[bkirkby]

where the author sees an echo chamber that portrays false success, i see a bias on behalf of the author that blinds him to some seemingly obvious truths. others have already pointed out the demonstrably false assertion that "no one makes money selling media for consumption any more." a statement like that seems to only be able to come from a blind spot.

i bought 7 kindle fires for my household (i have 6 kids) largely because it's the best deal you can get on a tablet and it performs it's function extremely well (i.e. media consumption device coupled with some games here and there). i don't think any objective measure of kindle fire can relegate it to failure just because it doesn't have the premium experience you get with a tablet that is 6 times the price. i personally do not think the apple experience is worth 6 times the price.

i've no idea if the the fire tv stick is going to be a good device, but the fact that it cost me $20 coupled with the positive media experience i get on our multiple fire tablets was enough to get me to buy one and try it out.

similarly, i can get amazon echo for $99 and i just signed up to try it out. i've long wanted a device with the presence and interface of a star trek computer. i'm skeptical that the technology is there yet to provide the kind of experience that i know will enhance the life of my family, but it's promise is exactly what i want and i don't see anyone else out there trying it esp. at the price point.

i think it's a bit myopic to relegate all of amazon's hardware strategy to the failure bin just because they had a clear failure in the fire phone. the other devices all seem to offer compelling reasons to try them out (not the least of which is price point).