Amazon Ordered Color Kindle Tablets, Expected Before Holidays

[SensualPoet]

This seems to be the source: http://androidandme.com/2011/05/news...-this-holiday/ and the writer makes a persuasive case.

I disagree that Amazon branded white label cables, batteries etc. is evidence Amazon wants to turn itself into a CE brand. The Kindle eInk devices are a special case and Amazon has shown great determination to move the Kindle platform onto as many viable devices as possible ... without having to actually make the things.

If Nokia is struggling to stay in the mobile phone business, what makes it so attractive to Amazon? They have huge opportunities just within their own area of expertise, including expanding its international operations ... such as China and India.

[OtterBooks]

Originally Posted by SensualPoet

I disagree that Amazon branded white label cables, batteries etc. is evidence Amazon wants to turn itself into a CE brand. The Kindle eInk devices are a special case and Amazon has shown great determination to move the Kindle platform onto as many viable devices as possible ... without having to actually make the things.

If Nokia is struggling to stay in the mobile phone business, what makes it so attractive to Amazon? They have huge opportunities just within their own area of expertise, including expanding its international operations ... such as China and India.

I don't think the Amazon Basics stuff is evidence of anything, either. It was just an interesting note, mostly because the DVD writer struck me as odd even amongst the cables n' stuff.

At this point my predictions are based on rumors and the suspicion that Amazon has giant ambitions and more crazy stuff up their sleeve. That isn't much to go on. Your skepticism is more rational. The fact that your reasoning makes sense, but they may go ahead with it anyway, is what makes this so interesting.

[stonetools]

But the thought that Amazon will deliver an Amazon-branded Android tablet can be discarded. Amazon does not make toaster ovens, wide screen TVs or Internet radios. It is focussed on selling other's physical goods and its own library of entertainment content. The Kindle e-ink readers filled a void and directly impact Amazon's ability to thrive in the content space. An Android tablet simply does not meet the barre for a business case within the company. It would be MUCH cheaper to simply do deals to ensure its Amazon Kindle app is pre-installed on any existing Android hardware that to try to commission, sell and support its own "me too" devices.

I think you should understand that Amazon also sells computer games, apps, music , tv shows, and movies. None of these work on Kindles- but they do on tablets. What better way to sell them than through your own branded hardware?
Heck, its not like this isn't a tested model. It worked brilliantly for Apple-the most valuable tech company in the world. It worked for Amazon in the category of ebooks. All Amazon would be doing is extending the same approach to other categories.
Whats needed are three things:
1. Great hardware
2.Great ecosystem
3. Great marketing and customer service.

Amazon has 2 & 3- it just needs #1. With lots of great tablet designs coming out this year, Amazon can definitely get #1.

[Sil_liS]

Whether Amazon goes ahead with a tablet or not, it will be because of their market research. I'm pretty sure that they sell every type of tablet that is on the market (there are 449 items in the tablet section on amazon.com), so they know first hand what people are buying.

[murraypaul]

Originally Posted by stonetools

I think you should understand that Amazon also sells computer games, apps, music , tv shows, and movies. None of these work on Kindles- but they do on tablets. What better way to sell them than through your own branded hardware?

By selling them to everyone's hardware.

Heck, its not like this isn't a tested model. It worked brilliantly for Apple-the most valuable tech company in the world. It worked for Amazon in the category of ebooks. All Amazon would be doing is extending the same approach to other categories.

Apple and Amazon are fundamentally different.
Apple makes money selling hardware, and runs content sales at about break even, to enhance the value of its hardware offerings.
Amazon makes money selling content, and created the Kindle to enhance the sales of its content.

[Sil_liS]

Originally Posted by murraypaul

By selling them to everyone's hardware.

But Amazon is also retailer for everyone's hardware. Why not make their own? They are doing the same thing with ebooks anyway, as they are going into the publishing business, especially looking for exclusive deals.

[murraypaul]

Originally Posted by Sil_liS

But Amazon is also retailer for everyone's hardware. Why not make their own? They are doing the same thing with ebooks anyway, as they are going into the publishing business, especially looking for exclusive deals.

