BY JUSTIN BARISO
I could not have a more diametrically-opposed take on Google’s event. The strategy they’re pursuing is their only way forward (see next article), and the products they released all felt “me-too.” But you’d have to call it a successful event from a PR standpoint due to the proliferation of surface-level articles like this one.
BY BEN THOMPSON
A deeper-level take was offered by Ben Thompson, who calls Google the “bizarro-Apple,” rightly pointing out that it has a “business-model problem:” “where do the ads go?” Whether Google can parlay their fundamental AI advantage into compelling hardware products widely adopted by consumers remains a very open question.
BY MATTHEW PANZARINO
Samsung sees the writing on the wall with respect to its position in Google’s long-term play–the market for premium Android hardware products (with high-end voice assistants) just got a lot more crowded. The only thing surprising about this acquisition is that it took as long as it did.
An excellent summary of the compelling updates to Apple Maps in iOS 10. Whether it exceeds Google Maps is largely irrelevant–iPhone users no longer have a good reason to switch away from the default option.
The extent to which Google has been able to bribe ordinary people into maintaining the quality of its local dataset via low-expense challenges like this is pretty remarkable, and largely under the radar.
BY DENNIS SCHAAL
It’s the only chance TripAdvisor has in continuing to be a key long-term player in the Apple search ecosystem, and keep its users from fleeing to the very competitive Google Hotel Finder.
