The Oculus Rift Is Here | Crunch Report

TL;DR

Oculus Rift ships to consumers with mixed reviews, Pandora gets a new CEO, Instagram users resist algorithm change, Kanye West's album becomes available on multiple platforms, Dell Services sold to NTT.

Transcript

The Oculus Rift is here, Pandora gets a new CEO, Instagram users get needy and more ... It's Monday, March 28, and this is Crunch Report. It feels like we've been talking about Oculus for a long time, especially after the virtual reality company was acquired by Facebook for two billion dollars a couple years. Today, however, it's finally becoming m... Read More

Key Insights

• 💆 The Oculus Rift, after being acquired by Facebook, is finally available to consumers, but its readiness for mass adoption is still debatable.
• 😀 Pandora's management shuffle and potential sale reflect the struggles the company is facing with declining user numbers and financial performance.
• 👤 The resistance from Instagram users to the upcoming algorithmic feed change highlights the challenges social media platforms face in balancing user preferences with business objectives.
• 😮 Kanye West's album rollout has been filled with surprises and changes, ultimately making his music available on multiple platforms.

Questions & Answers

Q: What are the initial reviews saying about the Oculus Rift?

Reviews suggest that while the Oculus Rift is an impressive device, it may not be suitable for everyone to purchase just yet. Users are encouraged to at least try it out before making a decision.

Q: Who is the new CEO of Pandora and what challenges does the company face?

Tim Westergren is the new CEO of Pandora. The company is experiencing declining user numbers and has been exploring the possibility of selling itself.

Q: How are Instagram users reacting to the upcoming algorithmic feed change?

Some Instagram users, particularly brands and big accounts, are asking their followers to turn on post notifications to ensure they don't disappear from feeds. However, this approach has faced pushback from users.

Q: Where is Kanye West's album, The Life of Pablo, now available?

While initially exclusive to Tidal, the album's track "Famous" is now available on Apple Music, Spotify, and Google Music, making it more accessible to non-Tidal subscribers.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The Oculus Rift, the virtual reality headset, has now shipped to consumers, but reviews suggest it may not be suited for everyone.

• Pandora, the streaming music service, has appointed Tim Westergren as its new CEO, amidst declining user numbers and talks of selling the company.

• Instagram is preparing to change to an algorithmic feed, prompting brands and big accounts to ask users to turn on post notifications, but facing resistance from users.

• Kanye West's album, The Life of Pablo, initially exclusive to Tidal, is now available on Apple Music, Spotify, and Google Music.

• Dell Services is being sold to IT company NTT for $3.05 billion, as part of Dell's efforts to fund its acquisition of EMC.