From Afar The Spyglass Column November 2024Chrome AloneIf Google were to sell off Chrome, who would benefit? Anyone?SpyglassM.G. SieglerHas Apple “Finally Cracked It”?Apple Television... now, that’s a name I haven’t heard in a long time…SpyglassM.G. SieglerThe Vision Pro Starts to Come Into FocusWe’re starting to cook with fire. I’m writing this about the Vision Pro, in the Vision Pro. Which I really only did for a post or two for the novelty of it right after the device’s initial release. But now I’m doing it because it’s actually a good way toSpyglassM.G. SieglerNetflix’s Nickel on Apple TV’s DimeApple needs to tell us where to stream something -- even if it’s on Netflix.SpyglassM.G. SieglerBluesky is Twitter’s Heir ApparentSorry Threads, you blew it. In real-time.SpyglassM.G. SieglerThe Race for AI IndependenceAmazon, Apple, Google, Meta, and Microsoft all wish to break away from each other. As does OpenAI. With everyone needing to break free from NVIDIA.SpyglassM.G. SieglerApple Admits the ObviousThere’s no topping the iPhone. As a business, there may never be.SpyglassM.G. SieglerPaidPalsElon Musk will battle with Trump eventually. As Peter Thiel can attest.SpyglassM.G. SieglerThe Inner Ring 🔒Tim Apple, Engage!Apple seems poised to appeal to Donald Trump on their EU issues…SpyglassM.G. SieglerCan Barbie Break Netflix?More pressure is applied to Netflix’s anti-movie-theater stance…SpyglassM.G. SieglerOctober 2024Do You Feel In Charge?On bending the knee to Donald Trump…SpyglassM.G. SieglerThe Inner Ring 🔒Bezos Needs to Address the WaPo’s Broken BackThe decision is fine in a vacuum, the timing makes it anything but…SpyglassM.G. SieglerNetflix’s Next Backtrack: Movie TheatersAs growth naturally slows, Netflix needs to think bigger picture -- literallySpyglassM.G. SieglerApple Claps BackApple Intelligence is about to be an “every day” product, so it needs to be the “best”, fastSpyglassM.G. SieglerThe War of the AI RosesMicrosoft and OpenAI increasingly make strange bedfellows…SpyglassM.G. SieglerIs ‘Remarkable Alexa’ Ready for a Prime Time Debut?Does the “romantic” Kindle event offer a cupcake clue?SpyglassM.G. SieglerTesla’s Tomorrow Never KnowsCybercab is believing, but it needs to be being…SpyglassM.G. Siegler‘Submerged’ Plunges Us Into a Possible Spatial Movie FutureThe Edward Berger short film for Apple is good, but points to something great…SpyglassM.G. SieglerAnd Like That... He’s Gone.Some thoughts on Cullen Hoback’s new Satoshi Nakamoto docSpyglassM.G. SieglerVenture Capital’s “Crisis”A go-go decade morphs with opportunity and danger…SpyglassM.G. SieglerMicrosoft’s Awkward AIThere’s a Copilot for that…SpyglassM.G. SieglerApple Becomes the PupilSnap and Meta teach Apple a lesson…SpyglassM.G. SieglerThe Inner Ring 🔒September 2024The Art of the OpenAI DealThinking through their numbers and those deal terms…SpyglassM.G. SieglerThe Inner Ring 🔒Apple Knew Where the Puck Was Going, But Meta Skated ThereMeta’s “Orion” points to the vision of an Apple “Visor”…SpyglassM.G. SieglerThe Inner Ring 🔒The Pixel Fold Makes the iPhone Look OldGoogle figured out when to fold em -- Apple is still thinking on it…SpyglassM.G. SieglerAn AI Call to ArmsSam Altman wraps a plea in some grandiose (and vague) promises…SpyglassM.G. SieglerMeta’s Frenetic Connect KeynoteWeird pacing, awkward timing, cool products, and eternal optimism…SpyglassM.G. SieglerEvan Spiegel’s SpectacleSnap’s presentation was arguably more impressive than the product…SpyglassM.G. SieglerShould Microsoft Ride in to Save Intel?The white knight that once saved Apple can mount that steed again…SpyglassM.G. SieglerThe Inner Ring 🔒Apple Needs an Editor 2Repeating Steve Jobs’ old points of view is not an actual point of viewSpyglassM.G. SieglerDoes Microsoft Have an AI Problem?It’s early, but there sure is a lot of smoke billowing…SpyglassM.G. SieglerThe Inner Ring 🔒Apple Should Sign Howard Stern and Launch ‘Podcasts+’They may not care about podcasting, but they *do* care about Services…SpyglassM.G. SieglerThe Inner Ring 