Beyond Devices Podcast

Jan Dawson and Aaron Miller

The Beyond Devices podcast is brought to you by Jan Dawson and Aaron Miller. Jan is the author of the Beyond Devices blog, as well as the owner and Chief Analyst at Jackdaw Research, a research and advisory firm focused on the consumer electronics market. Aaron is a business school professor, but in a past life ran one of the most popular iMovie blogs and co-authored several books in the iMovie: the Missing Manual series with David Pogue, and remains an avid follower of all things Apple. Jan can be found on Twitter at @jandawson, while Aaron is @aaronmiller. We welcome your feedback on any of our episodes or the podcast in general.

  1. Week 120 – BD Podcast News, State Of The Industry Discussion

    11/21/2017

    Week 120 – BD Podcast News, State Of The Industry Discussion

    Jan's taking on a new full-time job and stepping away from his role as an independent analyst, which means we're taking a bit of a break from the podcast after this episode, and will post less frequent episodes in future. With that context, we're in a contemplative mood and decided to make this episode a discussion about the state of the tech industry. We tackle a few distinct themes: the power of incrementalism in the face of a bias towards big inventions; the maturity of key markets and the market structures that's driving us to; changing competitive dynamics and the increasing power of a few big players; and the role that regulation might play in the future of the industry and changing all that. The show notes below include links to some of the things we mentioned on today's episode. • Jan's blog post about his job change: https://medium.com/beyond-devices/seventeen-years-an-analyst-a5e9d215b48c • Jan's last Techpinions post, on the state of the tech industry: https://techpinions.com/some-thoughts-on-the-state-of-the-tech-market/51643 • Vivint Smart Home website: https://www.vivint.com You can also find the Beyond Devices Podcast on iTunes (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/beyond-devices-podcast/id1002197313), in the Overcast app (https://overcast.fm/itunes1002197313/beyond-devices-podcast), or in your podcast app of choice. As ever, we welcome your feedback via Twitter (@jandawson / @aaronmiller), the website (podcast.beyonddevic.es), or email (jan@jackdawresearch.com).

    36 min
  2. Week 119 – NR – Snap Earnings, Twitter 280, IPhone X First Impressions

    11/10/2017

    Week 119 – NR – Snap Earnings, Twitter 280, IPhone X First Impressions

    We're back on our normal schedule for this week's News Roundup episode, and back to covering three distinct topics. This week those are: Snap's disappointing earnings and the proposed changes to the product and strategy there; Twitter's broader rollout of the 280 character limit and criticism over its use of user verification, and Aaron and Jan's first impressions of the iPhone X, which we've both been using for a few days now. The show notes below include links for the various stories we covered on today's episode. News stories we covered: • Snap Earnings Release: https://investor.snap.com/news-releases/2017/11-07-2017-211621749 • Jan's Snap analysis: https://techpinions.com/snapchats-strategic-failure/51554 • The Hard Thing About Hard Things – Ben Horowitz (Amazon affiliate link): http://amzn.to/2yoTsAV • Business Insider on Snap redesign plans: http://www.businessinsider.com/snapchat-redesign-planned-for-december-4-2017-11 • Twitter 280 blog post: https://blog.twitter.com/official/en_us/topics/product/2017/tweetingmadeeasier.html • Jony Ive Wallpaper interview: https://www.wallpaper.com/design/jony-ive-apple-park You can also find the Beyond Devices Podcast on iTunes (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/beyond-devices-podcast/id1002197313), in the Overcast app (https://overcast.fm/itunes1002197313/beyond-devices-podcast), or in your podcast app of choice. As ever, we welcome your feedback via Twitter (@jandawson / @aaronmiller), the website (podcast.beyonddevic.es), or email (jan@jackdawresearch.com).

