Volume 1, Issue 1: 6 May 2016
A look back, to learn what’s next. By Augur.
The tech world is naturally attracted to novelty. But all too often, this makes it easy to lose perspective. How can we understand the importance of the events of today without considering those that got us here?
Every seven days, we take a look at this week’s news in previous years to see what we can learn. Feedback to augur+lookback@augur.london
2014 – Apple buys Beats for Billions
Was it worth it? One thing’s for sure, it makes the next bit of news look like a bargain:
2014 – Samsung buys 2nd place for millions
I can’t look at Samsung without inferring a strategic gamble that took place in some shady board room. Something like: “if we get sued for copying the iPhone as closely as possible, it will still be worth it to establish us as the major Android alternative.”
Would you pay £70M for this “money can’t buy” opportunity?
2014 – Amazon launches those Twitter Buy cards that we’re all using…
For all their spaffing around with Moments and polls, I can’t understand why Twitter hasn’t moved its Cards system more directly toward the point of purchase. Once a Twitter Card becomes linked to a product, it should make it shareable and buyable in a fundamental way.
You could create “shop” pages by simply collecting these Cards. You could reference and attach Buy links to tweets mentioning certain products. And most importantly, Twitter gets the whole grail that few companies have: accounts with registered credit cards attached.
Instead, something something hashtag.
That’s all for this week’s Lookback. If you enjoyed it, tell a friend. If you think there’s a missed opportunity, let us know.