🔒August 2024ESPN’s Path to Be *the* Streaming Sports BundleIt’s not exactly “clear”, as Amazon may battle them along the way…SpyglassM.G. SieglerThe Inner Ring 🔒Mark Zuckerberg’s Goal is to Be Neutral in Not Being NeutralIs Meta going MAGA or GAGA?SpyglassM.G. SieglerGoogle Isn’t Lazy, It’s Timid. As It Sadly Must Be.Provocative soundbites aside, it’s obvious why Google isn’t OpenAI…SpyglassM.G. SieglerThe Inner Ring 🔒We Don’t Need Another iPod for Streaming TV, We Need An iTunesOne service to rule them all. And in the darkness, bind them.SpyglassM.G. SieglerReminder: What Actually Disrupted MicrosoftIt was not the Justice Department, despite the rhetoric this week…SpyglassM.G. SieglerOpenAI Generates More TurmoilIt’s probably time to change that non-profit structure for good…SpyglassM.G. SieglerDear ZuckThis shit is embarrassing…SpyglassM.G. SieglerThe Inner Ring 🔒July 2024Backing the WinnerAttention VCs: going for Trump is no longer the contrarian bet…SpyglassM.G. SieglerHow to Scale ParamountCan Skydance finally, actually bridge Silicon Valley and Hollywood?SpyglassM.G. SieglerThe Inner Ring 🔒Almost All A.I. Investments are Going to ZeroSeemingly every investor I talk to these days is struggling with the same basic thing: they believe AI is going to be one of the most transformative technologies of the past several decades – and perhaps ever – but they have almost no idea how to invest in the space. And yetSpyglassM.G. SieglerThe Inner Ring 🔒Love Cinemas, ActuallySaving movie theaters needs to be about more than nostalgia…SpyglassM.G. SieglerThe EU Plays ItselfThe DMA is the latest in the series of stupidity that will doom the regionSpyglassM.G. SieglerNothing Boring About OpenAI’s BoardApple’s role rescinded, Microsoft’s role renounced…SpyglassM.G. SieglerAbout That AI PC “Supercycle”Redmond, do we have a problem?SpyglassM.G. SieglerInventing the Future vs. Extrapolating ItWe predict obvious and silly things, but look right past the big ones…SpyglassM.G. SieglerEpic’s Poke-the-Bear StrategyEpic and Spotify sure seem to like to taunt Apple in front of the EU…SpyglassM.G. SieglerComparing Oranges to AppleForget MacBooks, the ‘Copilot+ PCs’ played themselves, quite literallySpyglassM.G. SieglerThe Real Life Bananaphone!Some thoughts on the Clicks physical iPhone keyboardSpyglassM.G. SieglerThreads is Thinking and Acting More in Real TimeWhich is great, but one year in, what needles Threads?SpyglassM.G. SieglerApple Set to be in the Room Where OpenAI HappensApple entering OpenAI’s boardroom is all sorts of interesting and wild!SpyglassM.G. SieglerAlmost All A.I. Investments are Going to ZeroSeemingly every investor I talk to these days is struggling with the same basic thing: they believe AI is going to be one of the most transformative technologies of the past several decades – and perhaps ever – but they have almost no idea how to invest in the space. And yetSpyglassM.G. SieglerTalking His Own FacebookMark Zuckerberg takes on the sinners in the hands of an AI GodSpyglassM.G. SieglerJune 2024Behold: the HackquisitionAn acquisition by any other name…SpyglassM.G. SieglerThe Entrapment of Apple 📧The EU would like Apple to roll out their products, just not their version of their productsSpyglassM.G. SieglerBeing Too Early Is Worse Than Being LateAmazon owned the AI assistant space -- until the space changedSpyglassM.G. SieglerThe Inner Ring 🔒The Netflixification of Russell CroweHollywood has morphed around the great actorSpyglassM.G. SieglerApple’s VisionCan a stripped-down, less expensive headset save ‘Spatial Computing’?SpyglassM.G. SieglerThe Race to Restore Content DistributionThe ActivityPub work being done by Ghost and others is getting compelling…SpyglassM.G. SieglerStick to Stick CombatApple and the EU enter the next phase of the DMA battle…SpyglassM.G. SieglerThe Vision Pro NoThe questions mount about the viability of Apple’s Next Big Thing™SpyglassM.G. Siegler‘OpenAI Original’Technically, Ilya Sutskever’s new startup is called ‘Safe Superintelligence’ but come