Google has an ever-growing array of hardware devices, including phones, computers, and smartwatches, and expanding into health and fitness wearable technology could fill a gap in Google’s lineup, according to reports.

Specifically, Google may want to compete with Apple, which owns nearly half of the smartwatch market with its Apple Watch, which has extensive workout and activity tracking capabilities.

Google has purchased more than 200 companies, including Nest Labs, Waze, and Youtube over the past 15 years, according to reports.

What are wearables?

Wearables are any clothing or accessory that can contain sensors, cameras, computer chips, and other technology, as well as the software used to collect data and information about a person and his surroundings, such as vital signs, including heart rate, breathing, and pulse.

Wearable items include watches, wristbands, ear accessories, glasses and other kinds of clothing.

The wearables market has experienced double-digit growth in recent years, with the total number of wearable devices sold in 2018 increasing 28% to 172 million devices compared to 2017, according to recent research. Sales are expected to increase a further 16% in 2019 to 199 million devices.

Apple is considered the market leader in wearables, owning nearly half of the smartwatch market, according to research.

Apple noted in its most recent earnings report that sales for its own wearable products, including the Apple Watch and AirPods, are up 54% in the third quarter of 2019, compared to the third quarter of 2018, and will soon overtake sales of both the iPad and the Mac.

In addition to Apple and Fitbit, Samsung also creates wearable products, including smartwatches and fitness trackers.

Regulatory challenges

Google’s acquisition of Fitbit may attract scrutiny from federal regulators who are looking at whether Google uses consumer data and its advertising in potentially anti-competitive ways, according to Bloomberg.

By purchasing Fitbit, Google could also get access to 27 million of its customers. Fitbit, in a press release, assured its customers that it would not give their data to Google for advertising purposes.

More about Fitbit

Fitbit was founded in 2008 by James Park and Eric Friedman. In addition to its fitness tracking bands, it also creates a line of smartwatches.

The company went public in 2015, and it has sold more than 100 million devices.

The post How Google is Getting Fit appeared first on Stash Learn.

iOS and Android, of course, are the world’s most widely-used smartphone operating systems—99.6% of all new smartphones run one of the two systems.

Apple’s iOS, which runs on iPhones, is the most popular in the U.S., with roughly 65% of Americans’ smartphones running some version of the system as of 2018, according to industry data. The remaining 35% run Android, which is a Google product, and is installed on roughly 85% of smartphones around the world.

And because Stash runs on both platforms, we can get an inside look at the differences between how iOS and Android users invest their money.

To conduct the analysis*, Stash’s data team looked at the percentage of users that hold certain investments on both iOS and Android, and compared the two to identify the investments (stocks and ETFs) with the greatest disparity.

Here’s what we found out:

Key takeaways from the Stash data team:

• iOS users tend to have higher incomes, and identify themselves as more experienced investors.
• iOS users’ portfolios tend to be more vested in the tech sector.
• Android users’ portfolios skew toward the food and beverage industries.
• Android users tend to prefer individual stocks over ETFs.

Here’s how things break down by investment choice:

Investments that skew toward Android users (compared to iOS users):

• Twitter (twice as likely to hold than iOS users)
• Monster (twice as likely)
• Hershey (70% more likely)
• Hewlett Packard
• YUM! Brands
• Activision Blizzard
• Mondelez
• Royal Caribbean Cruises
• Tractor Supply Co.
• Deere & Co. (John Deere)

Investments that skew toward iOS users (compared to Android users):

• Apple (Twice as likely to hold than Android users)
• Modern Meds (60% more likely)—an ETF that focuses on biotechnology and pharmaceuticals (XBI)
• Copy the Experts (41% more likely)—an ETF that focuses on the companies that top hedge funds are excited about (GURU)
• AT&T
• Colossal China—an ETF that focuses on China’s top companies (GXL)
• Starbucks
• Salesforce
• Aggressive Mix—an ETF that’s balanced specifically for investors with a moderate risk profile (AOR)
• Nike
• Facebook
• Destination Recreation—an ETF that focuses on entertainment and leisure (PEJ)
• Snap
• Target
• Social Media Mania—an ETF that focuses on social media companies (SOCL)

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The post iOS Stashers vs. Android Stashers: Do They Invest Differently? appeared first on Stash Learn.

