Amazon has Acquired Touchco - A Multi-Touch Company

[MorphingDragon]

The last time we all looked, Amazon had already sold a huge amount of their Kindle eBook readers. Because, unlike the iPad, the Kindle is a product that has been shipping for more than two years now and the iPad won't be shipped for another couple of weeks or even months.

So: Amazon already has a successful product and nobody knows yet if the iPad will be a success at all.

Then, unlike some of you would love to believe, the Kindle is NOT competing with the iPad. The iPad is a gadget for watching multimedia content, and it certainly is a less capable eBook reader than the Kindle because of its inferior display technology for that specific purpose.

Now Amazon will open the Kindle for developers and they are also launching an own application store for the Kindle. Their device will attract a completely different crowd of developers, and it also attracts a completely different crowd of customers.

Or to put it very simply: Amazon targets READERS and RESEARCHERS, while Apple traditionally targets LISTENERS (music) and WATCHERS (videos) and people who want a surf board. The markets overlap in certain areas, of course. Both devices could be very useful in the realm of clinical trials, for example. You don't need - or want - fancy multimedia features for that specific purposes. You just need a flat device with long battery life that can replace paper. And actually, I think the Kindle is much better suited for that task than the iPad will ever be.

From my personal perspective, I will certainly not give Apple a single cent for another DRM-infested, locked-down gadget that is tightly bundled with their cash cow iTunes.

On the other hand, however, I am interested in Amazon's Developer Kit for the Kindle and what their exact plans and terms for their application store will be. I have some application ideas for which the Kindle for various reasons is better suited than the iPad, and I also doubt that I would have to use a niche language like Objective-C to implement those ideas on the Kindle (which is based upon Java).

Anyway. This is not an either-or market. The Kindle has a clearly defined purpose and Amazon has rather quietly but nonetheless successfully pulled it off.

The iPad still has to find a target audience. It does now have a clearly defined purpose and it has the problem that it was not designed for input, but only to consume content - content that exclusively comes from Apple.

Blah Blah Blah.

More white noise and lies from the Simpsons troll.

and I also doubt that I would have to use a niche language like Objective-C to implement those ideas on the Kindle

The Funny thing about what you just said. Theres probably (Including Commercial iPhone Apps) a lot more Commercial Applications made in Objective-C than there is C# (Your Vocal favourite language).

(which is based upon Java).

Source?

Oh yea, how is a Book app not a competitor to the Kindle?

And the Kindle isn't locked down? Rofl Rofl Rofl Rofl

 

[sinsin07]

Steve Jobs himself said Apple was a niche...I remember in his first keynote after returning to Apple, he said Apple was a company with just a small user base in the designers area and in the educational area.

And also, I found this from Steve Jobs:

All computers had a small user base at that time.



He said this when he wasn't very happy with the company. If I got booted form work I would say they're a Niche law firm. Even though they serve nearly all of Franklin.

In that light:
If:
Fall of Apple - footnote in history
Impact: Music industry = damaged
Impact: Movie industry = some damage
Impact: US, Govt businesses who run windows = little to none in damage
Impact: Computer Hardware and peripheral companies = small damage
Impact: Users (included Ipod and Iphone only people) = major damage

If:
Fall of Microsoft - affects US economy
Impact: Music industry = small damage
Impact: Movie industry = some impact
Impact: US, Govt businesses who run windows = major damage
Impact: Computer Hardware and peripheral companies = major damage

I would say SJ knows what he is talking about

 

[-=XX=-Nephilim]

The last time we all looked, Amazon had already sold a huge amount of their Kindle eBook readers. Because, unlike the iPad, the Kindle is a product that has been shipping for more than two years now and the iPad won't be shipped for another couple of weeks or even months.

So: Amazon already has a successful product and nobody knows yet if the iPad will be a success at all.

Then, unlike some of you would love to believe, the Kindle is NOT competing with the iPad. The iPad is a gadget for watching multimedia content, and it certainly is a less capable eBook reader than the Kindle because of its inferior display technology for that specific purpose.

Now Amazon will open the Kindle for developers and they are also launching an own application store for the Kindle. Their device will attract a completely different crowd of developers, and it also attracts a completely different crowd of customers.

Or to put it very simply: Amazon targets READERS and RESEARCHERS, while Apple traditionally targets LISTENERS (music) and WATCHERS (videos) and people who want a surf board. The markets overlap in certain areas, of course. Both devices could be very useful in the realm of clinical trials, for example. You don't need - or want - fancy multimedia features for that specific purposes. You just need a flat device with long battery life that can replace paper. And actually, I think the Kindle is much better suited for that task than the iPad will ever be.

From my personal perspective, I will certainly not give Apple a single cent for another DRM-infested, locked-down gadget that is tightly bundled with their cash cow iTunes.

On the other hand, however, I am interested in Amazon's Developer Kit for the Kindle and what their exact plans and terms for their application store will be. I have some application ideas for which the Kindle for various reasons is better suited than the iPad, and I also doubt that I would have to use a niche language like Objective-C to implement those ideas on the Kindle (which is based upon Java).

