Battle lines are being drawn in the war between Amazon.com's
It doesn't matter that Apple won't be putting out its iPod-touch-on-steroids until next month. It doesn't matter that it's priced at two to three times as much as the $259 Kindle. It doesn't matter that Apple's iTunes is unproven as a digital bookstore.
Amazon and Apple are bulking up for a battle that everyone is now watching.
The week began with reports that Apple was in talks with several textbooks and study guide publishers, hoping to transform the iPad into the ultimate classroom accessory. Amazon isn't going down quietly. It is reportedly snapping up a maker of cheap and flexible touchscreens.
Is a touchscreen really necessary on a Kindle? Probably not. However, if Apple is gunning for the e-book market that Amazon currently dominates, it may as well begin rolling out gadgets that eat into Apple's strengths in digital songs, apps, and videos.
The war hasn't officially started, but it's never too early to load up on ammo.
Briefly in the news
And now let's take a quick look at some of the other stories that shaped our week.
- Fidelity Investments became the latest online broker to dramatically slash stock commissions and eradicate pricing tiers. The $7.95 flat rate undercuts a similar move by Charles Schwab
(NASDAQ:SCHW) last month. -
Sirius XM Radio
(NASDAQ:SIRI) can now be streamed on select Research In Motion(NASDAQ:RIMM) BlackBerry devices. Sirius XM introduced the app on Thursday. The download is free, but users have to become premium online subscribers after a seven-day trial.
Until next time, I remain,
Rick Munarriz
