Rumor: Amazon eyeing purchase of HP's Palm division for webOS Kindles

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  • Reply 21 of 62
    shenshen Posts: 434member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ConradJoe View Post


    Welcome to the club!



    You have a special club of people who are wrong because they agree with you?



    Does the club handshake involve russian roulette?
  • Reply 22 of 62
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by tipoo View Post


    Not sure I see the point in switching their tablet(s) to WebOS, but I guess if any company can revive WebOS its Amazon...Amazon smartphones, now that would be interesting.



    Less bullshit, for one reason. Who knows where and when these patent battles will end. Bezos might just want to stay clear of that mess if he can get WebOS for the right price. He's already got the man on board needed to consult him.
  • Reply 23 of 62
    mjtomlinmjtomlin Posts: 2,673member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ConradJoe View Post


    Amazon is already making waves in the tablet market (OOPS! There is no tablet market, there is only an iPad market, so Amazon is making waves in the iPad market).



    It's new... Every "new" tablet made waves when the were introduced. They were all going to be device that unseats the iPad... we saw where that went.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ConradJoe View Post


    But what confuses me is that I thought all 7 inch Ipads (remember, there is no tablet market; there is only an iPad market) would be Dead on Arrival, unless the manufacturer also included sandpaper to turn the users fingertips into a bloody pulp.



    We'll see who is correct. Time will tell.



    Steve Jobs was referring to tablet class apps, not oversized devices running a smartphone class UI.





    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ConradJoe View Post


    The tablet market seems to finally be catching fire (pun fully intended). This is good for all consumers. Apple proved that there is a viable category here, and other companies seem to be taking the ball and running with it.



    What will be interesting is whether Apple can retain the dominant position like it did in the media player market, or whether it will be relegated to a large niche status, like in the smartphone market.



    Tablet market catching fire!? Last I heard all other tablet OEMs have cut back production and even dropped out (HP, Toshiba) of the market. Apple has not dropped or passed the ball to another company.



    A large niche status!? Really? Apple has the largest share of the smartphone market hardware wise and has the second largest share OS wise.
  • Reply 24 of 62
    sheffsheff Posts: 1,407member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by iKol View Post


    Didn't Michael Dell say something way back similar about Apple's OS?



    Apple did not issue a statement that they have discontinued production of apple computers and are thinking about spinning off the devision. Palm is dead not because of market share (0), but because the company that owns it officially and on the record killed it off.
  • Reply 25 of 62
    sheffsheff Posts: 1,407member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by shen View Post


    I am no patent lawyer, but how much did Microsoft just make from companies paying to use Android? Does forking protect you from that? Wouldn't the fork have to remove all the stuff they filed suit for in the first place and even then still be open to possible litigation?



    Yeah, no reason at all to look for an alternative OS if you are a phone maker...



    Does not matter. Even if they pay some royalty it will still be better than buying webOS, a platform that brought not success to any company that used it.
  • Reply 26 of 62
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by sheff View Post


    Does not matter. Even if they pay some royalty it will still be better than buying webOS, a platform that brought not success to any company that used it.



    Except that WebOS is a perfect fit for Amazon being that it does not seem to want to enter the tablet wars per se other than to build devices for its own ecosystem.
  • Reply 27 of 62
    shenshen Posts: 434member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Neo42 View Post


    Shocking to find such an Apple drone flaming Android. Have you even used an Android device that was made in the last couple years? I like WebOS conceptually, but to call it "certainly superior" to Android is ridiculous. On the same hardware Android runs buttery smooth while WebOS jutters and trips over itself just trying to manage a handful of running apps.



    What stinks worse than a litter box is your attitude.



    In regard to the article itself, seems silly for Amazon to throw out their entire android store in favor of a new OS which they will have to purchase (for a lofty sum) which has a (relatively) awful marketplace. Maybe they should just buy WebOS for the design then fork or skin Android with a similar UI. At the very least write a Dalvik interpreter that will allow them to continue to sell through the Android marketplace



    Have I used an Android device? Two days ago. Next.



    Android is inferior to WebOS in that Android users currently have to pay MS and other companies as well as the "open source" seems to be "stolen source." As Amazon will be making devices with Android on them, this would make WebOS superior for their use. I should have specified that as the meaning intended. I apologize.



