Why Amazon Shouldn’t Be in the Hardware Business    • Share   •
Read Later Photo-Illustration by Alexander Ho for TIME; Photo:
Amazon / AP  Hopefully today’s column will spur some healthy
debate.  I personally would love to know why Amazon should be in
the hardware business. Initially I thought the idea made a lot
of sense. What I expected with the Kindle Fire tablet was that
it would be the best possible implementation of software,
hardware and Amazon’s retail services — both physical-retail and
digital-media sales. However, the Kindle Fire was not a better
tablet for doing any of those things. In fact in many cases,
there are better devices than the Fire for consuming many of
Amazon’s services.  (MORE: Margins and More: Who Can Actually
Make Money from 7-In. Tablets?)  So if Amazon is not creating
the best device for accessing and consuming its services, then
why is Amazon in the hardware business? That is the question.
Until Amazon shows me that it can make a piece of hardware
that’s far and away the best