The Real Tablet Fight
Gordon Weakliem nails it:
That’s the difference I see people missing all the time. They’re chattering about how Google might benefit, how this strengthens the Android platform. They’re missing the point. Apple and Amazon are increasingly in the content business, bringing a real stream of cash off of content, and particularly for Amazon, the hardware is just a necessary tool. They care about it the same way retailers care about their store because a good customer experience is critical if you want customers to spend money. But in the end, what they want is for you to use their device to spend money . People were misled thinking that Amazon was taking on the booksellers. Borders was just collateral damage.
What makes the iPad - and now the Fire - compelling, is the content, and the ease with which you get content onto the device. Amazon gets that, just as Apple does. The others? Not so much.
I was speaking to my daughter about this yesterday. She likes her Android phone, but really, really hates the work she has to go through to get music on it. The specs are way less relevant than the apps and interfaces are.
