Amazon's 'Unbox' of music and movie downloads is a desperate act. When was the last time Amazon made a download service? Amazon is good at shipping boxes but not much else. Amazon sees the trend changing towards downloadable content and knows that it will be left behind. Farewell Amazon. It's "unbox" is also certain for failure.
But the big story is Apple's 'iTV'. Why did Apple reveal the iTV early with its prototype name and with it not having a release date yet? Interestingly, this iTV will be competing with the 'top boxes' such as the Xbox 360 and PS3. Isn't Apple worried?
No. In the same way, people thought the Ipod was about the Itunes store or about the Ipod player and so everyone tried to copy that. But Ipod was really the birth of a new platform (the hardware and Itunes stores are just elements of that). No wonder Microsoft abandoned WMA to launch the Zune hardware! Apple is attempting to build a new entertainment platform.
Building platforms is hard and long work. Apple isn't too interested in the individual profits right now as it sees it as long term growth. Microsoft did the similar thing when building up MS-DOS and Windows. Both Microsoft and Sony are being left behind by Apple. Despite the gloom and doom said, Ipod still has a whopping 75% of the marketplace.
The iTV is being delayed due to technological reasons more than anything else. Wireless transfer technologies has advanced very fast lately but video is so much more data than audio. My brother works with such wireless technology and it is incredible by how rapid it is developing. Transferring video wirelessly? Piece of cake fairly soon.
How Orwellian!
Strength Through iTunes
iTunes Through Apple
Apple Prevails
What if IBM makes a commercial of an athletic woman running into a room of Apple brainwashed fans to throw a giant hammer at a screen of Steve Jobs? That would be interesting...