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The power of 'geekonomics' was on display at Comic Con London 2014 over the weekend. More than 120,000 lycra-clad crusaders and devotees of all thing animated flocked to the event, with the gaming and movie industries hoping to cash in. So what's driving this costume-clad economy? Bloomberg went to find out. (Source: Bloomberg Oct 27)
Apple Pay Takes On Hackers, Cash - Barron's: "For years, technology companies have set their sights on the payment industry, with each firm wanting a slice of the digital wallet. So Apple ’s plan to partner with the industry’s most established names— Visa (ticker: V), MasterCard, (MA) and American Express (AXP)—came as a surprise when it emerged last month. Apple Pay, officially launched last week, is essentially a high-tech way to access traditional cards issued by big banks. For Visa and MasterCard, it’s just one more conduit to their dominant electronic networks. Despite the efforts of eBay (EBAY) and Google (GOOGL) and start-ups like Square, Silicon Valley couldn’t blow up the traditional ecosystem. “Early adopters in the [digital] space have learned the hard way,” says Jim McCarthy, Visa’s head of innovation and strategic partnerships. “Payments are just hard.” Enlarge Image Apple Pay makes credit-card data less vulnerable to hackers. Photo: Apple Apple’s embrace should give long-term investors confidence about Visa and MasterCard’s highly profitable networks...."
New York Times
Apple Pay Is Disabled by Rite Aid and CVS as a Rival Makes Plans
New York Times
A demonstration of Apple Pay on its first day last week. ... Nonetheless, over the week,Apple Pay technology was working in Rite Aid and CVS stores.
Some US retailers shun Apple Pay, eye rival payments system - Reuters
Apple, retailers at odds over mobile payments - USA TODAY
2 drug chains disable Apple Pay, as a rival makes plans - Boston Globe
New York Times
How Facebook Is Changing the Way Its Users Consume Journalism
New York Times
Though other services, like Twitter and Google News, can also exert a large influence, Facebook is at the forefront of a fundamental change in how ...
New York Times
Facebook Offers Life Raft, but Publishers Are Wary
New York Times
So while Facebook loves the content, it hates the clunky technology many publishers ... Yes, search from Google still creates inbound interest, and Twitter can spark ... (Amazon's dominance in the book business comes to mind.) ... (All considered, Apple has already pulled off that trick, creating a private ...
Forbes
The Fire Phone Flop: Does Amazon Care About Its Customers?
Forbes
Xbox One Gets Another Price Cut Active on Facebook ... Amazon disclosed a $170 million charge for “inventory evaluation and supplier commitment cost” for ... Apple Apple and iTunes come to mind. ... Conversely, despite rumors of Google Google entering the segment with “Google Shopping Express,” ...
Amazon's Fire Stick Is a Challenge to Google and a Threat to Roku - Businessweek
Amazon Launches $39 'Fire TV Stick' - Mac Rumors
The Fire TV Stick, Amazon's answer to Google Chromecast - CNN Money
This week Amazon announced it would take a $170 million hit due to the ... it may be in a position to stand out from the crowd (Apple TV, Roku, Chromecast). Amazon's pitch to prospective developers -- conveniently timed as we're ... Microsoft is doing great, and so are Surface Pro 3 and Office 365.
CurrentC Is The Big Retailers’ Clunky Attempt To Kill Apple Pay And Credit Card Fees | TechCrunch: ".... The only way CurrentC has a real chance is if it can organize some big discount for all CurrentC payments across retailers. For example, if it said you’d get 5% off for paying with CurrentC, some people might be willing to use it. In the short-term, this would eradicate any savings on credit card fees for the merchants. But eventually, if the app gains a loyal user base it could scale back those fees to start reaping the benefits of sidestepping credit cards. If CurrentC doesn’t offer a vivid value proposition to consumers, its likely to go the way of the dinosaur while Apple Pay pushes the evolution of the rest of the mobile payments industry."
Google Pirate Update - Business Insider: "Google has pushed out an update to its search algorithm that is making it even harder for people to discover free movie and music torrents, with sites like Pirate Bay, Isohunt and Torrentz.eu among the worst affected by the rollout..."
Amazon Unveils Fire TV Stick in Chromecast Challenge - Businessweek: "Amazon.com Inc. unveiled a media-streaming device that plugs into a TV set to let users browse video and music from Netflix Inc., Hulu LLC and Pandora Media Inc., seeking to extend its reach in customers’ digital lives. The $39 Fire TV Stick plugs into a port on a high-definition television, comes with a remote control and can mirror media content and applications from a user’s phone or tablet, Seattle-based Amazon said today in a statement. The device can be ordered today and will be released on Nov. 19."
Wall St. finally turning on Amazon as Bezos magic fades | Reuters: "They're becoming much too distracted in all these other efforts" outside core businesses like online retailing and web services, said Matthew Benkendorf, portfolio manager at Vontobel Asset Management. Benkendorf unloaded his Amazon holdings a year ago and said he would be skeptical of future involvement even if the stock falls further. "They are their own worst enemy to success," he said. "They really need to do some soul searching and get focused."
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