So I’m thinking of getting a Kindle
I have a deal to get one for $50, which is stupid cheap. But do any of you have them? How do the screens hold up? I’m not going to get a case, because that puts it in the “do I really need this?” category.
So, friends, are they decently sturdy?
I recently ordered a used CD on Amazon, as you do, and was delighted to receive an email this morning saying it was shipped from Albuquerque and on its way to my humble abode in Seattle.
According to Google Maps, the route above should take one day to traverse by car.
Five days by bicycle. Twenty days by foot.
Today is April 17th, and according to Amazon this CD is supposed to arrive by May 7th.
That’s twenty days. Apparently my mailman is literally walking from Albuquerque to my house. That’s a serious commitment to service.
Or something.
eventually we’ll all work for amazon
but it’ll be cool because we’ll also all have an employee discount to amazon, so.
I owe my soul to the company store.
You guys see that they just released photos of their new building plans?
I finally wrapped my head around which blocks Amazon is trying to buy downtown. They are the three big blocks between Blanchard, Westlake, and 6th.
They want to put three new buildings up, including one that will be 37 stories.
That shit cray.
I finally figured out what that phantom Amazon deposit in my checking account was from
Back in November there was a ~$50 deposit made to my checking account from Amazon.com. Now, I’m not a seller on there, so I made multiple inquiries with Amazon to find out what this was for, assuming it was mistake. After I got the run around from three different customer service representatives I gave up because I figured by this time if it really was a mistake they would have contacted me about it.
Well today on a whim I decided to look through my Associates account. You may notice every time I post a song I link to the MP3 on Amazon if possible so that if you like the track you may purchase it. This works really well, as I have referred Amazon whopping sales of THREE WHOLE MP3s in a span of four or five years…thank me later, Amazon.
Upon looking through my earnings summary it appears that someone clicked through a link I provided, and then proceeded to purchase an $800 camcorder and a $350 tripod. That pushed me over the payment threshold and that’s where that deposit came from.
So thank you, Mystery Amazon Shopper, for choosing to order really expensive gadgets through my Tumblr.
The Difference Between Amazon and Apple
Let the Kindle Fire reviews wash over you and you’ll notice a theme: the price is mentioned early and often. The price is employed as a caveat for both detractions and compliments.
Reading these reviews has helped me realize, or at least find the words to describe, the fundamental difference between Amazon and Apple. The two companies can be summed up simply:
- Amazon creates great deals.
- Apple creates great experiences.
That’s it. Neither is better, just different.
This macro distinction is what matters most when users (or investors) consider long-term relationships with either technology ecosystem. Because technology companies don’t simply sell discrete products these days. They sell services or, more accurately, relationships: long-term partnerships with transition costs and dependencies.
Just making the linguistic shift from “product” to “relationship” should force most to adjust their evaluation criteria wildly.
I’m still trying to figure out similarly simple lines for Google, Microsoft, Facebook, and others. Microsoft traded the “create” verb for “improve” a long time ago, which requires dominance to be sustainable.
Does my struggle indicate each company’s lack of focus or am I missing something?