    36 min
  3. Week 117 – NR – Amazon, Alphabet, Twitter, And Microsoft Earnings

    10/27/2017

    Week 117 – NR – Amazon, Alphabet, Twitter, And Microsoft Earnings

    This week's episode is entirely devoted to Q3 2017 earnings reports which were released this week from four big companies: Amazon, Alphabet, Twitter, and Microsoft. We talk through the highlights of each company's earnings, the strengths and weaknesses (and warning signs) and the broader competitive landscape around these companies. We'll likely do a deep dive on Apple earnings among other things in our next episode. The show notes below include links to all these stories on Tech Narratives and original sources as appropriate. News stories we covered: • Amazon earnings release: http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=97664&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=2311817 • Alphabet earnings release: https://abc.xyz/investor/pdf/2017Q3_alphabet_earnings_release.pdf • Twitter earnings release: http://files.shareholder.com/downloads/AMDA-2F526X/3731695548x0x961121/3D6E4631-9478-453F-A813-8DAB496307A1/Q3_17_Shareholder_Letter.pdf • Microsoft earnings release: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/Investor/earnings/FY-2018-Q1/press-release-webcast.. You can also find the Beyond Devices Podcast on iTunes (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/beyond-devices-podcast/id1002197313), in the Overcast app (https://overcast.fm/itunes1002197313/beyond-devices-podcast), or in your podcast app of choice. As ever, we welcome your feedback via Twitter (@jandawson / @aaronmiller), the website (podcast.beyonddevic.es), or email (jan@jackdawresearch.com).

    31 min
  4. Week 116 – NR – Samsung Dev Conf, Pixel 2 Reviews, Netflix Earnings, IPhone Rumors

    10/20/2017

    Week 116 – NR – Samsung Dev Conf, Pixel 2 Reviews, Netflix Earnings, IPhone Rumors

    On this week's News Roundup, we kick things off with Samsung's Developer Conference and the announcements the company made there, which were more strategic and big picture in nature than most of its hardware announcements. Secondly, we talk about the reviews for Google's Pixel 2 smartphones, which were published this week and were a surprisingly mixed bag, especially with regard to the displays on the larger phones. Third, we cover Netflix's earnings, which kicked of the Q3 earnings season earlier this week, and lastly we talk about the two big sets of iPhone supply and sales rumors currently floating around. The show notes below include links to all these stories on Tech Narratives and original sources as appropriate. News stories we covered: • Samsung Developer Conference: Jan's piece on Techpinions: https://techpinions.com/samsung-aims-for-connected-thinking-at-developer-conference/51364 Samsung press releases: http://www.samsungmobilepress.com/sdc2017 • Pixel 2 Reviews: Techmeme roundup: https://www.techmeme.com/171017/p8#a171017p8 Debunking piece: https://hackernoon.com/debunking-misinformation-about-the-pixel-2-xls-display-6fa4dfbdd304 • Netflix earnings: https://ir.netflix.com/results.cfm. The piece I wrote about shutting down Tech Narratives (and about my other work) is here: https://medium.com/beyond-devices/making-some-changes-26a42ee196c1 You can also find the Beyond Devices Podcast on iTunes (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/beyond-devices-podcast/id1002197313), in the Overcast app (https://overcast.fm/itunes1002197313/beyond-devices-podcast), or in your podcast app of choice. As ever, we welcome your feedback via Twitter (@jandawson / @aaronmiller), the website (podcast.beyonddevic.es), or email (jan@jackdawresearch.com).

    36 min
  5. Week 115 – NR – Oculus, Apple:Spielberg, Movies Anywhere, Snapchat Context Cards, Twitter

    10/13/2017

    Week 115 – NR – Oculus, Apple:Spielberg, Movies Anywhere, Snapchat Context Cards, Twitter

