“Data driven insights; user recommendations; big data services and all the other buzzwords of the pre-Singularity techno-dystopia some say we’re hurtling blindly toward are in Apple’s sights, as evidenced by recent deals,” Jonny Evans writes for Computerworld.
“Apple wants to unleash the power of its ecosystem, and wants to ensure that when it does it isn’t merely penetrating new markets but also packs more rock ‘n’ roll inside existing ones,” Evans writes. “Strikes one and two on the Cupertino playing field aren’t hard to identify: its deals with Beats and IBM both put different elements of crowd-infused intelligence in reach: Beats for curated intelligence for music sales [and] IBM for big data analysis.”
“This isn’t the end, of course. Apple’s recently disclosed acquisition of Concept.io is also part of the play,” Evans writes. “While this deal is being discussed as part of the company’s attempt to take a larger role in streaming music services, I think the most important element to the takeover is the acquisition of a good algorithm for content analysis.”
Read more in the full article here.