Anyway. This is not an either-or market. The Kindle has a clearly defined purpose and Amazon has rather quietly but nonetheless successfully pulled it off.

The iPad still has to find a target audience. It does now have a clearly defined purpose and it has the problem that it was not designed for input, but only to consume content - content that exclusively comes from Apple.

Cool post

Picture will be much clearer in about 12 months time, and as I said in my previous msg, I am 100% positive we will have huge number of choices when it comes down to "tablets"...

Personally - Dell mini 5 and yet to be announced Google own tablet sounds / looks most promising so far... But we will see...

 

[MorphingDragon]

In that light:
If:
Fall of Apple - footnote in history
Impact: Music industry = damaged
Impact: Movie industry = some damage
Impact: US, Govt businesses who run windows = little to none in damage
Impact: Computer Hardware and peripheral companies = small damage
Impact: Users (included Ipod and Iphone only people) = major damage

If:
Fall of Microsoft - affects US economy
Impact: Music industry = small damage
Impact: Movie industry = some impact
Impact: US, Govt businesses who run windows = major damage
Impact: Computer Hardware and peripheral companies = major damage

I would say SJ knows what he is talking about

Lol, I like how you add US Government to the list as a cheap shot.

Rofl Rofl Rofl

If Apple fell Microsoft wouldn't have anybody to copy off.

 

[Carniphage]

he iPad is a gadget for watching multimedia content, and it certainly is a less capable eBook reader than the Kindle because of its inferior display technology for that specific purpose.

e-ink is inferior for reading in some important aspects too.

It's update performance is very slow. So slow, that navigation of books is awkward compared to paper. So the Kindle does not just sacrifice color. It loses its ability to flick though texts, and skim read. Text-books and reference books are going to be better on an iPad than a Kindle.

Also all e-Readers have poor typography. Page layouts do not match the high-quality layouts seen in actual books. I suspect that it's easier to address this shortcomings on the iPad than the Kindle.

Of course we all know that IPS LCDs cause eye strain for reading. Which is odd, because when I think about it, because I use an LCD display 8 hours a day.

Perhaps this is an urban myth.

C.

 

[sinsin07]

Lol, I like how you add US Government to the list as a cheap shot.

Rofl Rofl Rofl

If Apple fell Microsoft wouldn't have anybody to copy off.

Don't get me wrong, I am not an MS or Apple fan. I could care less who is on top. If Apple makes a gaming console, I'm getting it, it will be right along side my Xbox, PS3 and Wii.

Yes if Apple did not exist, MS may not have anyone to copy off of, but they would not be footnote if they went under.

 

[arn]

The last time we all looked, Amazon had already sold a huge amount of their Kindle eBook readers.

Source? No one knows how many Kindles have been sold.

arn

 

[wesleyh]

Looking forward to seeing what they produce.

 

[wesleyh]

Source? No one knows how many Kindles have been sold.

arn

http://www.techcrunch.com/2010/01/29/3-million-amazon-kindles-sold-apparently/

 

[cube]

Source? No one knows how many Kindles have been sold.

arn

Bezos himself said they sold "millions".

 

[arn]

http://www.techcrunch.com/2010/01/29/3-million-amazon-kindles-sold-apparently/

I'll grant you > 2 million given Bezo's quote. I don't think TechCrunch's numbers have been otherwise proven right.

arn

 

[jouster]

That's why they lost the luxury cars' competition.

They did?

 

[sinsin07]

That's why they lost the luxury cars' competition.

Source?

 

[pmz]

The last time we all looked, Amazon had already sold a huge amount of their Kindle eBook readers. Because, unlike the iPad, the Kindle is a product that has been shipping for more than two years now and the iPad won't be shipped for another couple of weeks or even months.

So: Amazon already has a successful product and nobody knows yet if the iPad will be a success at all.

Then, unlike some of you would love to believe, the Kindle is NOT competing with the iPad. The iPad is a gadget for watching multimedia content, and it certainly is a less capable eBook reader than the Kindle because of its inferior display technology for that specific purpose.

Now Amazon will open the Kindle for developers and they are also launching an own application store for the Kindle. Their device will attract a completely different crowd of developers, and it also attracts a completely different crowd of customers.

Or to put it very simply: Amazon targets READERS and RESEARCHERS, while Apple traditionally targets LISTENERS (music) and WATCHERS (videos) and people who want a surf board. The markets overlap in certain areas, of course. Both devices could be very useful in the realm of clinical trials, for example. You don't need - or want - fancy multimedia features for that specific purposes. You just need a flat device with long battery life that can replace paper. And actually, I think the Kindle is much better suited for that task than the iPad will ever be.

From my personal perspective, I will certainly not give Apple a single cent for another DRM-infested, locked-down gadget that is tightly bundled with their cash cow iTunes.

