iPad Makes Amazon Real "Touchy"

[Michael Essany]

Sometimes you have to call a spade a spade.

The real news out of Amazon tonight isn't that the largest online retailer in the world recently purchased Touchco, a relatively young company noted for their advanced touch-screen technology. The real story is about Apple.

According to The New York Times, the editors of which are likely thanking the stars above every night for the arrival of the iPad:

"Amazon will merge Touchco’s technology and staff members into its Kindle hardware division, Lab126, which is based in Cupertino, Calif., this person said."

While the headlines all read: "Amazon Acquires Touchco," a more accurate headline would be: "Amazon Scared Silly By iPad."
Oh, it's true. And like Will Ferrell said in "Anchor Man," if you disagree "I will fight you."

While critics may snipe at the Pollyanna speculation, the iPad could very well prove a bigger, more groundbreaking product offering than the iPhone or virtually any other contemporary mobile gadget has been. Certainly, that's exciting for us as consumers. For competitors, however, it's frightening. For Amazon, the iPad likely represents an immediate punch to the gut - the result of which is the loss of revenue that accompanies the loss of Kindle's market share.

So what is Amazon to do? Exactly what it is doing - striving to take their technology and creative capacity to the next level. This is all but certainly where Touchco fits into the picture.

Touchco uses a technology called interpolating force-sensitive resistance, which it puts into displays that can be completely transparent and could cost as little as $10 a square foot. The capacitive touch screens used in the iPad and iPhone are considerably more expensive. Unlike those screens, the Touchco screens can also detect an unlimited number of simultaneous touch points.

So what does it all mean? Just as Apple has elevated its game, so too now must Amazon. And scooping up Touchco represents the first step Amazon may be taking to ultimately grow its e-reader platform beyond its present limitations in order to accommodate other forms of digital content and user interaction.

This isn't a move Amazon is simply motivated to make. It's a move they also now have to make.

[battlecrushr]

lol wow

[lolcats1]

and thus begun the newspaper reader wars. hmm, dosen't have a very nice ring to it.

[dsg]

because you missed the 'have' off, it should read

begun the newspaper reader wars have, evil are Apple making this move, too expensive their product is, effect Amazon this should not, but has

[SquareWheel]

Well hey, competition is a good thing.

[hancoma]

because you missed the 'have' off, it should read

begun the newspaper reader wars have, evil are Apple making this move, too expensive their product is, effect Amazon this should not, but will

LOL! I would love to add my own star wars, clone wars comparison, unfortunately the quantities of scotch ingested this eve has seriously limited my ability to properly form cohesive, intelligent, and humorous thoughts....

[pyrotek]

So, how long did it take you to type and correct your post?

I haven't had scotch in awhile, damn all I had to drink this evening is water.

[awesomeSlayer]

Just...wow. Quite speechless.

[dsg]

once and just edited the end "but will" to 'but has'

Edit: Touched scotch I have not hmm

[Kariodude]

I agree that the iPad will kill the Kindle, but this article seems to think that the iPad is the greatest piece of technology in years which just makes me laugh.

[dsg]

^ I don't see why it should effect the Kindle it's a completely different price bracket the iPad falls neatly into the netbook bracket, which shouldn't effect that either, but will by the Apple Fan Boys/Girls

Edit: I ment 'fits neatly into the' high end netbook low end laptop bracket

[chemalito]

In wars like these one, we win

[eg6motion]

Dear Amazon...don't use resistance-based touch screens... it's not 1990.

[DirtyDan]

Great post Messany... I'm very interested to see where Amazon goes with this. What'd be great is if they rolled out their own tablet with an Amazon App Store and Flash capability. I think sooner or later Apple is going to have to give in and add flash, I understand they don't have it because they would lose money to it but there is just too much of the internet that runs on flash to make an internet device that doesn't run it.

[screamforme02]

hahahahaha the power of Apple is crazy, it makes every one shake in there little booties.. but i wont consider the ipad until OSX will run on it, untill then iphone ftw

[southfrisco]

If the iPad has a night reading feature like the Instapaper app does (this should be very easy to do but I some how think Apple won't include it) I will be sold on the $499 wifi only model as an e-reader that can beat the Kindle and Nook. I would still use the Kindle app too as I think Amazon will probably have better pricing, compared to the iBook store. If Amazon optimizes the Kindle app for the iPad I wonder if Apple will reject it?

[rhekt]

"if you disagree I will fight you."