I would suggest that AMZN investors speculate wildly with little idea of the shape of things to come.
Now that we appear to be going up the food chain, (it looks like Bertelsmann is trying to cut out middlemen distributors in the internet book sales business altogether), it would occur to me that a next logical step the market could take is that authors will be publishing directly.
Zaxbowow's Crystal Ball Speaks
Picture this:
John Doe publishes a book by posting it to an internet ftp site in a new secure, and encrypted format.
After finding out about the book from a search engine which has indexed both media reviews (legit media reviews, not amateur hour at the Amizon) of John Doe's book, and John Doe's own publicity information for this book, Leroy Jones decides to purchase the book.
To gain access to the book, Leroy Jones clicks on a link starting the credit authorization process. After Leroy's credit is verified through a third party (he plugs his 'smart' debit or credit card into a PCMCIA smart card reader with ZERO threat of credit fraud), the text is transferred, based on his preferences, either directly to his PC, or to a print on demand publisher (using this new technology which has just made its debut).
Thus Leroy can have the book he wants, any way he wants it. Book publishers, as we know them, exist no more. Publishing is reduced to being no more than a local Kinkos up the block with a print on demand publishing system, and a local messenger service.
If Leroy chooses the PC option, the client reader is no more than a modified internet browser with no cut, copy, paste or print methods available.
What does this new frontier represent?
NO INVENTORIES. NO WASTE. NO MIDDLEMEN.
Beneficiaries of the information age?
1. Simple, low margin service providers.
2. Content creators, no longer bilked by middlemen of their due royalties.
3. Technology companies.
4. Good old fashioned "brick and mortar" bookstores, for us nostalgic folks who enjoy nice environments, and also for the technologically challenged.
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Zaxbowow loves the wonderful opportunities and new orders that the internet represents.
Zaxbowow believes an absurdly overvalued startup squandering frenzied bubble invested money on speculative and unsound technologies is as doomed to destruction as the Hindenberg.
Zaxbowow laughs in the face of all who say "he doesn't grasp the bright future that the internet represents" when he questions the basic business plan of an internet gold-rush fund-manager speculative-investor, short-squeezed over-inflated start-up LOSER (enough adjectives here?).
Best regards and bright futures,
-- Zaxbowow |
