Tag Archives: amzn

Google I/O: Do Rivals Facebook, Amazon, Apple Have Things To Fear?

Speculation that Alphabet ’s ( GOOGL ) Google will take the wraps off a new virtual reality platform, taking on Facebook ( FB ), HTC and other rivals, is heating up ahead of its developers conference next week. Google is also expected to disclose more wrinkles for Android N , the next major update of the mobile operating system, due for release this year. And it might have something to say about Android apps coming to the Chrome OS or about  combining the two operating systems . While Nest Labs, acquired by Google in 2014, seems to be struggling, some Web pundits say Google could provide an answer to Amazon.com ’s ( AMZN ) “Echo” home hub. Google and Amazon also seem to be on a collision course in online video , but YouTube has not grabbed the spotlight at the developer’s conference in the past few years. Whatever new products and technologies are coming to Google I/O, slated for May 18 to May 20, will likely be unveiled by CEO Sundar Pichai in his keynote address. Pichai’s keynote is scheduled for 10 a.m. PT on May 18. The Google I/O schedule is packed with virtual reality. There’s speculation Google might roll out its own VR headset, firing back at Facebook’s Oculus Rift. Another line of thinking has Google sticking with its low-cost Cardboard VR offering for now. Like Facebook, Google may also be charging into augmented reality. While virtual reality immerses a user in an imagined or replicated world (like videogames, for instance), augmented reality overlays digital imagery onto the real world. That’s where Google’s “Project Tango” comes in. One of the first products to come from that effort is a new smartphone built by Lenovo and due out this summer. Google’s annual developer’s conference arrives before Apple ‘s ( AAPL ) June developers meeting. It remains to be seen whether Apple or Google talks much about driverless cars . Click here for the Google I/O schedule .

Amazon Poised To Become No. 1 U.S. Apparel Retailer By 2017

E-commerce leader  Amazon.com ( AMZN ) will become the No. 1 U.S. apparel retailer next year, investment bank Cowen predicted Wednesday. Cowen analyst John Blackledge said recent earnings reports by Amazon and Macy’s ( M ) painted a clear picture. “In light of Amazon and Macy’s recent results, we feel more confident that Amazon will displace Macy’s as the No. 1 U.S. apparel retailer by 2017,” Blackledge said in a research report. “Amazon’s Apparel & Accessories business is one of the key drivers of Amazon’s EGM (electronics and general merchandise) segment.” Amazon’s success in the apparel category is being driven by a dramatically larger selection, ramping brand relationships, superior fulfillment and technology innovations. Amazon is growing in the clothing business, while traditional retailers such as Wal-Mart ( WMT ) and Target ( TGT ) are in decline, Blackledge said. In the first quarter, the number of Amazon apparel purchasers increased 19% year over year, while apparel buyers at Wal-Mart and Target fell 1% and 5%, respectively, he said. “The longer-term trend also reflects a share shift in apparel purchasers, with Amazon apparel purchaser growth of 28% each quarter (on average) since 2014, while apparel purchasers fell 4% and 3% at Wal-Mart and Target,” he said. “In Q1, Amazon had 15% more apparel purchasers than Wal-Mart (vs. 24% fewer in Q1 2014) and 37% more apparel purchasers than Target (vs. 4% more in Q1 2014).” Macy’s on Tuesday reported soft Q1 sales and slashed its full-year forecast, sending its stock diving to a four-year low Wednesday. The Cleveland-based company said its first-quarter sales fell 7.4% year over year to $5.77 billion. Analysts on average were looking for $5.93 billion in sales. For 2016, Macy’s now expects same-store sales to fall 3% to 4%, compared with its prior guidance for a 1% decline. Macy’s stock was down 14%, below 32, in afternoon trading on the stock market today . Amazon stock was up 1.5%, near 716. On April 28, Amazon reported its highest sales growth in nearly four years . Its Q1 revenue jumped 28% to $29.1 billion, ahead of the $28 billion view.

John Malone Avoids FCC Conditions With Charter, Unlike Comcast-NBCU

Federal regulators opted to place no conditions related to John Malone’s sprawling media and telecom holdings in approving Charter Communication ’s ( CHTR ) acquisitions of Time Warner Cable ( TWC ) ( IBD ) and Bright House Networks. California regulators are expected to approve Charter’s deals as soon as Thursday, the final hurdle to Charter’s makeover. Charter will leap to No. 2 in the cable TV industry, behind Comcast ( CMCSA ). Comcast owns NBCUniversal and NBCU-related conditions that the FCC imposed on Comcast in 2011, which are set to expire in 2018. NBCU’s assets include the broadcast TV network, cable channels and a movie studio. Consumer group Public Knowledge, the American Cable Association and others asked the FCC to look into Malone’s holdings as part of the Charter review.  Dish Network ( DISH ) waged the biggest fight against the TWC deal, while  Netflix ( NFLX ) stayed on the sidelines. Malone controls Liberty Broadband ( LBDRA ), which will own about 18% of the new Charter and has rights to name three board members. Privately held media firm Advance/Newhouse will own about 13.5% of Charter. Liberty Broadband stock touched a record high for the second straight day on Wednesday. Malone holds a 28.7% voting interest in Discovery ( DISCA ); a 31.8% voting interest in Starz ( STRZA ); a 37.7% voting interest in the QVC Group, and a 3.3% voting interest in Lions Gate Entertainment ( LGF ), which holds a stake in Epix, according to the FCC. While much of Malone’s media holdings will now constitute Charter’s “affiliated programming,”  the FCC says it already has rules in place to govern those companies’ relationships with other pay-TV providers. “Because New Charter will lack the incentive or ability to withhold or raise prices of affiliated programming, we further find it unnecessary to extend or modify our program access rules or impose other conditions on the licensing of New Charter’s affiliated content,” the FCC said in its May 6  order approving Charter’s acquisitions. The FCC’s conditions on Charter’s acquisitions aim to protect competition from Internet video providers such as Netflix, Hulu and Amazon.com ( AMZN ). Charter will not be allowed to charge data usage-based prices or impose data caps on broadband customers for seven years. Those conditions could impact Comcast if it makes more acquisitions. Some analysts have speculated that Malone could consolidate some of his media assets and/or acquire more. Malone also controls Liberty Global, a Europe-based telecom company. “Malone’s ownership of distribution and content assets globally implicitly has a scale larger than even Comcast, but with a much more fragmented ownership structure and working relationships,” said a Barclays report in January.