Square, the first company to meaningfully integrate credit card point-of-sales services into mobile devices, has witnessed unquestionable success over the past five years. With a customer base in excess of 1 million businesses, Square processes about $30 billion in annual merchant sales; this translates to $900 million in revenue for the company.
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Alibaba Larger Than Amazon & eBay
In the span of about a year, Alibaba (BABA) went from a massive, yet relatively unknown e-Commerce company (located in China), to being the largest IPO in U.S. history. On its first day alone Alibaba’s stock surged an incredible 38%, while simultaneously shattering records once held by companies like Facebook (FB) and Visa (V).
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Amazon's Newest Threat
Google (GOOG) Express Shopping has taken a giant leap to become a stronger competitor to Amazon (AMZN) with its newly implemented same-day shipping service. Although Google Express Shopping is still inferior, in some aspects, to other online retailers (i.e. its currently small distribution infrastructure), it has many components that make it a strong alternative to the online shopping overlord known as Amazon (read more about superior E-Commerce investments here).
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Apple Approves First Bitcoin App
After a recent update to its iTunes policy for developers, Apple (AAPL) has decided to include Bitcoin-related applications, specifically those that promote in-app purchases, in its App Store. Apple was initially skeptical about iOS-based Bitcoin apps, but the newly implemented bylaws permit apps to use the virtual currency so long as they adhere to regional state and federal laws (click here to read more about why Apple must evolve to survive).
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Amazon Fires Back
In a highly anticipated move, Amazon (AMZN) announced the release of its Fire smartphone on Wednesday. With a platform customized around Google’s (GOOG) Android operating system, Fire is a competitive high-end market offering. However, without features that truly differentiate it from other smartphones, it is doubtful that Fire will initially gain the traction necessary to be competitive in an already crowded smartphone market.
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The Largest IPO In History?
China’s many decades of growth and development have resulted in its gradual transition from an emerging economy, centered around manufacturing, to a developing economy, focused on services and consumerism. According to Bloomberg.com, last year was the first time China’s electronics industry outpaced the steel sector (a big deal).
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Is The Game Stopping?
According to the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), “no other sector [in the United States Economy] has experienced the same explosive growth as the computer and video game industry.” In their demographic study of the video game industry, the ESA reports 58% of Americans play video games and 51% of American households own a game console (many of which own more than one).
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