Salto Partners

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Video Platform on Facebook

Facebook on Tuesday revealed it’s experimenting with making video clips easier for users to find in its mobile and desktop applications. In coming days, a limited number of users will see the additions, which include a video button at the bottom of its iPhone app and in the Favorites menu of its website.

Here is what I told E-Commerce Times, “Video has become a battleground between Google and Facebook. With YouTube, Google is certainly the incumbent leader with a billion global users that spend hours on the site simply watching videos. As of today, Facebook has about 1.5 billion monthly active users. It wants to get in on the action by providing a powerful video platform, Facebook has the opportunity to very quickly create a target-rich marketing platform that has the ability to create substantial revenues quickly.”

You can read the entire article here.

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Dell – EMC Merger

Dell on Monday announced it would acquire EMC in a deal valued at $67 billion, maintaining VMware as a publicly traded company. EMC shareholders will get $24.05 per share in cash, as well as 0.111 shares of new tracking stock per share of EMC linked to the company’s economic interest in the VMware business. Here is what I said in an interview with E-Commerce Times.

“Competition from the cloud could be a major threat as Dell and EMC are viewed as old-world companies. It feels like the marriage of a couple that met in a retirement home, and the groom is clearing out his 401K and selling off his assets to pay for the wedding.”

You can read the entire article here.

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Alphabet

Google on Monday announced a restructuring that will make it a wholly owned subsidiary of a new umbrella company called “Alphabet.” Product Chief Sundar Pichai will take over as CEO of Google, while Google cofounders Larry Page and Sergei Brin will be CEO and president, respectively, of Alphabet. Here is what I said in an interview with E-Commerce Time.

“Google became every bit of what it promised to be when it was incorporated in 1998. That is, it became a well-oiled machine of global significance that continues to grow and produce cash. The reorganization will let Page and Brin focus on the next big thing under the Alphabet umbrella, while the day-to-day business of Google remains in strong hands.”

You can read the entire article here.

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Spotify raised $526 million

Spotify has raised US$526 million in its latest round of funding, according to reports that surfaced Wednesday. Spotify has raised US$526 million in its latest round of funding, according to reports that surfaced Wednesday. Here is what I told E-Commerce Times about this news, “The combination of Spotify’s free service, which carries ads, and a premium paid version that’s ad-free, has let the company gain significant traction. On the other hand, Apple is leveraging its brand recognition to simply convert its global customer base into paying subscribers of its new streaming service.”

You can read the entire article here.

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Apple Maps

E-Commerce Times interviewed me about whether Apple has plans to further improve its Maps app, possibly by strengthening local listings, which are increasingly important to businesses. Here is what I told them, “Apple’s launch of its Maps app had a rough start in 2012. Since then, the application has gained significant traction. Apple Maps has the potential to be embedded in a variety of e-commerce services leveraging geographical context information. The application could open up new partnership models and revenue streams.”

You can read the entire article here.