This doesn't seem like a typical Apple acquisition.
Historically Apple buys enabling technologies and IP and not marketing/market share/customers (headphone biz), which is what they would be getting here.
I doubt this is for the music service, which is rumored to be having challenges - both internally and with customer acquisition.
Mobile has radically changed the social adoption cycle more than we've realized. Facebook is clearly the product of desktop world, where much of the information that made it valuable, particularly the social graph, needed to be contributed to the product to be effective.
The move to quickly-adopted "apps" has accelerated in mobile because the plumbing is already in place:
1. Contact list / address book
Implicit network already exists, does not need to be built in the new product.
2. Location
GPS takes apps beyond check-ins - adding context and information to posts. Even enabling new sorts of dating networks.
3. Media
Photos and video, combined with location, contacts and persistent connections on one device make it easier than ever to include photos and video.
This combination (not to mention building on the Facebook platform) will continue to enable faster developing and more narrow focused "networks".
I think most people overcomplicate what the next Apple TV should be and we confuse the service model with the device.
Just open up the current Apple TV to developers. iPad didn't have many purpose-built applications before it launched, and now most major broadcasters, cable networks target the platform. Open it and they will come.
Judy Rodgers Zuni cookbook has great recommendations for salting vs brining. She brines poultry as well as pork in a low-salt solution for several days. I've found it to be very effective. She salts red meat for several days to tenderize and flavor.
For turkey, we've switched from the Alton Brown brining strategy to a method that involves salting overnight with a butter/herb mixture, and cooking the dark meat and white meat separately. Dark meat in a braise, breasts roasted. This has the added advantage of being able to braise the night before (even better second day) and roasting for just 1-1.5 hours the day of. We were able to completely prep for two days before this year, and I went for a bike ride Thursday morning with kids and guests, who called me a show off. Credit to David Tanis, former Chez Panisse chef for this technique.
I wonder if we'll see an influx of startups to the Oakland area?
We chose to locate the Bay Area office of our NY-based product design/dev studio Cainkade in Oakland for a variety of reasons.
1. Value. As a bootstrapped services business I couldn't fathom paying 2-5x more to have 2-5x less space in SF.
2. Commute. Bay Area principles are happily living in the east bay and sought reasonable commutes.
3. Location as differentiation. I had a theory that the thousands of people on the BART platforms each morning might be interested in a shorter commute. As we've started hiring, this theory has been proven out. There's a large pool of professional, mature tech workers out there who would love to shorten their commute. Location for us has been an asset, helping us stand out from other companies.
There are lots of empty storefronts and spaces here. For those that are complaining about Oakland's gentrification, I would say it is still very, very early.
Some other experiences from working/running a business here.
Like -
- Going to a cafe and seeing diverse group of people. Not everyone in there pitching or wearing company issued hoodie. Although at times it seems that everyone is wearing a Kaiser badge.
- Our gorgeous, large space.
- Stag's Lunchette has insane sandwiches.
- Less homeless, feces, drug paraphernalia.
- 15 min. to downtown SF from our office. Quicker for me to get downtown from here than it was living in Noe Valley years ago.
Miss -
- More friends and work-friends in SF. No sidewalk serendipity here.
- Peninsula/Valley access. With traffic it can be even more of a nightmare to get to Palo Alto- San Mateo area.
Historically Apple buys enabling technologies and IP and not marketing/market share/customers (headphone biz), which is what they would be getting here.
I doubt this is for the music service, which is rumored to be having challenges - both internally and with customer acquisition.