You don't start a new business line based on "Why not?"
You start it on "Why?"
What does this give them that say setting up an "Approved by Amazon" scheme for tablets and having their software installed would?
Exclusive deals for eBooks increases the value of their content platform.
Are they going to sign app developers to exclusive deals for apps to only run on the Amazon android platform?
What stops them getting in the same situation Sony/Kobo/... are in now, where they can't just improve their own situation without also improving that of their competitors?

[Sil_liS]

Originally Posted by murraypaul

You don't start a new business line based on "Why not?"
You start it on "Why?"

They are selling tablets. And they probably also get information from what people are searching for on their website. If they see a large enough number of people looking at the <$300 section and then looking away, they might get the idea that if there would be a tablet under $300 made by Amazon, they would buy it.

And maybe they want to be an all-in-one store, and the browser will have the home page set to amazon.com, without the possibility of changing it, and every time you open it it will show you all the things that you might like to buy, and for such low prices...

[stonetools]

People really like the convenience and security of buying everything from one trusted source. See Apple and Walmart, operating from different directions.
If I can

*buy a really good tablet from Amazon,
*stock it with games and apps from a well-curated, malware-free App Store,
*buy ebooks from one quality Bookstore,
*buy movies and music from Amazon at better prices than Itunes, and
*store and stream my files and content from one Cloud Locker
*see new deals and promos to all the other stuff Amazon sells every time I unlock the tablet

Then I would never have reason to step out of the Amazon ecosystem.
Call it synergy or lockin or whatever, the business strategy seems clear.

[carld]

@stonetools

Exactly! I'd give you reputation for summing up my thoughts as well, but apparently you were the last one I gave rep to.

[stonetools]

Originally Posted by carld

@stonetools

Exactly! I'd give you reputation for summing up my thoughts as well, but apparently you were the last one I gave rep to.

Hey thanks

[RoxyJ]

Originally Posted by stonetools

People really like the convenience and security of buying everything from one trusted source. See Apple and Walmart, operating from different directions.
If I can

*buy a really good tablet from Amazon,
*stock it with games and apps from a well-curated, malware-free App Store,
*buy ebooks from one quality Bookstore,
*buy movies and music from Amazon at better prices than Itunes, and
*store and stream my files and content from one Cloud Locker
*see new deals and promos to all the other stuff Amazon sells every time I unlock the tablet

Then I would never have reason to step out of the Amazon ecosystem.
Call it synergy or lockin or whatever, the business strategy seems clear.

This^
And I'd like to add:
*International support, and availability.
*Good customer service

[Prestidigitweeze]

The problem with Amazon's app store is that it requires their app store app to launch whatever you've bought long after you've bought it. What's especially troubling is that said ASA makes constant use of your Wifi and 2-4G connection, which runs down your battery and abuses your data coverage. Run app killers all you like, but the ASA zombie will continue to rise from the dead until you uninstall it -- at which point its attendant apps are effectively dead along with it.

Give me the Android and Apple app markets any day. I won't be buying anysuch from Amazon until the day they stop trying to control what I do with my phone and tablet.

With a Kindle, your apps know better than to launch endlessly looking for a nonexistent connection. So far, that seems to be the one unproblematic app UI Amazon's created.

[HansTWN]

Originally Posted by Prestidigitweeze

The problem with Amazon's app store is that it requires their app store app to launch whatever you've bought long after you've bought it. What's especially troubling is that said ASA makes constant use of your Wifi and 2-4G connection, which runs down your battery and abuses your data coverage. Run app killers all you like, but the ASA zombie will continue to rise from the dead until you uninstall it -- at which point its attendant apps are effectively dead along with it.

Give me the Android and Apple app markets any day. I won't be buying anysuch from Amazon until the day they stop trying to control what I do with my phone and tablet.

With a Kindle, your apps know better than to launch endlessly looking for a nonexistent connection. So far, that seems to be the one unproblematic app UI Amazon's created.

There are two simple ways to stop ASA. You could get "autostarts" and just block it from there. Then it will only start up when you click on it. Or you could use the "Droidwall" firewall and refuse permission to use the internet (I refuse internet connection over 2G/3G for everything but the most basic services since I am not on an unlimited plan; but allow full access over WiFi).

[bhartman36]

Originally Posted by stonetools

What better way to sell them than through your own branded hardware?

Isn't this a little bit like Bose deciding they were going to start selling cars to get you to buy their car sound systems, though? I'm pretty sure there's a reason Bose doesn't do that...