on, this is anti-OpenAI.SpyglassM.G. SieglerAI DIVINENVIDIA becomes the most valuable company in the worldSpyglassM.G. SieglerThe Envy of EveryoneA 2017 profile of Jensen Huang is even more incredible in 2024SpyglassM.G. SieglerOf Tadpoles and TentpolesA 10 step plan to save the movie theater businessSpyglassM.G. SieglerThe Inner Ring 🔒The Problem *Was* Jon Stewart“There’s a mantra we all have to remember: Corporations are pussies.”SpyglassM.G. SieglerWith AI, is Apple Getting the Vapors?Dancing with the ‘vaporware’ devil…SpyglassM.G. SieglerCan Microsoft Build ‘Apple Intelligence’ in Reverse?The countdown to ‘Microsoft Intelligence’ feels on. Sorry, OpenAI.SpyglassM.G. SieglerThe Inner Ring 🔒Is Disney Forcing It?‘The Acolyte’ looks to be in trouble…SpyglassM.G. SieglerDid Apple Just End AI’s First Era?AI’s performance arms race yields to the product arms race…SpyglassM.G. SieglerThe Inner Ring 🔒Why So Siri-ous, IndeedHow new Siri parallels old Siri…SpyglassM.G. SieglerThe Voice Assistant Who Cried WolfCan Siri meet the moment this time?SpyglassM.G. SieglerApple’s Artificial Approach to ‘Apple Intelligence’Apple is doing “AI” their way, in ways likely good and well, TBDSpyglassM.G. SieglerRoaring PityHas the game stopped?SpyglassM.G. SieglerAs Apple AI Arrives, Will Wall Street Buy It? 📧‘Apple Intelligence’ is a good name, but it is a good narrative?SpyglassM.G. SieglerThe Impressively Infuriating M4 iPad ProPerhaps Apple’s best hardware, forced to use limited softwareSpyglassM.G. SieglerPeople at a PremiumAI will change Hollywood -- for the betterSpyglassM.G. SieglerThe Inner Ring 🔒NVIDIA’s Last Laugh with AppleNVIDIA hits $3T market cap and soars past AppleSpyglassM.G. SieglerInstagram Hijacks Your ScrollTo inject ads you cannot skip into your eyes. JFC.SpyglassM.G. SieglerCan NVIDIA Become Intel Faster Than Everyone Becomes NVIDIA?As money pours into AI, can NVIDIA stay ahead?SpyglassM.G. SieglerThe Inner Ring 🔒The Problem Apple Had with The Problem with Jon Stewart“The Daily Show” ratings surge where they didn’t for Apple…SpyglassM.G. SieglerMay 2024Will OpenAI Bite the Microsoft Hand That Feeds?A sense of tension between the two sides is inescapableSpyglassM.G. SieglerThe Inner Ring 🔒The Incredible Shrinking Movie TheaterHollywood keeps fighting the change needed in movie theaters, but it’s inevitableSpyglassM.G. SieglerReady or Not, Here Apple AI ComesWill slow but not fully steady win the race?SpyglassM.G. SieglerThe Inner Ring 🔒The Curious Case of ‘Furiosa’It’s both a good movie and a spectacle yet didn’t resonate in theatersSpyglassM.G. SieglerApple’s Rightfully Boring AI PlayApple is playing catch up, but doesn’t need to sprintSpyglassM.G. SieglerThe Overwhelming Chaos of AI is UnderwhelmingThe AI madness needs to settle to reach its potential -- and it willSpyglassM.G. SieglerThe Inner Ring 🔒Who Is She in ‘Her’?The curious case of Scarlett Johansson’s voice…SpyglassM.G. SieglerWithout Real Time Information, Threads is PointlessUnleash the feedsSpyglassM.G. SieglerThe Inner Ring 🔒The Problem is Safari for iPadProfessional users hunt for a Mac-like Safari…SpyglassM.G. SieglerMicrosoft’s Copilots with Qualcomm...to usher in Copilot+ PCs and take on AppleSpyglassM.G. SieglerOvation InflationWhat is going on at Cannes and *who* is counting?SpyglassM.G. SieglerThink: ThinA slimmer $1,500 ‘iPhone Ultra’SpyglassM.G. Siegler(Not) Sent From My iPad 📧The future of computing remains frustratingSpyglassM.G. SieglerMacOS on the iPad: A Compromiseor: You Are Not Your Fucking iPadSpyglassM.G. SieglerVenu, Hulu, Roku, VuduStreaming services have a name type, you might say…SpyglassM.G. SieglerComcast’s Bargain Bin Basement BundleStreamSaver! I cannot believe Apple and Netflix agreed to this name…SpyglassM.G. SieglerOpenAI Changes the Vocal Computing Game!No sarcasm, just enthusiasm for GPT-4oSpyglassM.G. SieglerThe Inner Ring 🔒GPT-4o & the End of ‘Her’Must AI life imitate art about AI?SpyglassM.G. SieglerThese Are Not Two Separate Devices...Apple leaves the door slightly