    This week's episode kicks off with a discussion of Netflix's price increases, and the context and reason for those. Next, we do a deep dive on Google's event this week and all that it announced, from new Pixel phones to new members of the Home family and a few other products also unveiled. Lastly, we talk about the other event that happened on Wednesday this week, the launch of the first voice-enabled speaker from Sonos. The show notes below include links to all these stories on Tech Narratives and original sources as appropriate. News stories we covered: • Oculus: Jan's Take on Tech Narratives ($): https://www.technarratives.com/2017/10/11/★-oculus-announces-199-standalone-headset-other-hardware-and-software-news/ Oculus: https://www.oculus.com/blog/pioneering-the-frontier-of-vr-introducing-oculus-go-plus-santa-cruz-updates/ • Apple/Spielberg: Jan's Take on Tech Narratives ($): https://www.technarratives.com/2017/10/10/apple-signs-deal-for-reboot-of-spielbergs-1980s-series-amazing-stories/ Wall Street Journal: https://www.wsj.com/articles/apple-signs-content-deal-with-steven-spielberg-1507656455 • Movies Anywhere: Jan's Take on Tech Narratives ($): https://www.technarratives.com/2017/10/12/disney-warner-sony-21st-cf-universal-join-movies-anywhere-digital-locker-service/ Variety: http://variety.com/2017/digital/news/movies-anywhere-launches-with-joint-studio-backing-1202587915/ • Snapchat Context Cards: Jan's Take on Tech Narratives ($): https://www.technarratives.com/2017/10/10/★-snapchat-adds-context-cards-for-ride-sharing-restaurant-booking-other-services/ Snap: https://www.snap.com/en-US/news/post/introducing-context-cards/ Jan's Techpinions piece: https://techpinions.com/google-and-the-disintermediation-of-search/51316 • Twitter Abuse: Jan's Takes on Tech Narratives ($): https://www.technarratives.com/2017/10/12/twitter-demonstrates-its-inconsistency-in-policing-abuse-again/ https://www.technarratives.com/2017/10/13/prominent-women-launch-twitter-boycott-on-friday-over-abuse-issues/ TechCrunch: https://techcrunch.com/2017/10/12/twitter-breaks-silence-on-mcgowan-suspension/ USA Today: https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/news/2017/10/12/rose-mcgowans-harvey-weinstein-tweets-got-her-suspended-fromsome-women-and-men-pledge-boycott-twitte/760130001/ You can also find the Beyond Devices Podcast on iTunes (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/beyond-devices-podcast/id1002197313), in the Overcast app (https://overcast.fm/itunes1002197313/beyond-devices-podcast), or in your podcast app of choice. As ever, we welcome your feedback via Twitter (@jandawson / @aaronmiller), the website (podcast.beyonddevic.es), or email (jan@jackdawresearch.com).

    32 min
  6. Week 114 – NR – Netflix Prices, Google Launch, Sonos Event

    10/06/2017

    Week 114 – NR – Netflix Prices, Google Launch, Sonos Event

    This week's episode kicks off with a discussion of Netflix's price increases, and the context and reason for those. Next, we do a deep dive on Google's event this week and all that it announced, from new Pixel phones to new members of the Home family and a few other products also unveiled. Lastly, we talk about the other event that happened on Wednesday this week, the launch of the first voice-enabled speaker from Sonos. The show notes below include links to all these stories on Tech Narratives and original sources as appropriate. News stories we covered: • Netflix Price Increases: Tech Narratives (free post): https://www.technarratives.com/2017/10/05/★-netflix-to-raise-prices-for-two-of-three-tiers-of-service/ Mashable: http://mashable.com/2017/10/05/netflix-raising-prices-again/ • Google Launch: Pixel Phones: Tech Narratives ($): https://www.technarratives.com/2017/10/04/★-google-announces-pixel-2-smartphones/ Techmeme: http://www.techmeme.com/171004/p30#a171004p30 Home Devices: Tech Narratives ($): https://www.technarratives.com/2017/10/04/★-google-announces-larger-and-smaller-home-devices-new-software-features/ Techmeme: http://www.techmeme.com/171004/p30#a171004p30 Other Announcements: Tech Narratives ($): https://www.technarratives.com/2017/10/04/google-launches-premium-chromebook-earbuds-ai-powered-camera/ Techmeme: http://www.techmeme.com/171004/p21#a171004p21 Jan's Techpinions column: https://techpinions.com/google-is-clearly-serious-about-hardware-but-not-about-selling-phones/51272 • Sonos Event: Tech Narratives (free post): https://www.technarratives.com/2017/10/04/★-sonos-launches-first-voice-speaker-adds-alexa-support-for-older-devices/ Sonos: http://press-us.sonos.com/159680-sonos-unveils-smart-speaker-with-support-for-multiple-voice-services You can also find the Beyond Devices Podcast on iTunes (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/beyond-devices-podcast/id1002197313), in the Overcast app (https://overcast.fm/itunes1002197313/beyond-devices-podcast), or in your podcast app of choice. As ever, we welcome your feedback via Twitter (@jandawson / @aaronmiller), the website (podcast.beyonddevic.es), or email (jan@jackdawresearch.com).