    I will have to let your "buttery smooth" comment pass, as it may be possible, but in my own experience Android has never even been "chunky peanut butter smooth" on any hardware I used, some two dozen different devices I have played with...



    Why would it be silly for Amazon to change? They already used a highly customized UI on top of an older android. As others already pointed out, if they are smart, they planned for this and can easily change.



    As for "selling through the Android market place" why would they wish to do that? I see no reason they would even be tempted to do so. They have their own market place, and might, like Apple, intend to control the whole eco-system.



    In fact that is the reason they have a shot at being the only other tablet.



    If Amazon works their own UI, ignores the flaming hunk of IP hurt that is Android, controls their content, and sells to their strength, the "iPad market" people like to point out exists (there is NO tablet market) will overnight become an "iPad/Amazon market." Amazon has real potential here.



    That, BTW, is reality. You can call that being an Apple drone if you like, but you only show you are unable to think clearly. Pointing out that Android has no tablet presence at all is reality, not Apple fanboyism. Pointing out that Amazon has the best chance of extending the tablet market is pointing to potential reality, and has no room in a "drones" thinking. Pointing out that Android only has phone market share because it is the only other real choice atm is reality, and has no place in fanboyism. These are basic facts. Numerous studies, market break downs, customer surveys, and market analysis support this view. Telling me I am a "drone" for pointing out the obvious is just another way of admitting you have no real reply.



    ...and if you have nothing to say, you really should say exactly that.
  • Reply 28 of 62
    It all does not matter much. The end products will essentially be just a medium to buy Amazon's contents in addition to them getting your personal details and shopping habits.



    Not interested.
  • Reply 29 of 62
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by tipoo View Post


    Not sure I see the point in switching their tablet(s) to WebOS, but I guess if any company can revive WebOS its Amazon...Amazon smartphones, now that would be interesting.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by wuchmee View Post


    This is actually a fascinating rumor. Think about it. Amazon ends up controlling webOS and develops proper tablets, not a purchase portal disguised as an e-book reader. This could make the next chapter in the tablet war very interesting.



    And, to whomever said that webOS is dead: no, it's the HP TouchPad that's dead. HP simply did not imbue webOS with enough horsepower to make the TouchPad a real contender.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by island hermit View Post


    Except that WebOS is a perfect fit for Amazon being that it does not seem to want to enter the tablet wars per se other than to build devices for its own ecosystem.



    Ahh...step back a bit and think about it!



    What is Amazon selling? They aren't selling tablets or eReaders -- Amazon is selling Access to their services and their store.



    What if Amazon were to buy WebOS and offer it to to the smart phone and tablet manufacturers?



    1) The manufacturers would get access to all the Amazon content!



    2) The manufacturers would get an unencumbered OS.



    3) The manufacturers would get an OS with a level playing field (no favorite treatment like Moogle).



    4) Amazon would get sales, traffic, marketing info -- all the things it really wants.



    Along with the cached web browser, Amazon could out-Google Google!
  • Reply 30 of 62
    Good move Amazon.
  • Reply 31 of 62
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Dick Applebaum View Post


    Ahh...step back a bit and think about it!



    What is Amazon selling? They aren't selling tablets or eReaders -- Amazon is selling Access to their services and their store.



    What if Amazon were to buy WebOS and offer it to to the smart phone and tablet manufacturers?



    1) The manufacturers would get access to all the Amazon content!



    2) The manufacturers would get an unencumbered OS.



    3) The manufacturers would get an OS with a level playing field (no favorite treatment like Moogle).



    4) Amazon would get sales, traffic, marketing info -- all the things it really wants.



    Along with the cached web browser, Amazon could out-Google Google!



    Amazon (content) and Google's (ads) situation is very similar and it's a very plausible theory.



    Amazon would have to stop making its own tablets though. E-ink devices would be fine but the Fire and a 10 inch device would be out... no?
  • Reply 32 of 62
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by island hermit View Post


    Amazon (content) and Google's (ads) situation is very similar and it's a very plausible theory.



    Amazon would have to stop making its own tablets though. E-ink devices would be fine but the Fire and a 10 inch device would be out... no?