ajar for an iPad running macOS…SpyglassM.G. SieglerThe GPT-4o AsteroidAlexa and Siri look towards the sky and see their doom…SpyglassM.G. SieglerThe Netflix Football LeagueThe inevitable marriage of the largest sport with the largest streamer…SpyglassM.G. SieglerA Crushing Blow 📧Apple needs to read the room in which they find themselves…SpyglassM.G. SieglerOur Streaming ShitshowDisney Lets a Hundred Bundles BlossomSpyglassM.G. SieglerAs the Apple Ternus...Might John Ternus succeed Tim Cook at Apple?SpyglassM.G. SieglerGive Me Back My Sunsets!The time Instagram wrongly banned me and threatened to destroy my life. “Oops. Our bad.”SpyglassM.G. SieglerApple Invents a Laptop with a TouchscreenThe new iPad Pro is awesome. And a bit silly.SpyglassM.G. SieglerThe Inner Ring 🔒The iPad Nano Air ProThoughts on Apple’s “Let Loose” iPad EventSpyglassM.G. SieglerNintendo’s Bait-and-SwitchWell, they just Osbourne’d the Switch... What now?SpyglassM.G. SieglerHis Dark MattersPearl Jam’s latest album mattersSpyglassM.G. SieglerMay the 4th, Rank the 4thThe ‘Star Wars’ movie rankings in 2024SpyglassM.G. SieglerDreaming of an ‘iPad Ultra’Apple, let us boot iPadOS or macOS on the iPadSpyglassM.G. SieglerApple’s AI Strategy, At Your Service 📧The relative calm before the “AI, AI, AI, AI, AI” storm…SpyglassM.G. SieglerWon’t Get Fooled AgainSome decidedly unhelpful thoughts about investing in AI startups…SpyglassM.G. SieglerThe Inner Ring 🔒What Are Hardware Companies Doing Here?MKBHD on the annoying trend of half-finished products launchingSpyglassM.G. SieglerApril 2024Oh, the Humanity of Vision ProApple really should have released the Vision Pro as a dev kitSpyglassM.G. SieglerThe Inner Ring 🔒I Think I’ve Seen This Film M4If you squint, you can see a path to an M4 iPad to boost Apple’s AI narrative leading up to WWDC…SpyglassM.G. SieglerAmazon’s Potential “Sportsnight”The NBA streaming deal seems smart -- I’m surprised Apple didn’t push harder for it.SpyglassM.G. SieglerIs AI Spend the New Streaming Spend?Wall Street loves to reward arms race spending -- until they don’t.SpyglassM.G. SieglerThe Inner Ring 🔒The Chilling of TikTokBan or not, this is the end of TikTok as we know itSpyglassM.G. SieglerLosing Sight of the Vision ProWith sales looking weak, what is Apple’s strategy here?SpyglassM.G. SieglerThe ‘Going Direct’ Bullshit DebateIt’s driven by AI and it’s all PR anyway…SpyglassM.G. SieglerThe Inner Ring 🔒Meta’s Quest Against AppleCan ‘Horizon OS’ be the Android to visionOS?SpyglassM.G. SieglerAn ‘iPhone E’ for ‘Emerging’The case to re-release the three-year-old iPhone models elsewhereSpyglassM.G. SieglerA Glimpse Into Modern News ConsumptionAt least via the Trump trial in NYC, which may not mean much -- still…SpyglassM.G. SieglerDisney Invents the TV ChannelWe’re working our way back to the cable bundle…SpyglassM.G. SieglerInto Thin AirchatWill the latest social thing be the next big thing?SpyglassM.G. SieglerThe Hard Thing About Hardware 📧Will the rise of AI lead to new consumer hardware?SpyglassM.G. SieglerAlexa, Are We Over?Amazon to Stop Paying Developers to Create Apps For AlexaAmazon.com Inc. will no longer pay developers to create applications for Alexa, scrapping a key element of the company’s effort to build a flourishing app store for its voice-activated digital assistant.BloombergMatt Day End of... well, something: Amazon.comSpyglassM.G. SieglerIMAX’s Big PictureFilm Fans Keep Splurging on Blockbusters in Imax, So Why Hasn’t Wall Street Gotten on Board?How Imax has quickly become the goldstandard in theatrical experiences.VarietyBrent Lang It’s easy to overthink it. With all the concerns about the future of cinemas – as in the actual buildings where youSpyglassM.G. Siegler‘Snow’ Show No MoreGame Of Thrones Jon Snow Spinoff Series No Longer In Development At HBO The Game of Thrones Jon Snow spinoff series is no longer in active development at HBO, Kit Harington confirms in an interview. Screen Rant Adam Bentz We will continue to know nothing... more about Jon Snow, itSpyglassM.G. SieglerMeta’s