On the other hand, however, I am interested in Amazon's Developer Kit for the Kindle and what their exact plans and terms for their application store will be. I have some application ideas for which the Kindle for various reasons is better suited than the iPad, and I also doubt that I would have to use a niche language like Objective-C to implement those ideas on the Kindle (which is based upon Java).

Anyway. This is not an either-or market. The Kindle has a clearly defined purpose and Amazon has rather quietly but nonetheless successfully pulled it off.

The iPad still has to find a target audience. It does now have a clearly defined purpose and it has the problem that it was not designed for input, but only to consume content - content that exclusively comes from Apple.

i'm sorry but none of this even approaches correct.

 

[fat phil]

And in other news

I hear the next Kindle is to be powered by the magic of "steam".

 

[JensenJJ]

The world's gone touchcrazy!

Well the patent for touch screens had to run out before company's wanted to touch it. And now they are just learning to use it right, now that it's free to use.

(So much for patents helps inovation)

 

[JensenJJ]

........
If Apple fell Microsoft wouldn't have anybody to copy off.

Not true.
The User Interface of Windows 7 is a big rip off from KDE 4

So microsoft can more then rip off Apple.
The lawsuits with the Open Source community have showed them that there is more to rip off from.

 

[sharkinfested]

My free advice to Jeff Bezos - if you insist on selling hardware, get the kindle as cheap as possible, even if that means it's a single-function device. Get it to the point where you can throw 'em into the box when someone spends a bunch of money on your site. Make them ubiquitous, like cheap calculators. Sell the razor blades, not the razors.

This is a great idea.
Amazon can’t compete in the tablet game so they should stick to eReaders and make them really cheap – like netbooks where compared to laptops when they first came out.

1) Go for a slightly smaller display, maybe 5” or so.
2) Lose the 3G connectivity (you can buy books on your computer and download them to the device).
3) Lose the keyboard (unnecessary with no 3G anyway)
4) Reduce the memory to hold only 2 or 3 books at a time (about what the average person would read on a vacation)
5) Let it run on AAA batteries
6) Get the price way under a $100 – I’m thinking 50 to 60 bucks or less.

People would buy the crap out of these things. People would buy them even if they owned an iPad or any one of the new slate PCs if for nothing else but to free up their tablet. (edited to say: I mean free up the tablet in that these Kindle Lite devices would keep family members off your tablet)

 

[!¡ V ¡!]

Amazon really oughta avoid going head-to-head with iPad.

Seems like the Kindle is selling well enough for Amazon to be acquiring companies to fortify its device future.

That should keep speculators quite as to if or if not the Kindle is worth it.

Pressure sensitive is a better approach as you can mimic gestures.

 

[iSlate Fanboy]

Slightly off topic, but if an 'iPad v Kindle' war is brewing, can anyone see Apple pulling the Kindle app?

 

[AnalyzeThis]

Seems like the Kindle is selling well enough for Amazon to be acquiring companies to fortify its device future.

That shout keep speculators quite as to if or if not the Kindle is worth it.

Pressure sensitive is a better approach as you can mimic gestures.

Good point.

It also means, Apple missed the boat on this technology at least for their laptops. Based on the way Apple treats its business partners Amazon may not grant Apple access to this technology at all. It also means there is bunch of strong fundamental patents filed to block this technology theft. Kudos to Amazon for snatching good stuff right out of the noses of the competitors.

 

[eawmp1]

If it comes with a stylus...iPad killer!!!!

 

[Scarpad]

it's amazing as chastised as the Ipad has been from the community (and some criticism was warrented) the competition still scampers to get their devices in line with it, Apple has to be doing something right.

 

[zync]

In that light:
If:
Fall of Apple - footnote in history
Impact: Music industry = damaged
Impact: Movie industry = some damage
Impact: US, Govt businesses who run windows = little to none in damage
Impact: Computer Hardware and peripheral companies = small damage
Impact: Users (included Ipod and Iphone only people) = major damage

If:
Fall of Microsoft - affects US economy
Impact: Music industry = small damage
Impact: Movie industry = some impact
Impact: US, Govt businesses who run windows = major damage
Impact: Computer Hardware and peripheral companies = major damage

I would say SJ knows what he is talking about

Let me finish the Microsoft one for you.

Impact: Users = much rejoicing

 

[talkingnewmedia]

Amazon had no choice.

They could sit back and watch Apple and others start to slice off bits of their business, or they could react.

Even if Apple were only able to bite off 5 percent of the book business that would be a huge influence on the market (and Apple has a lot of experience with influencing the market despite smallish market share numbers, right?).

When you combine this development with the fact that Amazon wants to have an app store for the Kindle, then you see that Bezos saw where all this was going a few months ago: app-based sales of publishing products.

Amazon wants to continue to be the top seller of printed editions of books -- and Apple is not going there -- now they want to make sure they are in the market for app-based sales, as well. Smart . . . and inevitable.

Anyway, I wrote about this yesterday.