Will Amazon.com's
Credit Suisse analyst Spencer Wang seems to think so. He suggests that the arrival of Apple's
I get the logic, but has a situation like this ever played out that way?
Apple owns digital music. It doesn't matter that Amazon.com, Microsoft
The picture gets a little cloudier when it comes to digital video. Apple and Amazon are trying to sell piecemeal downloads and rentals. However, Netflix
I'm not suggesting that Amazon won't be challenged. Despite its glare and battery-life concerns, the iPad will eat into Amazon's e-book business as a jack-of-all-trades device. The iPad may even be more successful with newspapers and magazines, which can take advantage of the iPad's rich colors and pander to an audience suited for short-form journalism. Google may seem like a dark horse, but one should never underestimate Big G's breadth and conviction if it deems this an important market.
It's still hard to fathom e-book readers as a fractured market where three powerful players walk away with thirds -- at best.
Ad where is Barnes & Noble
This is still Amazon's war to lose, and I don't think it will be easy to topple from its digital-book dominance. There are at least 2 million Kindles out there. Even dot-com darlings need to earn the right to a slice of phantom market share.
Who will champion the inevitable digital book revolution? Share your thoughts in the comment box below.