Suddenly, I've begun to appreciate the genius of Amazon's digital media strategy. With a Kindle, a TiVo set up for Amazon Unbox videos, and a sizeable MP3 downloading habit, I've used pretty much all their download services. And today I just realized that I have a central media library, where all the books, movies, television shows, and music I've purchased are stored. If I lose anything, I can re-download from their central server (unlike iTunes, which made me buy again). I can retrieve them through the device, or push them from Amazon.
The convenience of the thing is already a big selling point over places like Netflix (though with the selection still somewhat skimpy, I'm holding onto the subscription). The lack of DRM is a big advantage over iTunes. But the central storage is a killer app. It doesn't cost Amazon much--they only need one copy on their servers--but it saves me a hell of a lot of room and annoyance in arranging backups. And being able to browse your whole library in one place--as well as share it with others--is pretty damn useful.
Amazon still has a ways to go on accumulating content, but that seems like their smallest challenge, given their already powerful distribution relationships. The other stuff needs some UI tweaks, but it's already basically there. This may save TiVo. And force Apple to step up their game.
Megan,
I've also grown a large affinity for amazon. We subscribe to their Prime service and I've started buying exclusively through them for my music purchases.
However, I'm almost certain, and correct me if I'm wrong, that you can't redownload music tracks that you've bought. To make sure, I just perused my "media collection" and don't seem to see any mention of being able to download or even stream.
Just curious if you're seeing something I'm not.
The albums I've recently purchased show up in my media library.
What happens if the internet connection goes down? During the power outages last week (after the big storms on Wednesday here in NoVa) several friends of mine got power back well before the cable, and internet connection, came back.
Actually, Apple does let you re-download digital media - and you get up to five computers/devices tied to your account. But the big advantage that Apple has (at the moment) is simply the breadth of their catalog.
My biggest problem with both services (and I use both Amazon Unbox on my TiVo and iTunes on my AppleTV) is that each have a 24 hour limit for rented movies. So I can't watch half one night and half the next, unless I start substantially earlier the second night. If they could go to 48 hour (or even 30 hours) I'd rent substantially more movies.
I think accumulating content is still their biggest challenge. The Kindle sounds really exciting to me; I'd love to have all my books, searchable, in one portable device. But so far they have hardly anything I want to read. To be fair, I tend to read more specialized academic material, not NY Times bestseller stuff. But a lot of the books I want have a "search inside" option on Amazon's site, so I know they're got them digitized, but not available on Kindle.
If they had more availability, I would definitely buy one.
Interesting observation about the centralized storage. I share one complaint with Michael though--the 24-hour rental period that seems to be evolving into a "standard" really needs to be whacked. Whatever the fair and reasonable limit is, 24 hours is not. It basically means that you have to be sure that the real world isn't going to crop up once you've started watching a movie.
Amazon's central media library lets you listen to your purchased media, but you cannot download it again. So if you hard drive goes bust, you're hosed.
I don't see an option to redownload any of the music I've purchased. I don't even see how it permits listening beyond the stock 30 second clip.
This seems designed more as a form of social networking, letting you advertise to others what you watch and read and listen to through your library.
Please correct me if I'm wrong about any of that, I'd love to have a function like that available. I was initially leery of Amazon's MP3 offerings, but after a few purchases, I've come to appreciate the lower prices relative to iTunes, the DRM-free nature of the content itself, and the higher bit-rate files.
Maybe this is an example of Amazon segmenting the market. Megan gets access to a much more useful service than others so that she will blog about it in glowing terms. ;)
All of this just points out how important it is for every one to BACKUP! I have Apple's Time Machine that comes in the OS X sysem and a large hard disk that is just for that.... Auto Backups. And you cn easily restore the whole drive or file as you need.
In this day and age of computer tech everywhere, you just have to back up your digital purchase. but you CAN'T with rental stuff.
I have my music on my back disk and photos on an other one and even put Iteunes on DVID for safe keeping as well.
I was a tech in my working days so.... BACK UP!
Ken
All of this just points out how important it is for every one to BACKUP! I have Apple's Time Machine that comes in the OS X sysem and a large hard disk that is just for that.... Auto Backups. And you cn easily restore the whole drive or file as you need.
In this day and age of computer tech everywhere, you just have to back up your digital purchase. but you CAN'T with rental stuff.
I have my music on my back disk and photos on an other one and even put Iteunes on DVID for safe keeping as well.
I was a tech in my working days so.... BACK UP!
Ken
No one is even vaguely suggesting that it isn't important to back up, Ken. I think it pretty much goes without saying at this point. It's sort of like sitting someone down before they head to the amusement park, and telling them to make sure not to stand up in the roller coaster. ;-)