

Amazing Apple Turnaround: Allows book with Amazon links - fpgeek
http://hollylisle.com/amazing-apple-turnaround-well-accept-htts-lesson-6-with-the-links/

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vvnraman
It appears that Apple has been deciding to partner Amazon in order best
Google's Play strategy. I say this as Amazon Prime Videos is now available to
be consumed on iPad officially. Also both these developments have taken place
after Google launched the Nexus 7. Maybe the talks have been going on for a
long time, but I would say this definitely pushed them into making a decision.

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fpgeek
It's clear that Amazon is reacting to the Nexus 7. Once Kindle Fire sales
slowed down, making more of their content available on iOS (note that Cloud
Player has also recently launched on iOS) is an obvious way to make their
ecosystem more attractive than Google's.

That being said, I doubt Amazon and Apple are working together. There still
aren't any buy buttons in any of Amazon's apps (Kindle, Cloud Player or
Instant Video). I'd expect Amazon to insist on some flexibility there as a
condition of any partnership.

More importantly, there are also serious antitrust implications to Amazon and
Apple working together against Google: They're established players in digital
music, digital video and ebooks and, especially combined, are dominant in all
three. Ganging up on Google (which is a relatively new entrant in all three)
would be a sure-fire way to attract the attention of the DoJ. There isn't even
an argument that the DoJ wouldn't find out or wouldn't be able to gather
evidence. They're already pursuing a case against Apple for facilitating
agency pricing. Any new arrangement Apple makes with Amazon would inevitably
come out as part of that. I'd be shocked if either company's general counsel
were stupid enough to let talks even exist, let alone go anywhere.

