Amazon finally took the plunge today and went all in on the Apple model. Well, kind of. You see Apple has been all about the ecosystem for the last decade. Their devices and computers each share enough of the same DNA now to make them feel somewhat similar, familiar. And if you really want to use them, you need to buy into the iTunes media world that they've created. Good, bad or ugly it doesn't matter. It's worked. And worked well. Like ol' Palmolive Madge used to say, "You're soaking in it." But slowly, quietly, almost deftly Amazon has been building an ecosystem of its own. You probably didn't notice S3 or EC2, but you're using them more often than you know. You missed the fact that they had an MP3 store, until you realized how easy it was to save some coin on your music and that they're little iTunes importer actually worked (cross-platform too). Then came the streaming movies and TV shows. Okay in a pinch and sometimes cheaper than iTunes. Finally you figured, hey, why not join Amazon Prime, I'm ordering everything from Amazon anyway. And you were right, but then, what did they do, they GAVE you free streaming stuff. What? Free? What are these people thinking? And then you realized it. Another ecosystem. It was too late to stop once you noticed. They had you. You were using the Kindle device, or at least an app on your smart phone or iPad, or maybe even in the browser on your computer. And there it was, clear as day, you were living in another ecosystem. And now comes the (at least currently) sad part of our story. Let me preface this by saying what a total Google fan-boy I am, but alas this tale of woe is true. Google just can't get a break. They're either late the game (e.g. Google+ [which I TOTALLY LOVE]) or they're way too early (e.g. Google Wave [which I TOTALLY miss]). Sure they'll store your music, and maybe even sell you some, but it's not really everywhere, accessible, easy. They have a bookstore, but it's B-grade at best. Google's still big and powerful and they're not out of the game yet. But let's be honest, isn't it just a bit sad to see how poorly the Google ecosystem works (or doesn't work) together? It is for me. I so desperately want Google Docs to be meaningful, but Dropbox bests it in almost every way. Wait! Do you hear it? There's a faint rustling coming from over there. Maybe it's G-drive. Maybe he can save us! Or maybe, just maybe, he'll create yet a third ecosystem that we'll all have to be a part of. Stranger things have happened. - Hutch
