Neil Cybart 3/22/23 Neil Cybart 3/22/23

Slim Cable Bundle Illusions, Live Sports Stickiness, Amazon Announces More Layoffs (Daily Update)

Hello everyone.

Yesterday, we discussed how YouTube is increasing TV pricing by $8/month (to $73/month). In today’s update, we will continue the discussion by going over a few things that have been on Neil’s mind. The update then turns to Amazon announcing another 9,000 layoffs. The company’s explanation for why it didn’t announce all of the layoffs at the same time raises more questions than answers.

Slim Cable Bundle Illusions

For much of the 2010s, the tech industry dedicated resources and attention to rethinking the TV experience. Frustrations with the big cable bundle had reached unsustainable levels.

Some people thought Netflix, HBO, and Hulu would cause the cable bundle to implode. Others expected sports leagues to go direct to fans, removing oxygen from cable bundles. À la carte became a popular phrase for describing how the cable bundle could potentially be unbundled into individual channels or even shows. In addition to positioning apps as the future of TV, Apple looked at a few ideas such as offering a bundle consisting of a few dozen existing cable channels.

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Neil Cybart 1/5/23 Neil Cybart 1/5/23

iPhone Supply Bounces Back, Sketchy Rumors About iPhone 14 Plus, Amazon's Growing Layoffs (Daily Update)

We kick things off with a look at the latest production news from Foxconn’s “iPhone City.” The discussion then turns to iPhone 14 Plus rumors regarding weak sales and Apple management being “seriously” concerned. The update concludes with Neil’s thoughts on Amazon dramatically raising the number of announced layoffs in its corporate ranks.

Hello everyone. We will jump right into today's update.

iPhone Supply Bounces Back

Here’s Fox Business:

“The world's largest iPhone factory has reportedly been brought back to 90% capacity months after workers in China had shut down the plant over the government's COVID-19 restrictions.

Foxconn Technology Group claims it is operating the factory with approximately 200,000 workers in the central Chinese of Zhengzhou, according to a report from Henan Daily, a Chinese state media outlet. The group is Apple Inc.'s largest production partner for their featured smartphone.

In October 2022, Zhengzhou, also known as iPhone City, came to a standstill after thousands of workers stalled production due to the government's strict zero-COVID policies. The protests disrupted supply chains and cost Apple billions over the last few months.

‘At the moment, the order books look good, and the orders will peak from now until a few months after Chinese New Year,’ said Wang Xue, the deputy general manager of the factory, in an interview with the Chinese outlet.”

If the reporting is true, Foxconn’s iPhone City reaching 90% production capacity at quarter end would be a very positive development for an iPhone business that just went through a tumultuous two-month stretch.

A direct implication found with Foxconn’s primary iPhone facilities operating again at near full capacity, as of the end of December, is

An Above Avalon membership is required to continue reading this update. Members can read the full update here . An audio version of this update is available to members who have the podcast add-on attached to their membership. More information about the podcast add-on is found here.