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Kickstarter Claps Back Against Unionization Attempts
On Tuesday, a bunch of Kickstarter employees went public with their efforts to unionize under the name Kickstarter United. But senior employees are fighting.
We believe this effort to unionize is the result of consistent issues with internal communications. We hope well-intentioned, good faith dialogue with executives and a specific list of issues from unsatisfied coworkers can get us to a better place. We want to give this a try before resorting to something as extreme as a union.
The statement is from an internal memo circulated among the company, and lists various reasons against the union.
NYT vs Apple News, Apple's 30 Percent – TMO Daily Observations 2019-03-22
Bryan Chaffin and Charlotte Henry join host Kelly Guimont to chat about the lack of NYT in Apple News and Apple’s share of app transactions.
Apple Music Browse Tab Redesigned
A redesign of the Apple Music Browse section is rolling out. You’ll see more content up front so you won’t have to tap as much.
Air Power Could be Here by the End of March
Air Power, Apple’s much speculated upon charging mat, could be with us by the end of March 2019. That is according to a report in DigitTimes. As MacRumors pointed out, the publication has a mixed record on predicting Apple releases. However, it does feel like a launch is getting nearer. There was even an updated picture of the product hidden in the new Air Pods page.
The report cites unnamed “industry sources” within Apple’s supply chain: ‘Lite-On Semiconductor, a maker of discrete and analog IC components, is expected to see its second-quarter revenues register a double-digit sequential growth as it will soon kick off volume shipments of GPP (glass passivated package) bridge rectifiers needed for Apple’s wireless charger AirPower, according to industry sources. The sources said that Apple’s AirPower wireless charger for iPhones, Apple Watch and AirPods is set to be officially launched in late March, which will significantly drive up Lite-On’s revenues for the second quarter of 2019.’ There are 10 days remaining in March including today.
Apple Music Live Announced for Italy
It may not be a rebirth of iTunes Music Festival, but Apple has announced a live concert series to be held in Italy called Apple Music Live.
Vox to be Part of Apple’s News Subscription Service
Explainer site Vox will join the Wall Street Journal on Apple’s premium news service, set to be unveiled next week.
New York Times CEO Explains Apple News Decision
Mark Thompson, president and CEO of The New York Times, explained in an interview his decision not to join the Apple News subscription.
We tend to be quite leery about the idea of almost habituating people to find our journalism somewhere else. We’re also generically worried about our journalism being scrambled in a kind of Magimix (blender) with everyone else’s journalism.
So far Apple hasn’t been able to convince either The New York Times or Washington Post. However, it sounds like the Wall Street Journal will be a player.
Apple Wants to Sell Other’s Subscriptions, Not Launch a Netflix Competitor. For Now.
Apple will not be launching a Netflix competitor on Monday. That is according to Re/Code’s Peter Kafka. He reported that instead, the company will be looking to increase service revenue by helping others sell their streaming subscriptions. He also noted that Apple doesn’t have the back catalogue of content that the likes of Hulu, Netflix, Disney can offer.
One thing Apple won’t do is unveil a serious competitor to Netflix, Hulu, Disney, or any other entertainment giant trying to sell streaming video subscriptions to consumers. Instead, Apple’s main focus — at least for now — will be helping other people sell streaming video subscriptions and taking a cut of the transaction. Apple may also sell its own shows, at least as part of a bundle of other services. But for now, Apple’s original shows and movies should be considered very expensive giveaways, not the core product.
Time For Apple to Revisit Its Slice
M.G. Siegler’s views on Apple are always worth reading. As we wait for the ‘It’s Show Time’ event on Monday, he looked at one of the most pressing issues the company is having to tackle – the cut it takes of purchases made through its platforms. He said that while it will add complexity, things like the 30% App Store cut need revisiting.
The 30% cut is under assault from multiple angles. Spotify is the most high-profile example — antitrust complaints tend to do that — but it was hardly the first or the only grievance in this regard. Multiple businesses across multiple sectors are now vocally complaining about such a cut — and some, from small developers, to the biggest of the behemoths like Amazon and Netflix, are balking at coughing up such a bounty to Apple. Meanwhile digital stores from other companies are revisiting their own cuts. Competition is doing its job.