    35 min
  7. Week 113 – NR – Amazon Event, Twitter 280, Ecosystem Wars, Google Shopping, Google Event Preview

    09/29/2017

    Week 113 – NR – Amazon Event, Twitter 280, Ecosystem Wars, Google Shopping, Google Event Preview

    Aaron is traveling this week, so this is a solo episode from Jan, which means it covers a little more ground than usual. We kick things off with the Amazon event this week and how to think about the announcements made there. Secondly, Jan talks about Twitter's test of a 280-character limit for tweets, whether it's a good idea, and what else it should be doing as well (or instead). Thirdly, we touch on a theme in the news this week, which is ecosystem wars between Amazon, Apple, and Google, and a variety of movements that were signaled by the various players over the last few days. Fourth, Jan talks about recent developments in Google's EU Shopping case, and lastly he shares his thoughts on next week's Google hardware event, and what we might see there. The show notes below include links to all these stories on Tech Narratives and original sources as appropriate. News stories we covered: • Amazon Event: Tech Narratives ($): https://www.technarratives.com/2017/09/27/★-amazon-matures-echo-line-updates-and-lowers-price-on-fire-tv/ Amazon: http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=176060&p=irol-newsconsumer&nyo=0 Jan's Techpinions column: https://techpinions.com/amazon-matures-its-echo-lineup/51196 • Twitter 280: Tech Narratives ($): https://www.technarratives.com/2017/09/26/★-twitter-tests-expanding-limit-to-280-characters-in-most-languages/ Twitter: https://blog.twitter.com/official/en_us/topics/product/2017/Giving-you-more-characters-to-express-yourself.html • Ecosystem Wars: Apple/Google: Tech Narratives ($): https://www.technarratives.com/2017/09/25/★-apple-switches-search-back-end-for-safari-and-siri-to-google-from-bing/ TechCrunch:https://techcrunch.com/2017/09/25/apple-switches-from-bing-to-google-for-siri-web-search-results-on-ios-and-spotlight-on-mac/ Apple/Amazon: Tech Narratives ($): https://www.technarratives.com/2017/09/26/amazon-begins-selling-apple-tv-hardware-again/ TechCrunch: https://techcrunch.com/2017/09/26/the-apple-tv-is-back-on-amazon/ Amazon/Google: Tech Narratives (free post): https://www.technarratives.com/2017/09/27/google-pulls-youtube-from-amazons-echo-show-device/ The Verge: https://www.theverge.com/2017/9/26/16371292/google-youtube-amazon-echo-show • Google Shopping: Tech Narratives ($): https://www.technarratives.com/2017/09/27/google-officially-begins-rolling-out-european-shopping-search-changes/ WSJ: https://www.wsj.com/articles/google-rolls-out-search-shopping-ad-changes-in-europe-1506528301 You can also find the Beyond Devices Podcast on iTunes (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/beyond-devices-podcast/id1002197313), in the Overcast app (https://overcast.fm/itunes1002197313/beyond-devices-podcast), or in your podcast app of choice. As ever, we welcome your feedback via Twitter (@jandawson / @aaronmiller), the website (podcast.beyonddevic.es), or email (jan@jackdawresearch.com).

    27 min
5
out of 5
9 Ratings

About

The Beyond Devices podcast is brought to you by Jan Dawson and Aaron Miller. Jan is the author of the Beyond Devices blog, as well as the owner and Chief Analyst at Jackdaw Research, a research and advisory firm focused on the consumer electronics market. Aaron is a business school professor, but in a past life ran one of the most popular iMovie blogs and co-authored several books in the iMovie: the Missing Manual series with David Pogue, and remains an avid follower of all things Apple. Jan can be found on Twitter at @jandawson, while Aaron is @aaronmiller. We welcome your feedback on any of our episodes or the podcast in general.