I read the Ben Thompson link, and honestly I have to disagree that it offers any insight as to the future of Google or Android. It reads like a just so story,

I read the Ben Thompson link, and honestly I have to disagree that it offers any insight as to the future of Google or Android. It reads like a just so story, and seems to be crafted according to the following recipe: 1) Talk about a company's previous initiative that was a big deal at the time and which failed, and talk about why it was so obvious to you that it was going to fail. Describe the events surrounding it's failure and why no one but you was able to put the pieces together about why it was doomed from the start. This makes you appear very smart indeed, and makes the author intrigued to read your thoughts. Thompson does this when talking about Android and the turn by turn navigation feature, and in fact, Android itself. 2) Talk about the company's current initiative and why it is a brilliant idea, that avoids the obvious pitfalls that the previous initiative fell into, and why you are optimistic that it will be a great success. This allows you to ingratiate yourself as part of the "move forward" culture of the valley, instead of being some sort of negative nancy who is always being pessimistic. No one likes that guy after all! We're too busy moving fast and breaking things! If you follow the link at the bottom of the article you'll see that the adjacent article has the author writing a large number of words talking about what a great idea Snapchat Spectacles are, why google glass was obviously a terrible idea that only they were smart enough to see beforehand, and why this new wearable is obviously way better. Thompson is optimistic about it succeeding! Obviously we know how that turned out, and comparing the two articles should give one a lot of pause about investing too much faith in his analysis going forward, especially when you look at the structural similarities between the two essays.