Posts from mobile

This chart from eMarketer really brings it home.

We have a digital advertising duopoly.

The difference between second and third place is massive.

I don’t want nor do I expect any governmental response to this market failure.

I want to see the technology industry adopt new approaches to monetization, ideally not attention based models, to combat this.

I don’t think subscriptions are the only answer here, as many do.

We need models that support free consumption of media for many reasons.

I think the crypto sector has some answers for us but I am also looking elsewhere.

We need new approaches and we need them now.

One of my favorite features on Twitter is the ability to retweet something with added context.

Like this:

This is a terrible idea https://t.co/5yHt65M8qY

— Fred Wilson (@fredwilson) December 22, 2017

I do this a lot:

“NYC Female Founders Office Hours” https://t.co/KrwxJV6m0H

— Fred Wilson (@fredwilson) December 7, 2017

There is a lot to be thankful for this year https://t.co/bPFSkGjPdX

— Fred Wilson (@fredwilson) November 23, 2017

“This was to prove they belong, that they really can play with anybody.” https://t.co/s1pg9Tn8dq

— Fred Wilson (@fredwilson) November 23, 2017

You get my point.

There are a lot things Twitter can do to make Twitter better but getting rid of the Quote Retweet is not one of them.

I wrote a post a month or so ago saying that I had fallen hard for Airpods while I was briefly using an old iPhone and was going to miss them when I moved back to Android.

A bunch of readers responded to me in the comments and via email that the Airpods would work just fine as Bluetooth headphones on my Pixel phone.

And they were right. I have been using the Airpods with my Pixel for a month now and they work great.

So if you are an Android user like me and like the idea of tiny wireless headphones in your ear without wires or bulk, you can absolutely get a pair.

Now if Apple would only make iMessage work on Android there would be no reason to use an iPhone 😉

I wrote a post a couple days about how much I like Apple’s Airpods and that I was going to miss them as I head back to Android.

Well it is a good thing I wrote that post and an even better thing that so many smart and informed people read AVC.

If you wade into the comments section to that post, you will see quite a few comments explaining that Airpods can be used with Android as standard bluetooth headphones. I also got quite a few emails from readers explaining that same thing.

I tried that this morning and I worked like a charm. So I get to keep my Airpods as I move back to Android. I’m thrilled. Now if I could only keep iMessage too. Then I’d have everything that is better about iPhone on my Android.

I broke my Pixel a few weeks ago and have been using an old iPhone since then.

I was hoping to hold out until the new Pixel comes out, but I couldn’t hold out and got a new Pixel this week which I’ve now cut over to.

The one thing I am going to miss about the iPhone was the Airpods that I got when I went back to iPhone.

The Airpods are the best wireless headphones I’ve ever used, by a wide margin.

I am going to miss them.

I am going to find the closest bluetooth version of them I can for my new Pixel.

If anyone has any suggestions, I am all ears.

No pun intended.

I received an over the air upgrade to the Oreo version of Android (Android 8) yesterday.

It makes my phone feel even more like an iPhone. Notifications work more like iOS.

Google has polished the UI quite a bit and it is a joy to use.

I have been saying for several years that Android and iOS are copying the best things from each other and they feel more and more similar than ever.

I don’t really think it matters what mobile OS you use these days. They are both really great.

A number of our portfolio companies that have free web/mobile apps that are monetized by advertising have offered a low-priced subscription offering that removes the ads and, often, offers offline sync on the mobile apps.

Here are some examples:

• Quizlet Go
• Duolingo Plus
• SoundCloud Go

I am sure there are other examples in our portfolio but those are the ones I am most familiar with.

I like this model a lot. As Duolingo said in their Duolingo Plus launch communications, it allows a free service to remain free for those who can’t pay for it.

It also allows those who don’t want the ads to remove them. And other value added features, like offline sync, make the subscription offering compelling for power users.

Pandora’s Plus offering is a good example of this approach and, because it is a public company, we can take a look at the numbers.

In Q4 2016, Pandora had roughly 4.4mm paying subscribers out of roughly 80mm total users, only about 5% of its user base.

But if all of those 4.4mm subscribers are to the low priced ($5) plan, then they would generate $265mm on an annualized basis. I assume that the subs revenue number is a bit larger because there is also a $10/month plan. So let’s say subs revenue is $300mm.

Pandora’s total revenue is about $1.4bn a year so subs represents over 20% of the revenue even though only 5% of the users take the subs offering.

So if you have a free ad supported service with a lot of regular power users, you should really consider adding a low priced subscription offering.

It will diversify your revenue mix and gives your users the ability to opt out of the ads if they want to.

Our portfolio Kik announced last week that they plan to decentralize their messenger app and monetize via a cryptocurrency called Kin. Here’s a video they put together explaining how it will work and why it is important:

I was with a friend this week and was DM’ing with someone on my phone.

He said “do you DM on Twitter frequently?” I said “yes, I use it all the time.”

Twitter DM is like any other messenger, particularly on the phone. It has the advantage of not needing to know the person’s phone number or handle on a messenger service. If you follow them and they follow you, you can DM them and chat like any other messenger.

It has the advantage of not needing to know the person’s phone number or handle on a messenger service. 

I like it a lot for that one feature – not needing to know the person’s contact info beyond their Twitter handle.

If you use Twitter a lot but don’t use DM, you should give it a try.

It’s super useful in a pinch when you need to reach someone and don’t know how.