Only Slightly Better Than Burning Books Plan...How Tech Giants Cut Corners to Harvest Data for A.I. Meta debated buying a publisher like Simon & Schuster for AI training data... The New York Times Various There is a lot in this NYT report – bylined by five reporters: Cade Metz, Cecilia Kang, Sheera Frenkel, Stuart A. Thompson andSpyglassM.G. SieglerWhere is the Colorful MacBook?I’m not the least bit ashamed to admit that I hate April Fools Day. First, I’m someone who values high quality information above all else.1 Second, it’s stupid. Yes, I’m a grinch or whatever. I just don’t find any of the jokes – especially the jokes by tech companies – funny.SpyglassM.G. SieglerMarch 2024Apple’s Vision PROblemApple’s Immersive Video problemOn Thursday Apple debuted its first immersive video since the Vision Pro launched, a five-minute-long compilation of highlights from the MLS Cup playoffs late last year. Without even seeing the vid…Six Colors Earlier this week, Apple finally – and I do mean finally, it took themSpyglassM.G. SieglerA Decade Under the Influence of Satya NadellaExactly 10 years ago I sent the tweet above. First and foremost, it’s wild that it has been 10 years. So long ago, that they were still called “tweets”.1 Second, my god what a decade Satya Nadella and Microsoft have had. On that day, Microsoft held an event inSpyglassM.G. SieglerApple’s Practical FightAt its core, the DoJ’s case against Apple seemingly would seek to undo a lot of what makes the iPhone the iPhone. Which is equal parts worrisome, weird, and wild. And so at the highest level, of course Apple is going to fight back against this. At the same time,SpyglassM.G. SieglerLet’s Be Real About Consumer 📧The recent reports that BeReal is struggling with either a fundraise or growth or both, is a bummer. I have no actual information about the round or company – nor am I even a regular user (I had sort of been there/done that with Front/Back back in the day!SpyglassM.G. SieglerThis is Expensive CoffeeMicrosoft Agreed to Pay Inflection $650 Million While Hiring Its Staff Microsoft doesn’t want its plan to hire two of Inflection AI’s co-founders and most of its 70-person staff to be seen as an acquisition... The Information Jessica E. Lessin, Natasha Mascarenhas, & Aaron Holmes Just to follow-up onSpyglassM.G. SieglerQuick Thoughts on DoJ v. AppleU.S. Sues Apple, Alleges Tech Giant Exploits Illegal Monopoly The US DOJ sues Apple, alleging the company blocked its competitors from accessing iPhone features, made switching to non-Apple devices more difficult, and more... Techmeme Various Headlines With the very large caveats that I’m not a lawyer – let alone anSpyglassM.G. SieglerWill ‘The Acolyte’ Be Too Zealot or Just Right?“Whatever You Think The Acolyte Is, It’s Not”: Star Wars Series Creator Leslye Headland Revels in the First Teaser TrailerThe showrunner behind the Star Wars Original series, debuting June 4 on Disney+, talks about her film influences and love of Legends lore.Disney NewsKristin Baver Feels a little weirdSpyglassM.G. SieglerESPN’s Spaghetti-to-Wall Streaming StrategyESPN Boss Jimmy Pitaro’s Chaotic Race to Remake the Sports Giant Cable TV’s collapse is forcing the Disney property out of its comfort zone, from hiring risky talent to a streaming gambit that ticked off the NFL Isabella Simonetti & Robbie Whelan Just in case you were wondering whenSpyglassM.G. SieglerMaybe Not Everything Needs an App StoreOpenAI’s Chatbot App Store Is Off to a Slow Start Last fall, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman sought to capitalize on the raging success of ChatGPT by launching an app store... The Information Stephanie Palazzolo You get why everyone wants to build an “app store” – everyone wants to be aSpyglassM.G. SieglerWhat Was the Point of Inflection?Microsoft Hires DeepMind Co-founder Mustafa Suleyman from Inflection to Run Consumer AI He’s reporting to Satya Nadella and bringing on most staff from his Inflection AI startup... Techmeme Various Headlines So many