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Amazon’s Echo Chamber

dcurt.is

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Re: Amazon’s Echo Chamber

#11

Post by cwilson »

schwabacher wrote: post #8

Echo seems really smart to me - the reason Amazon is in hardware is because they are terrified of 'ok google, order me lighbulbs', or 'hey siri, i need a new pair of socks' becoming the way people shop for things online. Amazon made Echo for 'alexa, order me wheat thins', and all the question answering and music playing is just window dressing.

I really don't think being terrified of competition is a good reason to create something, so I hope that's not why they are doing this.

I'm struggling to find a reason why ordering anything via Echo is a good idea. I wouldn't use Siri to order anything, so I'm not sure why I'd want to do this either. I like to research things before I buy them and so do most Amazon users (even if it's a quick glimpse at the overall rating). Do I have to have a long Q/A session with Echo to determine which specific type of socks I'd like it to order? It seems faster to just do this myself via my phone or laptop.

I'm not going to switch to Google Shopping because I can tell my phone to order things. I use Amazon because Amazon is the best place to buy things (for numerous reasons), and until that changes talking to my phone or a device in my house ins't going to effect this decision.

This just feels like a solution that no one was asking for, and that's generally the worst kind of product.

Edit: After multiple people pointed out that this WOULD be useful for re-ordering certain types of things (mainly food/kitchen stuff), I agree it would be useful for that purpose. That said, I think Amazon should be marketing this with that in mind, and the first place this should live is your kitchen, not your living room.

Re: Amazon’s Echo Chamber

#12

Post by boynamedsue »

"No one makes money selling media for consumption anymore."

Is that really true? No one makes money selling music, apps, or books on iTunes? Netflix doesn't make money selling a media consumption service? HBO doesn't make money selling premium content?

Those are all examples of media. And they're all capable of making money for their creators and distributors.

Re: Amazon’s Echo Chamber

#13

Post by cwyers »

rajivtiru wrote: post #4

So you only used this title to piggy-back off the announcement of the actual Amazon Echo? And you don't even mention it in the blog post. Nice. Edit: It appears the title has been changed. Sorry for the asshole tone above, but I don't like clickbait.

It used the launch of the Echo to talk about why Amazon hardware in general isn't compelling. I really don't see how that's "clickbait."

Re: Amazon’s Echo Chamber

#14

Post by staunch »

boynamedsue wrote: post #12

"No one makes money selling media for consumption anymore." Is that really true? No one makes money selling music, apps, or books on iTunes? Netflix doesn't make money selling a media consumption service? HBO doesn't make money selling premium content? Those are all examples of media. And they're all capable of making money for their creators and distributors.

International video game revenue is estimated to be $81.5B in 2014.[49] This is more than double the revenue of the international film industry in 2013.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_game_industry#Economics

Re: Amazon’s Echo Chamber

#15

Post by jedberg »

cwilson wrote: post #11
schwabacher wrote: post #8

Echo seems really smart to me - the reason Amazon is in hardware is because they are terrified of 'ok google, order me lighbulbs', or 'hey siri, i need a new pair of socks' becoming the way people shop for things online. Amazon made Echo for 'alexa, order me wheat thins', and all the question answering and music playing is just window dressing.

I really don't think being terrified of competition is a good reason to create something, so I hope that's not why they are doing this. I'm struggling to find a reason why ordering anything via Echo is a good idea. I wouldn't use Siri to order anything, so I'm not sure why I'd want to do this either. I like to research things before I buy them and so do most Amazon users (even if it's a quick glimpse at the overall r…

> I'm not going to switch to Google Shopping because I can tell my phone to order things.

Have you tried Google shopping with Voice integration? It's pretty amazing. You say "Ok google, buy me Triscuts" and four hours later, there's Triscuts at the door.

If my grandpa were still alive I would totally set him up with this.

Re: Amazon’s Echo Chamber

#16

Post by scoot »

dcurtis wrote: post #5
ars wrote: post #3

Despite the title this has nothing to do with the product from Amazon called Echo. So I call it clickbait. Maybe call it Amazon's Echo Chamber instead.

I titled it that on purpose, to allude to the new product. I hate clickbait. I changed the title anyway.

> I titled it that on purpose

Not originally - it was titled Amazon Has No Taste, and was changed to Amazon Echo. Even the current title (Amazon's Echo Chamber) is link-baity IMHO.

Re: Amazon’s Echo Chamber

#17

Post by baddox »

boynamedsue wrote: post #12

"No one makes money selling media for consumption anymore." Is that really true? No one makes money selling music, apps, or books on iTunes? Netflix doesn't make money selling a media consumption service? HBO doesn't make money selling premium content? Those are all examples of media. And they're all capable of making money for their creators and distributors.

The next two sentences are

> That market is quickly and brutally dying. The media market is now so efficient that all profit is completely sucked out of the equation by the time you get to the consumption delivery system, to the point that it is barely possible to break even.

I don't think he's claiming that copyright owners can't make money selling copyrighted material. It sounds like he's claiming that the delivery networks can't make money.

Re: Amazon’s Echo Chamber

#18

Post by elmuchoprez »

ars wrote: post #3

Despite the title this has nothing to do with the product from Amazon called Echo. So I call it clickbait. Maybe call it Amazon's Echo Chamber instead.

After reading it, I actually went looking for a date hoping it was written before the Echo announcement and was a wonderful coincidence.

On a side note, having to hover over the title to expose the date is a silly UX.

Re: Amazon’s Echo Chamber

#19

Post by danhak »

baddox wrote: post #17
boynamedsue wrote: post #12

"No one makes money selling media for consumption anymore." Is that really true? No one makes money selling music, apps, or books on iTunes? Netflix doesn't make money selling a media consumption service? HBO doesn't make money selling premium content? Those are all examples of media. And they're all capable of making money for their creators and distributors.

The next two sentences are > That market is quickly and brutally dying. The media market is now so efficient that all profit is completely sucked out of the equation by the time you get to the consumption delivery system, to the point that it is barely possible to break even. I don't think he's claiming that copyright owners can't make money selling copyrighted material. It sounds like he's claiming that the delivery…

And Netflix is not a delivery network?

Re: Amazon’s Echo Chamber

#20

Post by Zigurd »

Its curious that selling to one's customer base amounts to an "echo chamber." The Amazon Echo could be really nice. If I could tell it to play an audiobook, I'd be very tempted. It's a truly new product in a world that has too few of those.
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