Apple Fails to Deliver a Rosy Quarter

Earlier this year, the Apple Watch was released with much fanfare, but the customers are still to take to it the way they have taken to the prior iOS devices like iPhone or iPad. Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) announced their quarterly results earlier this week which reflected the tepid response that the market had toward their Watch. Despite registering a record breaking quarter for iPhone revenues, Apple also fell short on market expectations on the number of units shipped.

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Microsoft Posts Record Loss Despite Booming Cloud Business

The recent quarter result was a new kind of a record quarter for Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) as the company recorded its biggest quarterly loss ever. While Microsoft continues to make several advances in the cloud technology, it is still being bogged down by its acquisition of Nokia. But its recent results were a clear indicator of how the company is continuing to shift its focus from the consumer to the enterprise business.

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Netflix Reports Record Highs Driven by Subscriber Growth

According to a research report by MarketsandMarkets, the global Video on Demand market is expected to grow 19% annually over the period 2014 through 2019 to $61.40 billion. The report reveals that while the American markets will be the largest revenue contributors for the industry, the emerging markets of Asia Pacific and Middle East and Africa will see the highest growth.

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Google Kicks Ass With YouTube

Last quarter, Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) added a new CFO to their management cadre. Ruth Porat, alumnus of Morgan Stanley, has been known for being fiscally conscious. The recent results announced under her guidance spell that sentiment. Google delivered better than expected results and instilled confidence in the market by ensuring that costs, revenue, and accounting systems are reviewed with much rigor. >>>

eBay Bids Adieu to PayPal

Last week, eBay (Nasdaq: EBAY) announced their last quarterly results with PayPal by their side. Today PayPal began trading independent of eBay, leaving eBay to compete with the likes of Amazon who are posting a stiff competition. Last year, the global e-commerce market grew 22% over the year. eBay announced a comparatively modest 6.4% growth while Amazon reported a stellar 19% growth. >>>

Carnival in the Cloud: Zenefits Threatens Insurance Brokers, HR SaaS Players

IBISWorld published an HR & Payroll Software market research report for the US markets earlier this year. The report estimated the industry to be worth $7 billion in revenues in the country, having grown 7% annually over the period 2010 through 2015. Cloud computing player Zenefits is a two-year-old startup that threatens the industry with a peculiar business model.

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Billion Dollar Unicorns: Houzz Bootstraps in a Niche Space to Join the Club

According to a recent IBISWorld report, the US interior design market is estimated to have grown 4% annually over the period 2010 through 2015. The market is expected to be worth $12 billion this year. As economic conditions improve, growth rates are expected to improve in the coming five years. Billion Dollar Unicorn club member Houzz is helping this industry leverage the benefits of the web.

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Billion Dollar Unicorns: Auction.com in Expansion Mode

When it comes to online real estate companies, there are very few big names in the industry. The industry continues to be consolidated under the leadership of Zillow. But none of these really cater to the commercial real estate segment, which is estimated to be a $1.6 trillion market opportunity. The big name within online commercial real estate is that of a bootstrapped venture and a potential Billion Dollar Unicorn club member Auction.com.

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