First Click

First Click: The world’s best gadget blog launches, Bey, and more in the week ahead

April 25th, 2016

By Thomas Ricker
on April 25, 2016 07:30 am
@Trixxy

Oh hey, what’s that you say New York Times? Paul Miller has returned to The Verge to launch Circuit Breaker, the world’s best gadget blog? Here’s a little secret: he’s actually been here for awhile already, writing as Al Plumlier (an anagram). Well-placed sources tell me that Nilay Patel will have more to say about Circuit Breaker soon.

Beyoncé dropped her new album Lemonade over the weekend, and we’ll have plenty to say just as soon as we can gather our wits. Our review of the new season of Silicon Valley is also coming up shortly.

On Tuesday, both Apple and Twitter will report earnings. For Apple, the quarter will likely prove historic as it posts the first year-on-year decline in revenue in more than a decade. All eyes will be on iPhone sales to see if Apple’s growth engine is truly busted or just in need of some minor repair. For Twitter, analysts will be watching its all important MAU (Monthly Average Users) number which has flatlined for several quarters. Twitter last reported 320 million MAUs.

On Wednesday, Facebook reports earnings. The company blew away expectations last quarter, and has regularly delivered positive surprises over the last year. Analysts will be watching ad revenue for online and mobile. Last quarter mobile ad revenue rose by an astonishing 81 percent.

Amazon reports its financial situation on Thursday. At least one analyst sees Amazon falling short of consensus earnings estimates for the quarter.

And this is only a taste of what’s to come. We’ll be covering the best that technology, science, entertainment, and transportation have to offer in the week ahead. But first, let’s catch up on the weekend that was.

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