questions about this Microsoft/Inflection deal. Wait a minute, strike that. There is no deal. Well, there maySpyglassM.G. SieglerA Bond for the (Correct) Ages?Aaron Taylor-Johnson Offered James Bond Role Reportedly will “sign contract this week” The Sun Howell Davies & Ellie Henman At last, some spy news on Spyglass. With the very real caveat that I’m linking to a UK tabloid (owned by News Corp) and that even they are couching this news withSpyglassM.G. SieglerTik-for-TokOnce More With Feeling: Banning TikTok Is Unconstitutional & Won’t Do Shit To Deal With Any Actual ThreatsOver the last few days, we’ve had a few posts about the latest attempt to ban TikTok in the US (and to people who say it’s only a divestiture bill: thereSpyglassM.G. SieglerFor Whom the Tik ToksTikTok Turns to Creators to Fight Possible Ban Dozens of popular figures on the app have traveled to Washington to urge lawmakers to oppose a bill that could result in the platform being blocked in the United States. NYT Sapna Maheshwari & Yiwen Lu Riddle me this: if you’re a Chinese-ownedSpyglassM.G. SieglerApple’s Trump CardApple finds itself in a weird spot at the moment. They long ago relinquished their beloved underdog status but now they’re nearing the full transition to “big baddie” in the eyes of many. “You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain,” and allSpyglassM.G. SieglerCable’s Continued CollapseMajor Pay TV Operators Shed 5 Million Subscribers in 2023 - TheWrapThe figure brings the industry’s total net losses in the past five years to over 20 million, according to Leichtman Research GroupTheWrapLucas Manfredi Everyone knows by now (finally – I wrote this almost a decade ago) that cable TVSpyglassM.G. SieglerApple’s “Oh Shit, We Fucked Up” Epic EU MomentEpic says Apple will reinstate developer account, clearing path for Epic Games Store on iPhone - 9to5MacAfter a whirlwind of events, Epic Games says Apple has reinstated their App Store developer account. The move clears the…9to5MacZac Hall Well, someone got to Apple. Either it was the EU or, perhapsSpyglassM.G. SieglerA Few Thoughts After Dune 2 ViewingsAnd now, I must repent. Last week, after my midnight viewing of Dune: Part 2 I noted that while this new film is great and an absolute spectacle, I felt as if I still liked the first film more. Well, I just watched it for a second time, at aSpyglassM.G. SieglerThe EU Fines Apple Which Apple Is Not Fine WithThe EU Commission Fines Apple €1.8B for Stifling Music Competition iPhone maker hit by first-ever Brussels fine as competition watchdogs step up scrutiny of Big Tech Techmeme Various Another day, another EU v. Apple situation. This fine, while more than triple what was expected, is not what matters here.SpyglassM.G. SieglerFebruary 2024Behold: The Apple TelevisionA revolutionary new productivity tool. A truly amazing gaming device. And an insanely great content viewer. These were not three separate products,1 but instead, the promise of one product: the Vision Pro. Unfortunately, at least for now, it sure feels like only the last of those experiences is theSpyglassM.G. SieglerApple Rings and ThingsApple Ponders Whether to Develop Smart Glasses, Fitness RingApple has explored the idea of developing new wearable devices — including a fitness ring, smart glasses and even AirPods with cameras — to broaden one of its most important business areas. Also: Hear the latest on a HomePod with a screen, Apple’sSpyglassM.G. SieglerVision Pro’s Inconvenient TruthIf you start me up If you start me up, I’ll never stop. The Rolling Stones song, incidentally the one used to launch Windows 95, is stuck in my head. Because it’s what I keep thinking about while trying to start using the Vision Pro. And I do mean “trying”SpyglassM.G. SieglerThere and Back Again, a San Francisco TaleTech Leaders Fled San Francisco During the Pandemic. Now, They’re Coming Back. Founders and investors who moved to Miami and elsewhere are returning to a boom in artificial intelligence and an abundance of tech talent. Wall