Irons in the Fire with Ben Thompson & Guy English

Ben Thompson joins and Guy English returns to discuss the "Puck Problem". Do we really want one centralized box, or is specialization the new convergence? Will Apple shake up Microsoft and Sony, or can they address a market that no one is really going after?

Ben Thompson joins and Guy English returns to discuss the "Puck Problem" and WWDC 2014. Do we really want one centralized box, or is specialization the new convergence? Will Apple shake up Microsoft and Sony, or can they address a market that no one is really going after?

SPONSORSDrobo: mass storage for the masses. Use offer code MOISES for $50 off Drobo 5D or 5NBackblaze: unlimited, secure, online back up your computer for just $5/month. Visit this link to support the show and learn more.PANELISTSBen Thompson has written a series of articles about Apple, TV, and the future of content distribution found in the show notes. He writes Stratechery and co-hosts Exponent, a relatively new (and excellent) podcast.Guy English is best-known for being on the first episode of Electric Shadow, and is also known (we suppose) for being a brilliant developer, podcaster, and blogger.SHOW NOTESThis episode pairs nicely for listening after this week's ATP, which Moisés and Ben were listening to while they threw this episode together with no planning.Ben's most recent post, about whether Apple will disrupt the major consoles. MacSparky seems to agree, with a particular focus on Metal.John Gruber's post picking out a couple of Ben's points in said article.Indie Game: The Movie is available at a ridiculously cheap sale price as I write this, with one bundle option including a copy of all the games, the movie, and the extras for ten lousy dollars.The Original Trilogy of "Ben re: Apple and TV" posts from 2013: (1) The Cord-Cutting Fantasy (2) Why TV Has Resisted Disruption (3) The Jobs TV DoesThe Appendices/Footnotes to said posts: (A) Steve Jobs on Television (B) My AppleTV Prediction (C) Additional Notes on TVCNET compares MFI ("Made For iPhone) game controllers.9to5Mac says Apple will finally make the (very short) list of MFI-controller-supported games searchable by customers.Moisés and Horace Dediu talking about the Beats acquisition, the morning of the day that it was officially announced.Watch Jimmy Iovine and Eddy Cue at CodeConf the day after the Beats deal was officially announced. Interesting that one of them sticks to a narrative of "the way things are", and Iovine sticks to "entertainment and tech can work together better and smarter".Vince McMahon's WWE Network plan blew up in his face, like a top-rope suplex to his stock portfolio and net worth.