Beyond Devices Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Episode 66 – Conflict Minerals, The De-Democratization of Publishing Oct 12, 2016

Show notes

Our News Roundup returns this week with three topics: first off, the latest installment of the Samsung Galaxy Note7 saga; secondly, Amazon's launch of two new streaming music services and the implications for the sector; and thirdly, the figures on iOS 10 adoption and what they tell us. Our Question of the Week is "What is the human impact of mineral sourcing in consumer electronics?" Aaron talks us through the meaning and significance of the phrase "conflict minerals", but he also explains the latest reporting from the Washington Post on two additional minerals used in consumer devices: cobalt and graphite. We talk about the implications of all this for device manufacturing, as well as what we as consumers can do about it. Our third segment is a discussion of a topic Jan writes about this week for Techpinions, which he refers to as the de-democratization of online publishing. Essentially, new platforms such as Google's AMP, Facebook Instant Articles, and Apple news make it harder for smaller publishers to have their voices heard. We also talk about the broader changes in publishing and media, especially in the current presidential election cycle in the US. We wrap up the episode with a Weekly Pick, which this week is a movie recommendation from Jan.Dawson@ovum.com As usual, you’ll find some links to related content as well as other ways to listen to the podcast on the website at podcast.beyonddevic.es.

Episode 65 – Google Assistant, Pixel, and Home Oct 07, 2016

Show notes

This week's episode dispenses with our usual format and focuses exclusively on Google's event. We kick off the episode with a discussion about Google's AI message and the Google Assistant, and the role of AI in differentiation, both for Google services and the new hardware. We then discuss the Pixel phones, the positioning, the strategy, and the devices themselves. Lastly, we talk about Google Home and its entry into a market currently dominated by Amazon, and its prospects there. As usual, you’ll find some links to related content as well as other ways to listen to the podcast on the website at podcast.beyonddevic.es.

Episode 64 – Demystifying Snapchat, Consumer Tech in Enterprise Sep 28, 2016

Show notes

Our News Roundup this week covers BlackBerry's announcement that it will stop making its own hardware; Twitter's announcement that the creation of Moments is now open to everyone, in addition to the ongoing rumors of a Twitter acquisition; and Elon Musk's plans to colonize Mars in the coming decades through his SpaceX company. Our Question of the Week is "What is Snapchat?" We've discussed Spotify once or twice before on the podcast, but this is a deeper dive than we've done before, and seeks to address this question from at least a couple of angles, namely Snapchat as an app, and Snapchat (now Snap Inc.) as a company. We discuss how Spotify actually works, and how its features have evolved over time. But we also talk about the company's evolving conception of itself, and the way its founders have described the app and the company since its launch five years ago. And of course we do all this in the context of the launch of Snap's Spectacles over the weekend. Our third segment is a discussion of a series of related moves by what are ostensibly consumer technology companies into the enterprise. We talk about Apple's new partnership with Deloitte around business process transformation, as well as Facebook at Work, which is expected to be released more broadly next week, and why these companies seem to feel the pull to participate in the business world. Our Weekly Pick is a series of books recommended by Aaron. As usual, you’ll find some links to related content as well as other ways to listen to the podcast on the website at podcast.beyonddevic.es.

Episode 63 – Research on Product Recalls, iPhone 7 & Watch 2 Review Sep 22, 2016

Show notes

Our News Roundup this week covers the reports that Apple has been considering an investment in or outright acquisition of British supercar manufacturer McLaren; the release of Google's Allo messaging app; and Comcast's announcement that it will finally launch its long-rumored cellular wireless service sometime in 2017. Our Question of the Week this week is "What can the research on past product recalls teach us about the Samsung Galaxy Note7 recall?" We've talked several times previously about Samsung's recall of the Note7, but this week Aaron spent some time looking at the history of product recalls and reading some of the academic research on the topic with a view to understand a couple of things. Firstly, we talk about what the history suggests about how Samsung will be impacted by the recall, and secondly we discuss the general lessons for product recalls that come out of the research. Our third segment is a review of the new iPhone 7 Plus and Watch Series 2, both of which Jan has been using for the past five days or so. This builds on the meta-review we did last week of all the published reviews of both products. Our Weekly Pick is a set of iPhone apps recommended by Jan. As usual, you’ll find some links to related content as well as other ways to listen to the podcast on the website at podcast.beyonddevic.es.

Episode 62 – Verily Overview, iPhone Reviews Review Sep 14, 2016

Show notes

Our News Roundup this week covers the ongoing fallout from the Samsung Galaxy Note7 battery problems; the story that Amazon is going to be experimenting with a 30-hour work week for some of its employees; and the expansion of comment filtering functionality to all users by Instagram. We discuss each of these topics for a few minutes and talk about the context and implications. We'll likely do a Question of the Week next week on consumer product recalls using the Note7 recall as a jumping-off point. Our Question of the Week this week is "What is Verily and what does it do?" This question builds on a piece Jan wrote for Techpinions Insiders contrasting Alphabet and Apple's approaches to the healthcare space, with Verily being Alphabet's Life Sciences subsidiary (formerly Google Life Sciences). We talk through what Verily is, who runs it, what it's intended to accomplish, its internal projects and its partnerships with other organizations, and lastly how it's perceived within the broader life sciences community. It's a fascinating business and we both learned a lot from doing this segment. Our third segment is a discussion of the reviews for the iPhone 7 and Apple Watch Series 2, which will be available for sale on Friday, as well as a brief discussion of iOS and watchOS 3, which were released to the general public this week. Our Weekly Pick is a TV show recommendation from Aaron. As usual, you’ll find some links to related content as well as other ways to listen to the podcast on the website at podcast.beyonddevic.es.