Street Journal Berber Jin & Angel Au-Yeung San Francisco is back! In 3 toSpyglassM.G. SieglerXbox (Every) Where?The Verge had at least four articles focused on Microsoft’s Xbox announcement last week – there’s a joke in here somewhere about one for each of the whopping four games they’re bringing to other consoles – and upon reading each one, I still can’t quite parse what on Earth the strategy isSpyglassM.G. SieglerTrue Enough❗Warning: Spoilers ahead for True Detective: Night Country I loved, loved, loved the first season of True Detective.1 The second season was, as everyone knows, pretty bad, despite a great cast. The third season was better, but nothing that I can honestly say I remember too much about. TheSpyglassM.G. SieglerUber Wasn’t Worth $17B. True. It’s More Like $150B. And Rising.Uber Isn’t Worth $17 BillionEarlier this month, investors poured $1.2 billion into Uber, a tech company whose smartphone app connects taxi drivers to passengers. The share of the business …FiveThirtyEightAswath Damodaran One thing I’ve done for well over a decade: bookmark posts and takes that I find ridiculousSpyglassM.G. SieglerPeriod?Here we go again: “I don’t just think that Quest is the better value, I think Quest is the better product, period.” Look, I actually don’t disagree with Mark Zuckerberg’s overall stance here. Meta’s Quest, as it stands right now on February 13, 2024 is a better overall productSpyglassM.G. SieglerThe Stopgap Sports BundleNow that a couple days have passed since the seeming bombshell sports streaming announcement which would further blow up the cable bundle dropped, a slew of new little details have come along, as you might expect. First and foremost, the timing of that announcement was pretty clearly to get aheadSpyglassM.G. SieglerWhat a MessEarlier tonight, I joked about Bluesky moving up in my social media power rankings. To position number 4 of the 17 sites and services that I now need to update in order to reach the audience that has now completely dispersed since Xitter shit the bed. This is actually notSpyglassM.G. SieglerThe CrunchTechCrunch+ Termination Layoffs hit TechCrunch... Lux Capital Danny Crichton With the unfortunate news of layoffs at TechCrunch last week, this post attempts to look at the why – and in particular, what went wrong with “TechCrunch+”, the site’s premium tier. With the large caveat that I was at TechCrunch a decadeSpyglassM.G. SieglerLaptop Ban? In 2024? What About My Facetop?The year is 2024, and I’ve just been kicked out of a cafe for using a laptop. Well, technically I wasn’t kicked out, but rather was asked to put my laptop away because with the new year, they’ve decided to implement a no-laptop-policy. So I was effectively kicked out. ISpyglassM.G. SieglerJanuary 2024My 2024 iPhone HomescreenHistorically, I’ve used the start of the new year to post a screenshot of the homescreen of my iPhone. Each year, I’m late in doing so. And each year, I get asked when it’s coming. This year, I’m later than normal in doing so – sorry, I’ve been busy spinning upSpyglassM.G. SieglerLet’s Face ItHappy Vision Pro Week to those who celebrate. The device ships on Friday.1 But we can expect the first official reviews to drop tomorrow. Those will be an interesting read for sure. Normally, reviews of Apple products are entirely predictable. This is not a knock on anyone who doesSpyglassM.G. SieglerApple’s Deliciously Dripping with Disdain Press ReleaseEarlier today, I laid out why I thought Apple might end up taunting the EU with any changes they implement to comply with the Digital Markets Act (DMA) laws set to take effect in March. And after a roughly 30 minute honeymoon period when folks thought Apple may actually beSpyglassM.G. SieglerAn Ode to the Volume SwipeI said my second post would be another “meta” post, but I lied. The truth is that it’s late at night here in London and after a few hour delay launching this site earlier today (thanks for the help, Ghost), and during a “midnight feed” of a baby, I foundSpyglassM.G. Siegler