Digital Home Thoughts: New York Times: Amazon Will Take On iPod With Its Own Music Player

"Amazon.com is preparing to take on Apple Computer in digital music by introducing its own portable music player that would be linked to an online music service, according to several music industry executives involved with negotiations with Amazon. Unlike Apple, which sells songs for 99 cents each, Amazon will offer a service that charges a monthly or annual fee to customers, who will have the right to fill up their music players with as many songs as they like, the executives said. When they stop paying the fee, the music on the player will be disabled."

This might indeed be a killer combination - Amazon is a customer-focused company. They pay attention to what happens when they move a single link on their home page - they're all about measuring and monitoring the impact that their actions have on customers. That's a stark difference to the way most hardware companies think - they're more focused on selling the hardware and moving onto the next project. Amazon would have to focus on the hardware and the music buying experience, which is something no other company does right now except for Apple. I don't think Sony counts because they're so inept.

I wonder though, can Amazon execute with any sense of style? The Amazon brand is functional, but not really slick or touchable. People want digital audio players that look good and function properly. I hope they're working with top-notch industrial design companies to create a player that looks every bit as good as an iPod.