Amazon has always been a major in shipping, but just last year did it enter the digital device era when it launched the glorious Kindle Fire.  The device had everything the Ipad had, but at a much cheaper price.  The device worked well.  It sold a whopping amount on the first few weeks, and rumor has it another is to appear this year.  It’s not surprising as this year Apple and Android are at it again, and I’m sure Amazon would like a piece of that cake.  The problem is getting the phone into a 5 year old market already growing stronger.  The Kindle Fire took off, but the market was just over a year old.  This device will sure to amaze, I hope, but the problem, also, is apps.  Apps are everywhere nowadays.  ‘There’s an app for that’ is the catchphrase everyone seems to be using now.  Amazon’s market for apps is growing, but the speed may not be enough.  Apple has 600,000 apps, Android has 500,000, and Windows Phone just hit 100,000.  Though Amazon tugs along, stuck under a root at 31,000 apps.  Though they’re getting there, they still don’t appeal to the wide variety the other platforms are performing at.  Let alone that concept, the UI design is seamless and has obviously appealed to the consumer.  The Iphone and Android should be big in competition this year, as they, too, have launched their own cloud services.  This puts more pressure on Amazon as they hurry up for the holiday season to come.  The speed on the Jelly Bean 4.1 for Android could also show some weakness on Amazon.  And the Iphone’s simplicity may also damage the UX for Amazon.  In my true opinion, I believe that Amazon has a firm grip on this and is ready to take on the competition that lies ahead.  Providing easier marketplace uploading might also boost the ratings on the Amazon platform.  Though reading is a plus on their side, it will take much effort to convince the average 2012 consumer.  The news will all unfold this holiday, we hope, as rumored Amazon will launch their new smartphone to the market.

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The Device

When I pick up a device, it’s anything but an Iphone.  I’ve been pressured to buy an Iphone, but I just can’t see myself with such a device.  The problem isn’t the device itself, but the way the company puts out the device every year.  They don’t give you time to upgrade.  So your first generation or second generation Iphone are already out of date.  So is that third generation Ipod touch you bought a couple years ago.  The WWDC event is only three hours away.  What we expect to entangle us is an Iphone that will soon be out of date.  One that can be used for only a year or two.  After that, they are discontinued.  Otherwise known as old.  So why even buy such an intricate device?

Features

With all the features, the interface doesn’t feel as clean as I would like it to feel.  The animations are a bit laggy, also.  The user experiences for each app are all different, which would make me assume that users would have to learn how to use each app.  The apps for these devices have proved enormous, but with so many apps, how many are you really going to use?  We believe that the Ipad, too, will receive major competition this year with Windows 8.  A faster boot up than both Ipad and Iphone make it a top notch competitor for consumers.  The true future of Apple, I believe, is that it will not do as well without Steve Jobs.  It will never get Flash.  It will never do PowerPoints.  In my mind, those are key for business, and I can’t see you doing that kind of business on an Iphone or Ipad. The Iphone has not landed yet, and will not until this fall, along with all the other products. The fact is that the Apple products will never win. They may win the competition, but not the interface that the other smaller companies provide. With all the buyers, they don’t have to change much.

Interface

Interface means a lot to me, and when it feels too clunky and hard to manage, like Apple’s, it’s time to move on. Many only buy because of what they here, but not everything is Apple. Frankly, I believe their computers are too awful to work around, and having no right clicker makes me wonder how people stay so attached to such an unsupported device. The two words that are said at the conference are meaningful to a sense, but when you come down to it, the device is way to over-hyped with many missing features and a long road to the top if they want to better perceive the audience. No Flash support has brought a drop to me as I am running Flash a lot on my PC and tablet to run certain things. Apple has said they will never support it. Why, though, we don’t know. They also have powerful chipsets, but none to compete with the already growing surplus of better chipsets from NVIDIA, ARM, and Intel that support high quality graphics. Faster performance in these chips mean much to the user. The startup on Apple computers take forever, too, as I wonder how they keep the audience growing. The startup time for the up and coming Windows 8 is like 10 seconds.

Conclusion

For me, on an Apple product, it feels like 10 minutes. As you can see my frustration in this billion dollar business, my main concern is not the company. Nor the product. It’s what’s not in the product. And simplicity is one of them. So the next time you pick up an Apple device, clearly research and compare it with other products as a product and not a superior.

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PHOTO CREDIT: THEVERGE

Instagram was recently bought by Facebook for $1 billion. But we investigate the past and find out if the buy was even worth it.

The classic ages where we all once roamed also made for beautiful pictures. From memories to events, poloroid and other cameras made their way into the camera industry.  Not even 2 years ago, though, did Kevin Systrom launch Instagram, a photo platform used as a playground for making better photographers and neat photos.  The platform kicked off fast, on a boat to millions.  The app itself features square camera UI, taking square photos, adding up to 15 classic, neat filters, such as Gotham or Lord Kelvin, to spice up your photo(s).  Instagram made it to the top in the apps selection for Apple and Google Play.  This surprising surmount also brought great joy as new users registering and uploading photos could now be critiqued or liked from Instagrammers from around the world.  Later on, these touching photos became wall art as the folks at CanvasPop made Instagram a new way of artwork.  The service has been running exceedingly well, and has recently launched an Android app.  The apps’ redesign also made critical improvements.  But the real bust was this month, when the company fell to an overall $1 billion deal collected up by Facebook.  This may not seem as bad as you think, but when you think of how large Facebook is, it doesn’t push through as much creativity as it has such a large crowd to build for, and also that Facebook is supervising as Kevin Systrom isn’t heading to Facebook, only means less ingeniousness.  But what do I know?  For all I know, the company could become a huge phenomenon and base for ideas.  Or it could sink into the trenches as Facebook continues to swallow up the small business that do our world good.  So let me ask you, do you think it was a smart move on Facebook to shovel up Instagram, one of the most creative photo apps out there?

Sources:   TheVerge

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