kozakkk667

Hey, You, Get Off My Cloud!

Wasn't the infamous Global Crossing's server farms the "cloud computers" before they acquired this fancy moniker (Bill Joy?).
I think it is another "pie in the sky"

12 Promising Tech Stocks - Barron's

continuing on Amazon's "free shipping" issue, search on google yielded this interesting site:
www.freeshipping.org/s.../

12 Promising Tech Stocks - Barron's

You state "Amazon's free shipping could help assuage buyers' fears about the costs of purchasing gifts and products..". It should be pointed out that "free shipping" is "free" only when you sign up for the $79 Amazon Prime annual fee. In that sense it is akin to Costco's membership fees in that once you signed up for Amazon Prime it might provide certain amount of "stickiness" to continue buying from Amazon. However, the real test is how many renew and also what competitive barrier it presents. For example Sears offers an identical program called ShipAdvantage also for $79. Also, although not as a formal annual membership program, most internet sites offer "free shipping" especially during the holiday shopping season. So, I thing "free shipping" like "kindle" is just puffery to hype AMZN's potential and thus its lofty valuation.

Amazon: Will It Kindle Vertical Integration?

With the ever growing competition to fill our appetite for information and entertainment in an era of ever shrinking time and proliferation of passive and free sources, books in print or electronic forms will be in a secular decline at least in the western world. China, India and other emerging markets with its expanding literate class might stem this trend but with the low barrier to entry for electronic delivery of books, they will be walled off for the likes of Amazon.com by regional dominant players. Growth of AMZN's books part of the biz will grow only to the extent of the wilting and consolidation of competitors like Barnes & Noble, Borders etc. but regarless of the sophistication, convenience and empowering tools of delivery, they may not make much difference. Think how many listen to "books on tape" rather than their ipod or blather of radio talk show while commuting to work? Those inclined to reflective consumption of knowledge is an ever shrinking market segment so don't be drunk on the kool-aid of AMZN PR or CIti's Mahoney with their wild estimates of Kindle's potential. I wish AMZN will temper such efforts so as not to side track its true strengths as a formidable juggernaut that it is as a category killer in online merchandising.

Amazon: Sacrificing Margin for Sales

To repeat what I posted on the yahoo board on 19-sep08 in light of a reuters news item:
"Hedge funds seen switching short exposure to retail"
biz.yahoo.com/rb/08091...

"My thinking: as we get closer to the 22-oct earnings announcement, with all the consumer headwinds and now opportunistic hedgies looking for fresh targets, companies like AMZN will end up in their cross-hairs as there are hardly any others in the retail space with as lofty valuation and expectation."

However, insiders & insitutions together hold 99% of the float (24% + 76%). So only with the same intitutional holders co-operating (with the exception perhaps of Bill Miller!) with the shorting hedgies (instead of fighting them), we have a good shot at a swoosh down ...