a business that collects rent. Of course, the logic has not sunk in that having 1 billion loyal customers is a recurring revenue business. Devices are a recurring revenue model too. Not yet appreciated as perception lags from consumer electronics era. Horace Dediu, on Twitter. (First, second, third Tweet.)

Sprint unveiled Monday a new leasing plan called iPhone Forever that starts at $22 a month for an iPhone, in addition to the monthly service fee. Customers can upgrade to the latest iPhone each year as soon as it is available. That is an improvement over Sprint’s current leasing offer, which only lets customers upgrade to a new iPhone every two years. Sprint to Abandon Two-Year Contracts (Ryan Knutson, WSJ)

Market Scan Highlights: 2015-05-17

Screen Shot 2015-05-17 at 6.11.23 AM

Highlights from this week’s Market Scan. Read it here. Subscribe here.

  • China wireless carriers to slash contract prices, could spur 4G boom (Reuters)
  • MediaTek aims to go head-to-head with Qualcomm in high-end chips using Helio X20 platform (FierceWireless)
  • Amazon VP: ‘Anyone working on NFC is focusing on last century’s problem’ (Mashable)
  • Apple: Top Israeli Tech Exec says Apple’s 700 Israeli-based Engineers Mainly Work on New Chip Designs (Patently Apple)
  • Xiaomi coming to U.S., U.K., France and Germany with accessories to sell (Phone Arena)
  • Microsoft: Cortana for all: Microsoft’s plan to put voice recognition behind anything (Ars Technica)
  • Microsoft will bypass carriers, push Windows 10 updates directly to phones (PC World)
  • Samsung reveals a few facts about its round Gear smartwatch (Engadget)

Market Scan Highlights

Peruse the whole thing here (it’s easy). Some highlights, with my comments.

1. Microsoft will bundle its apps on Cyanogen’s Android OS (The Verge)

  • Raises Cyanogen’s credibility, visibility, and viability. Seems like low risk for Microsoft… no?

2. Apple Acquires Array Camera Developer LinX (Image Sensors World)

  • Neat improvement in quality (see link). Looks like Samsung and LG couldn’t afford the price. Apple doing more and more with Israeli co’s. Amazing high tech density.

3. Apple Invents a Simple Voice Command to unlock your iPhone (Patently Apple)

  • Yes, it’s just a patent. But more and more dots point toward “always on voice” coming to Apple products. At least that’s what Amazon Echo tells me.

4. Apple to equip next iPhone with Force Touch technology (DigiTimes)

  • You’d heard that, I know. But the article mentions other vendors using the technology, in 2016.

5. Samsung “will focus its efforts on flexible smartphone units” in 2015 (DigiTimes)

  • Just good to watch this topic.

6. Xiaomi Finds Themselves On The Receiving End Of Counterfeit Products (Ubergizmo)

  • Oh, the irony.

[Read more…]

Mobile Forward

About
A
Contact

Categories

Recent Posts

Support MF

Subscribe

Follow MF

Twitter
A
RSS
A
By Email