In simple terms, cloud computing is a way of storing, accessing, and syncing data and software through the internet instead of your local computer hard drive. The ‘cloud’ is actually a global network of servers. To say those servers host massive amounts of data is an understatement.

Through web-based tools and applications, information is accessible anytime from any device with internet access and can be shared with others as you choose. Have a Gmail account? Your web-based email system is in the cloud. Share business documents with colleagues via Dropbox or Google Docs? That’s the cloud.

According to a 2016 study, the big data and business analytics industry is expected to grow 56% and become a $203 billion market by 2020.

Backup your phone’s photos and videos? Stored in the cloud. Netflix? You guessed it – they host their video content on Amazon Web Services, aka the cloud.

The cloud takes shape

The cloud isn’t only about data storage. Cloud-based applications have transformed the way we do business. Remember the days when email chains included twenty different versions of the same document, all at various stages in the editing process? As part of a whole suite of cloud-based applications, Google Docs allows users to collaborate and work simultaneously, showing real-time updates from anywhere in the world.

The cloud isn’t only about data storage. Cloud-based applications have transformed the way we do business.

Businesses that leverage big data use the cloud to capture, organize, and analyze massive data sets, something that was not possible before the cloud. According to a 2016 study, the big data and business analytics industry is expected to grow 56% and become a $203 billion market by 2020. In 2016, the banking industry led the way, investing almost $17 billion in software for risk management and fraud prevention.

Salesforce, Netflix, and Facebook don’t offer cloud services, but they rely on the cloud to provide their service to you

It takes more than just computer software companies to make the cloud possible. Sure, there are the pure play cloud computing companies that offer direct services such as network hardware and software, internet marketing and services, IT support, communications equipment, storage, and peripherals.

But there’s also non-pure players, like Salesforce, Netflix, and Facebook. They don’t offer cloud services, but they rely on the cloud to provide their service to you.

The technology behind cloud computing was first developed in the 1950s, but what we have come to know as ‘the cloud’ didn’t take shape until the turn of the 21st century when Salesforce stopped selling its software on disc and started providing their applications via the web.

If you think the best is yet to come with cloud technology, then consider an investment in an ETF on Stash that’s all about the cloud.

What’s inside On Cloud 9?

This investment (Ticker: SKYY) includes cloud computing companies – both pure play and non-pure play alike. Remember, pure play means the company actively supports and forms the cloud, and non-pure play companies utilize the cloud to provide their service.

• Tech hardware companies like Netapp and Hewlett Packard that create the systems and the equipment
• Software masters like Microsoft, Oracle, and Adobe
• Industry giants like Amazon and Apple that provide cloud storage data centers
• Companies like Google that provide industry-leading cloud-based applications
• And yes, even social media giants like Facebook and providers like Netflix who rely on the cloud to enable your binge-watching marathons.

At the time of this post, On Cloud 9 includes 33 companies. On Cloud 9 is ‘The First Trust ISE Cloud Computing Index Fund’ (SKYY) and has a 0.60% expense ratio.

Is the sky the limit?

What’s next in the world of cloud computing? More mobile capabilities, wearable technology, machine learning and AI (artificial intelligence). The Internet of Things (IoT), where machines connect to other machines and sensors, gathering data and leveraging it thanks to cloud computing, will one day revolutionize everything from smart refrigerators to smart stethoscopes to smart roads, bridges, and cars.

The cloud has the potential to touch almost everything we do – and companies of all sizes, including those that are still only an idea, will use the cloud to grow bigger, faster, and more innovative.

If you think that we’re just getting started, consider an investment in On Cloud 9.

The post Investment Profile: On Cloud Nine appeared first on Stash Learn.