"What do you mean no new phone unveil?"
Hey Snackers,
Oprah's bow-collar has officially replaced the Steve Jobs turtleneck.
Investors were so into Apple's product event Monday that markets barely budged to start the week.
iTransform... Apple marathoned through its biggest non-iPhone product event ever. Technically, there was no hardware — Just human being celebrities there to promote its new TV shows (enter, Oprah, Spielberg, J-Aniston). Apple made itself over into an everything company.
Here's the new roster... Apple offered a bunch of services for your living room, but was hazy on some details and the price (no clue yet on how much TV or gaming will cost):
Bundling for you, while it unbundles itself... Apple's got a TV bundle, a news bundle, a music bundle, and a gaming bundle. It's like Apple's updated its own operating system to become a real "services" company. Its future is bundled in bundles because that means you're paying monthly for each.
Treat yo' self... McDonald's just dropped over $300M to buy Israel's Dynamic Yield. Great technology, brutal name. It's McD's biggest acquisition in two decades (it splurged $174M on chicken chain Boston Market in '99), but this one's got one focus: Make drive-thrus freakishly personal.
This Happy Meal feels like my soulmate... That's the vibe McD's wants you feeling as you coast away from the drive-thru. Dynamic's technology unleashes some serious customization to the menu.
Ronald's New Year's resolution was a new look... 2018 was all about upping McDonald's digital game (including order kiosks and a new app), but 2019's focused on physical transformation — McD's is dropping almost $1B to upgrade 2,000 locations. The drive-thru just wants to get to know you.
You and your truck want to go topless?... Fiat Chrysler has you covered with a new version of its Jeep. The "Gladiator" is part SUV, part pickup truck, part convertible. Executives just see all profit.
Americans want a V8 engine with 18 cup holders... And America's auto industry is happy to oblige:
"It's a Jeep thing" for US workers... Jeep's parent company Fiat Chrysler relies aggressively on Dodge Ram and American-made SUVs for the bulk of its profits. That's why it recently announced 6,500 new jobs and a $4.5B investment in new assembly lines, mainly for Jeeps. SUVs are getting all the love.