a16z Podcast | So Where Are We on the 'S-curve' for PC Devices? | Summary and Q&A

TL;DR

A discussion on recent industry news, including Google's new Pixel phone, Apple's MacBook Pro, and Microsoft's Surface Studio, focusing on the impact of these innovations on devices, ecosystems, and architectures.

Key Insights

• 🙈 The PC industry is seeing new innovations, with Google, Apple, and Microsoft all making significant announcements.
• 🍿 The shift from x86 to ARM processors and the introduction of touch interfaces are changing the dynamics of the PC ecosystem.
• 💦 Ecosystem fragmentation poses challenges for developers in creating software that works seamlessly across different devices.
• 📣 Google's move into the hardware business with the Pixel phone may be a response to the dominance of Apple in the high-end phone market.
• 🥙 The pricing of PCs is expected to increase as the industry reaches the flat part of the S-curve in terms of innovation.
• 👶 Apple's Touch Bar represents an incremental improvement to the MacBook rather than a revolutionary new interaction model.
• 🎯 Microsoft's Surface Studio, targeted at professional illustrators, caters to a niche market and may not have broad appeal.
• 🚗 Work is changing, with more people spending less time at their desks and becoming highly mobile, leading to a shift towards mobile-first platforms.

Transcript

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Questions & Answers

Q: What are the recent announcements by Google, Apple, and Microsoft?

Google launched the Pixel phone, Apple announced upgrades to their laptops and introduced the Touch Bar, and Microsoft released the Surface Studio.

Q: How are these announcements significant in terms of industry leadership?

These announcements represent a potential changing of the guard in terms of who is leading in the PC industry and design, with Microsoft, Apple, and Google all vying for dominance.

Q: What are the challenges faced by Android in terms of ecosystem fragmentation?

Android faces challenges due to fragmentation, both in terms of operating system updates and hardware variations. This makes it difficult for developers to create software that works seamlessly across different devices.

Q: Why is Google entering the hardware business with the Pixel phone?

Google's entry into the hardware business may be driven by a desire to compete with Apple's iPhone and to address the fragmentation issues in the Android ecosystem. It also allows Google to have more control over the user experience.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Benedict Evans and Steven Sinofsky discuss recent announcements by Google, Apple, and Microsoft, highlighting Google's entry into the hardware market with the Pixel phone, Apple's upgrades to their laptops and the introduction of the Touch Bar, and Microsoft's release of the Surface Studio.

• The conversation explores the changing dynamics of the PC industry and the influence of touch interfaces and ecosystem fragmentation.

• The discussion also touches on the implications of Google's move into the hardware business and the potential for Google to differentiate its Pixel phone from other Android devices.