Amazon Planning to Take on Apple in Smartphone Market

[MacRumors]

Bloomberg reports that Amazon is currently working with Foxconn on a new smartphone product, one that would compete head-to-head with the iPhone and Android devices.

A smartphone would give Amazon a wider range of low-priced hardware devices that bolster its strategy of making money from digital books, songs and movies. It would help Chief Executive Officer Jeff Bezos -- who made a foray into tablets with the Kindle Fire -- carve out a slice of the market for advanced wireless handsets.

Amazon is also said to be looking to acquire a portfolio of wireless technology patents that would help it stand up to competitors in the market.

Amazon has already generated a considerable amount of interest with its Kindle Fire tablet, a heavily-customized Android device launched late last year. By adding a smartphone to the mix, Amazon would have mobile devices in several different form factors to help spur consumption of the company's extensive library of digital content.

Article Link: Amazon Planning to Take on Apple in Smartphone Market

 

[spiderman0616]

Google is going to be pissed.

 

[MacDawg]

Not something I would be remotely interested in, but I'm sure there would be some who would find it compelling

 

[emvath]

I love my Kindle Fire, but it isn't even close to stable enough for me to consider using the software (similar at least) in my phone.

 

[miles01110]

Amazon should stick to two things on the consumer side: eBooks and selling other people's stuff.

 

[SandboxGeneral]

Sounds interesting. Though I have to wonder how well it would be adopted considering the market of iOS and Android.

At only the thought of it, I don't think it would be something I would buy.

 

[LachlanH]

Just what we need, more android fragmentation.

 

[Mad-B-One]

Well, welcome to the smart phone market... 5 years too late. Maybe it will also create a "considerable amount of interest" - what ever that is. In the end, we will see who actually wil make money with it.

 

[pawelthegreat]

One word: Competition, my dear friends, competition.

Always a good thing.

 

[CodeBreaker]

This would had been a good move some 4 years back...

 

[MacDawg]

One word: Competition, my dear friends, competition.

Always a good thing.

It has to be a viable alternative in order to be considered healthy competition
That remains to be seen

 

[coder12]

What will its major selling points be? That will be the big question.

 

[taltal]

As a matter of fact, I don't think there will be such a thing as a Smartphone Market in a few years. There will be smaller or larger tablets equipped with 4G/LTE internet and Voice over IP numbers.

Phone is going to be just one of several communication apps on the device.

 

[Asia8]

Please, please, please use Android.... we don't need any more new OS for phones right now.

 

[Mad Mac Maniac]

I don't see this gaining any traction. But an interesting move none-the-less

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Please, please, please use Android.... we don't need any more new OS for phones right now.

of course they will use android. A heavily modded version like their Fire

 

[MarkNY]

Amazon could acquire RIM with spare change.

 

[sillypooh]

Taking their sweet time...

 

[Oletros]

Google is going to be pissed.

Why?

 

[sikkinixx]

I'm sure this will set the world on Fire.

 

[sillypooh]

Amazon could acquire RIM with spare change.

No way! They don't care about that crowd. They're all in with consumers.

 

[G5isAlive]

Sounds interesting. Though I have to wonder how well it would be adopted considering the market of iOS and Android.

At only the thought of it, I don't think it would be something I would buy.

competition is always a good thing... well almost always. I have to agree with you, hard to believe Amazon can enter at this point. But will be interesting to watch.

 

[tasset]

It's one thing to have a diverse set of options for computers or tablets that are not tied to a service provider, but it is an entirely different and scary scenario to have diversity that lack cohesiveness and you need to go to a cell carrier or provider.
With iOS and to some extent Google's nexus program, power has finally been wrestled from carriers into the hands of the consumer. Forking android, other android variants, even a Facebook phone threaten to spread OEMs even thinner and relinquish to more demands of the carriers and crapware. Why else would the carriers be so interested in pushing a 3rd alternative like Windows phone or their own OS built on Mozilla's gecko? Because with confusion in the marketplace they return to a stronger position where consumers turn to them for solutions.
I vote NO on Amazon doing this.

 

[brendu]

I wonder what kind of issues amazon may run into with the carriers. The US carriers caused Vizio to kill its smartphone off before it ever made it to the market because they are so difficult to work with. Hopefully amazon can make a great product but I don't see how it will be very different from any other heavily skinned android phone at this point.

 

[rafaltrus]

I am all for it! I may sound cliché, but competition is *always* good for customers and companies .

 

[applesith]

Tardy to the party.