Jithin RK

Apple has a strong AR strategy in play by providing developers a head start with the rollout of ARKit, but the only missing piece of the puzzle is a solid AR experience on iOS (rumoured hardware aside).

Pokemon Go just launched in the UK and definitely stands alongside Hearthstone for me. What makes both inherently attractive as games is the strong cultural tie-in and familiarity with the story/characters - that helps draw users in quickly (65M on PG in a week and counting!). With Pokemon Go though, the potential steps beyond just being a game to being a platform where small businesses can potentially attract and build a relationship with a younger audience (think, Groupon and Foursquare?).

I have been looking at developments around drone related experiences and how its been defining a consumer category for itself. A couple of thoughts to share:

Increased drone adoption has been a result of more off-the-shelf products in the last four years. This implies a shift in focus from tinkerers and hobbyists playing with DIY kits to enabling people to do more with a drone if they have a purpose.

Drones received much media attention when Amazon announced the Prime Air service. The timing of the service was perfect with the push around new ways to be mobile as we near 2020.

To add to all the limelight drones have received so far, what has increased adoption of drones in the last year or so is the number of social media channels facilitating footage from one - Instagram-ers (?) and YouTubers have popularised interesting new perspectives making it more a cultural phenomenon that appeals to a larger audience. The video link above is a great example of how consuming that content as an amateur photographer makes me want to give it a go. Users create and inspire others who aren’t early in that adoption curve, and the cycle continues. We are perhaps smoothly transitioning into the early majority phase now, and its only a matter of time before the ‘early adopter tax’ goes away.

All that said, I think discussions around drones will also begin to see a gradual shift from companies ‘employing’ drones for a single purpose to one where individuals are able to extract more value from it.

In effect, NASA achieved to throw a tiny object through 1.7 billion miles of space into an area that is only about tens of kilometers wide. It’s like throwing a basketball from London to New York and managing to hit the backboard perfectly to land the ball in the basket.

Two things come to mind immediately:

Does it make sense for Netflix to build its own dedicated hardware now?

I dig this a lot, and if anything it’s made me want to trade in my Xbox One while I can still get the most credit for it. Why not?

While users wonder why they need an Xbox if the games run on their PCs, it makes absolute sense in the context of bringing in more non-Microsoft users onboard. I sort of liken Microsoft’s move here to Amazon and how it’s created a niche but loyal audience through the e-ink Kindles. The Xbox is a product for an audience that wants to “only” game. If I were a Mac user, I may still consider an Xbox because I can have a no-frills gaming experience. Steam and the other gaming platforms have a bigger problem to deal with then?

But think about how valuable a customer I’ve become for Microsoft in this scenario. I’m buying my games through the official Microsoft store on Windows 10, when I used to do everything in my power to avoid that.

The longer you can keep a founder in the role of being the leader of the company, the better.

... we were the first to come up with a microprocessor—the ARM—that enabled you to do object-oriented programming like you had on the Macintosh, but on a handheld device.

The implications are far reaching today if Apple decided to 'rethink' the way we create software.

"... (Bill and Steve talked about making) the individual incredibly productive, and they would change the world one person at a time."

We program them to understand our values. They make decisions that reflect our values. The decisions frighten us. What does that mean?

A positive ray of hope in all that sadness Ebola has thrown at us in the last few months.