    Yeah, Amazon would not want to compete with its customers (of WebOS).



    I can see several easy ways of handling that.



    1) Freeze the Fire (that has a nice ring) hardware as is.



    2) Offer all WebOS manufacturers the opportunity to compete with matching minimal hardware at the $199-$249 price point.



    3) No takers -- Amazon continues to offer the low-end loss leader -- protecting the manufactures from having to compete at that level.



    The irony here, is that Amazon could make money (or break even) selling a Fire-like tablet made by someone else -- instead of losing money selling the Fire made by (for) Amazon.



    The other thing worth mentioning is that Apple, Google, MS could not buy WebOS (AntiTrust) -- and no one else has the online ecosystem to make WebOS attractive to smart phone and tablet manufacturers.
  • Reply 33 of 62
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Dick Applebaum View Post




    There is a tide in the affairs of men. Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune...

    - William Shakespeare -






    Hey Dick -



    First you quoted me in your .sig, and then you switched to William Shakespeare. I seem to be in good company. Who is next, Albert Einstein?



    You flatter me.
  • Reply 34 of 62
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,176member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by shen View Post


    I am no patent lawyer, but how much did Microsoft just make from companies paying to use Android? Does forking protect you from that? Wouldn't the fork have to remove all the stuff they filed suit for in the first place and even then still be open to possible litigation?



    Yeah, no reason at all to look for an alternative OS if you are a phone maker...



    It's estimated that Microsoft will get between $700 and $800 million in total from Android licenses in 2012.
  • Reply 35 of 62
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ConradJoe View Post


    Hey Dick -



    First you quoted me in your .sig, and then you switched to William Shakespeare. I seem to be in good company. Who is next, Albert Einstein?



    You flatter me.



    I considered Uncle Shelby... but the chosen quote seems to fit this thread!



    We all are in good company!
  • Reply 36 of 62
    So, let me get this straight. Amazon is going to offer Kindle Fire using an offshoot of Android 2.3, then perhaps, at some time, offering some other reader using a modification of WebOS.



    They want to market Kindle Fire to help determine the potential market for their tablet, but now the product is orphaned. Say what?



    Who would be dumb enough buy a Kindle Fire that will be a doorstop in a couple of months? Who would develop for such a platform?



    Amazon might sell between 100 and 1000 Kindle Fires. LOL.
  • Reply 37 of 62
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Gatorguy View Post


    It's estimated that Microsoft will get between $700 and $800 million in total from Android licenses in 2012.



    Hmmm....



    What should Zon (Amazon) be willing to pay for WebOS?



    What creative ways could Zon use to monazite the expenditure?



    Hmmm....
  • Reply 38 of 62
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by waldobushman View Post


    So, let me get this straight. Amazon is going to offer Kindle Fire using an offshoot of Android 2.3, then perhaps, at some time, offering some other reader using a modification of WebOS.



    They want to market Kindle Fire to help determine the potential market for their tablet, but now the product is orphaned. Say what?



    Who would be dumb enough buy a Kindle Fire that will be a doorstop in a couple of months? Who would develop for such a platform?



    Amazon might sell between 100 and 1000 Kindle Fires. LOL.



    You miss the point:



    1) Amazon is interested in selling content and access to their store.



    2) The Fire is a loss-leader to accomplish the above.



    3) If purchasing WebOS could deliver 1) above -- there is no need for 2).



    4) If they desire, Amazon could upgrade the Fire to use WebOS



    Most likely, Amazon will encourage phone and tablet manufactures to offer a WebOS based Fire equivalent.
  • Reply 39 of 62
    gqbgqb Posts: 1,934member
    I've thought all along that that was the right move.

    It really doesn't matter what the OS is because Amazon is simply slapping an easy-to-use vending machine on top of it.

    If they intend to do apps (which I kind of doubt) then being stuck with Android 2.x is going to leave them in the ghetto. WebOS give them an opportunity to support really good web apps along with their vending machine.
  • Reply 40 of 62
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by waldobushman View Post




    Amazon might sell between 100 and 1000 Kindle Fires. LOL.






    Read it and weep:



    Kindle Fire: 95,000 Orders On Day One



    http://www.informationweek.com/news/...lets/231602481
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