Splat F
splatf.com · Group blog · on HN since 2011
Splat F analyzes the tech business, covering company earnings, Apple, Sony, Google, Twitter, and mobile payments with charts and numbers.
What HN saysHN commenters link it for concise financial breakdowns, such as Apple's revenue growth versus Google's and the finding that Sony's profit comes largely from life insurance.
58HN people shared it
9linked it in comments
102stories submitted
515story points
13 years agolast shared
2011people per year2026
Most-shared posts
- 1How does Sony make money? Life insurance4 people · 3 points · first shared 2011 · discussion on HN
- 2Moneyball for startups? PG, Fred Wilson, Chris Dixon discuss2 people · 48 points · first shared 2011 · 10 comments on HN
- 3Google Wallet “closed” on the airwaves Google lobbied the FCC to keep “open”2 people · 12 points · first shared 2011 · discussion on HN
- 4Wait, wasn’t Twitter supposed to be dead by now?2 people · 8 points · first shared 2011 · discussion on HN
- 5Let’s Clear Up Some Details About Square’s Big Partnership With Starbucks2 people · 6 points · first shared 2012 · discussion on HN
- 6If you’re disappointed by the iPhone 4S, you’re nuts2 people · 5 points · first shared 2011 · discussion on HN
- 7Have Mac sales peaked for good?2 people · 4 points · first shared 2013 · discussion on HN
- 824 Hours With The iPad Mini: This Is The Real iPad2 people · 1 points · first shared 2012 · discussion on HN
- 9Path and Instagram are making Facebook look incredibly uninventive at mobile1 people · 76 points · first shared 2011 · 32 comments on HN
- 10The iPad’s dominance of tablet usage, even 1.5 years later, is astounding1 people · 45 points · first shared 2011 · 53 comments on HN
- 11What should Apple do with the iPod?1 people · 43 points · first shared 2011 · 44 comments on HN
- 12E-commerce is still less than 5% of retail sales -- huge growth opportunity1 people · 35 points · first shared 2011 · 19 comments on HN
- 13Sorry Cheapskates, But HBO Doesn’t Want Your Money1 people · 17 points · first shared 2012 · 33 comments on HN
- 14Here’s how Apple is forcing a worse user experience on its customers1 people · 10 points · first shared 2011 · 1 comments on HN
- 15Netflix: More subscribers than any cable company and growing the fastest (chart)1 people · 9 points · first shared 2011 · 2 comments on HN
What HN people wrote when they linked it
dmethvin · 2012-09-18
Many profitable businesses tail off very slowly over years, throwing off excellent revenue in the process. Last year, for example, AOL made $175 million off 3 million customers who still subscribe to its dial-up business.[1] Those businesses can become even more profitable in the near term if your strategy is to cut marketing/operating costs to the bone and "ride them down". It sounds very mercenary, but that can be the right approach when there is no growth potential.
[1] http://www.splatf.com/2012/07/aol-3million-chart/
jusben1369 · 2012-07-25
I think this is a great concise view on the numbers. 23% revenue growth vs Google 21%.... http://www.splatf.com/2012/07/apple-jun12earnings-charts/
pornel · 2013-04-17
Interesting tidbit in the article is that majority of Sony's profit comes from their life insurance business:
http://www.splatf.com/2011/11/sony-profits/
ZeroGravitas · 2012-11-06
A case in point:
http://www.splatf.com/2012/11/ipad-mini/
7 inch tabets are stupid, 10 inch tablets are perfect, but actually now that Apple's released a 7.9 inch tablet it turns out that that is the perfect size.
(7 inch tablets are still stupid by the way, I don't think the community has settled on a rationalisation for this. They could have gone for 16:9 being the wrong ratio, but it turns out, after the iPhone 5 adopted it, that it was actually very good for video.)
confluence · 2012-09-30
This reminds me of an interesting little fact I learned about how Sony makes money: Life insurance and personal finance!
Source: http://www.splatf.com/2011/11/sony-profits/
Consumer electronics still generate most of its revenues (about half) - but just like GE, Sony appears to make a lot more profit financing the acquistion of their goods rather than from the goods themselves (GE makes more financing hydro-turbines for governments than from the turbines themselves).
Curious to think that the entire PlayStation line might not just be a loss leader for games, but also for the entire Sony financing arm.
jeffgreco · 2012-08-08
Starbucks isn't supporting the geofencing: http://www.splatf.com/2012/08/starbucks-square-payments/
alabut · 2012-01-27
Sony made this same mistake in the 80's by buying a movie studio. I can't see Apple going down this road of diversification through acquisition.
Then again, Sony's terrible product divisions are propped up by their massive sales in life insurance and the company wouldn't exist without it:
http://www.splatf.com/2011/11/sony-profits/
wmf · 2011-12-06
Update: ”Verizon asked us not to include this functionality in the product.” http://www.splatf.com/2011/12/verizon-google-wallet/
chugger · 2011-10-05
some interesting points:
*
More than 90% of Americans still don’t own an iPhone. Heck, two-thirds of Americans still don’t own a smartphone. So the iPhone 4 design isn’t “old” to them.
*
http://www.splatf.com/2011/10/iphone-4s/