Amazon Challenges Apple With Mac App Store 111
CWmike writes "Amazon launched a Mac-specific application download store on Thursday that will compete with Apple's nearly five-month-old Mac App Store. The new subsection of Amazon's massive online store, dubbed 'Mac Software Downloads,' kicked off quietly Thursday. Amazon has long offered software downloads for both Windows and Mac customers, but this was the first time that the company called out its Mac-centric 'store.' The retailer, however, apparently did not want to goad Apple into another legal battle by mimicking its rival's 'App Store' moniker: The two companies are already in court over Amazon's 'Appstore for Android,' which Apple claims violates its trademark. Unlike the Mac App Store, which Apple opened in early January, Amazon's includes the popular Office for Mac line from Microsoft."
Not an app store (Score:4, Insightful)
Apple's App Store provides a centralized update mechanism. Amazon's store is just a website.
Amazon Not An Underdog (Score:4, Insightful)
Apple provoked this. Apple released a tablet and is trying to do with books what it did with music via iTunes. Google has also provoked this. Amazon is smart enough to not sit around selling paperbacks to college kids.
Nobody really thinks about Amazon as a powerhouse. They always look like the underdog. But, they are the undisputed kings of online sales. They may not really know tablets, even though the kindle is wildly successful. They may not know personal computers. But they do know online sales and they definitely know software. Between their search algorithms which are arguably the best ever based on user data and their datacenters, they have an extremely powerful base to move into the Web 3.0 space of SaaS.
They've been selling online content successfully via the kindle. They understand wireless sync, cloud, and 1-click sales. They also know how to work with publishers on par with Apple's dealings with the music industry. So, rather than bashing them as a late comer, Google and Apple had better show it a little respect. It quite possibly may be the leader in this game. And if Apple ignores their direction and momentum, like RIM ignored Apple for so long, Apple will find itself trapped in an Amazon walled garden.
If Apple is a design genius, Amazon is a sales & distribution genius. This looks to be a wonderful match up!