Episode 61 – Apple September 2016 Event Sep 07, 2016

Show notes

This week's episode is entirely taken up with a discussion of Apple's September 2016 iPhone and Apple Watch event. Jan attended in person and Aaron watched remotely, and we recorded this discussion a couple of hours after the conclusion of the event while Jan was still in San Francisco. We talked about the event in the order in which it unfolded, with the first 10 minutes of our discussion devoted to Tim Cook's various up-front "Updates" and then an in-depth discussion of the Apple Watch Series 2 and iPhone 7. Jan refers to several videos he captured of demos in the hands-on area, which you can find links to at podcast.beyonddevic.es.

Episode 60 – Social Media Insights, Apple Event Preview Sep 01, 2016

Show notes

In our News Roundup this week, we talk about the EU's action against Apple with regard to its Irish tax arrangements; Facebook's firing of the editors who used to handle its Trending Topics section, and the somewhat predictable results; and the news from the first day of German tech trade show IFA, which kicked off on Wednesday. Our Question of the Week this week is a little different, in that instead of asking each other questions as we usually do, we've brought a guest on. Alison Faulkner is the creator of the Alison Show, who's an event producer, a writer and an Instagram and social media personality. We had Alison on because she knows far more about social media and making money on social media than either of us do (she has over 80,000 Instagram followers and 15,000 YouTube subscribers, among other things). Aaron interviewed Alison – who happens to be a neighbor of his – and asked her about what she does, how she does it, and the business of social media. Our third segment is a preview of Apple's event next week, at which it's expected to unveil the iPhone 7 and Apple Watch 2. We round up the various rumors and reports of what will be announced, add our own predictions, and talk about the importance of how Apple positions some of the expected changes, including the removal of the 3.5mm headphone jack, new cameras, and more. Lastly, we wrap up with a Weekly Pick, which is a movie recommendation from Jan. As usual, you’ll find some links to related content as well as other ways to listen to the podcast on the website at podcast.beyonddevic.es.

Episode 59 – Tim Cook's 5 Years, Intel IDF Announcements Aug 24, 2016

Show notes

Our News Roundup this week covers the Backchannel article about Apple's AI efforts; Spotify, Amazon, and Pandora's attempts to negotiate new rights deals with music labels; and the shutdown of John Gruber's Vesper note-taking app for iOS (and what it says about the state of the App Store and the app economy more broadly). Our Question of the Week is "How should we view Tim Cook's first five years as Apple CEO?" and builds off the blog post Jan did this week with lots of charts comparing Apple at the beginning and end of Tim Cook's first five years. We talk about how Apple has changed, what Tim Cook has done differently (notably increasing R&D spend), and his biggest successes and failures during his time as CEO. There's a link to the post in the show notes for today's episode. Our third segment is a discussion of Intel's announcements from its big developer event last week. We talk about the emphasis on specialized silicon and non-traditional devices for Intel, the focus on sensors and their many applications, and the licensing deal with ARM, among other things. Lastly, we wrap up with a Weekly Pick, which is a personal hygiene recommendation from Aaron. As usual, you’ll find some links to related content as well as other ways to listen to the podcast on the website at podcast.beyonddevic.es.

Episode 58 – Unsticking Twitter, What We Use Aug 18, 2016

Show notes

Our News Roundup this week covers the Samsung Note7 reviews that came out this week; Google's launch of its Duo video calling app for Android and iOS; and Apple's announcement of an R&D center in China. Our Question of the Week is "Why does Twitter seem stuck, and how can it unstick itself?" Jan answers questions about what makes Twitter seem stuck, from its user growth to monetization in the US to its product; why Twitter seems to be executing so slowly on its strategic priorities; and what Twitter can and should do to fix itself and get past its current stagnation. Our third segment is a bit of a departure from our usual pattern, in that it's just us talking about the technology – hardware, software, and services – that we use in our daily work and personal lives. Lastly, we wrap up with a Weekly Pick, which is a book recommendation from Aaron. As usual, you can find relevant links and other ways to listen to the podcast on the website at podcast.beyonddevic.es.

Episode 57 – Business Ethics, Verizon-Yahoo Acquisition Aug 10, 2016

Show notes

We're back to our usual format this week, with a News Roundup, Question of the Week, and a third topic, as well as a Weekly Pick. In our News Roundup, we cover what's been happening with Nintendo's share price recently, this week's reports about Apple devices due in the fall, and the acquisition of Jet.com by Wal-Mart. Our Question of the Week this week is a little unusual in that it's focused on a new book of which Aaron is a co-author, on the subject of business ethics. We talk about the book but also about ethics in business more generally, and some tech-specific examples, as well as discussing why we should be ethical in the first place. Our third topic is the recently announced acquisition of the core Yahoo internet business by Verizon, which had previously acquired AOL. This week's Weekly Pick is a movie recommendation from Jan. As always, you can find relevant links and other ways to listen to the podcast on the website at podcast.beyonddevic.es.

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