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It's possible the author of the article knows that Amazon is now a tech company as well, but is assuming that their audience does not yet realize this. My impre

by scott_s 11y ago

It's possible the author of the article knows that Amazon is now a tech company as well, but is assuming that their audience does not yet realize this. My impression is that people who don't work in tech don't know this; I have explained many times to people outside of our world how Amazon is one of the most important tech companies in the world, and that discussion always starts with a puzzled look from them.

paulcole 11y ago
Yeah, that's kind of my take as well. But I put that in the lazy reporting category. Seems like it would be worth the paragraph explaining the misconception and helping people realize why the seemingly weird stuff Amazon kinda does makes sense.
- apaprocki 11y ago
  Don't feel bad -- we at Bloomberg always get classed a "media" company when the media properties came about a decade after the software (& hardware). It's just easier to say because it fits better into public expectation. To most people Amazon is e-commerce because nearly everyone buys things from them online or via mobile apps.
  - narrowrail 11y ago
    If this sub-thread were not about being specific in one's characterization, I would not point this out, but: > online or via mobile apps As far as I'm concerned 'mobile apps' operate 'online' and it isn't clear the distinction you are making. Is it common to refer to 'online' as via a web interface (ports 80/443)?
    - sokoloff 11y ago
      I think that's the distinction and I think it's a valid one. My experience on Aliexpress, Amazon, and Ebay (to name the 3 I use the most) is that the web and mobile interfaces and use cases are still quite distinct from each other. On Aliexpress, I sometimes use the mobile to checkout for the explicit discount, but never search from mobile. On Ebay, I respond to bidding alerts on mobile, but don't initiate transactions/searches on mobile. On Amazon, I basically never use their mobile app (and usually use google to search Amazon's [web]site).
jasonpeacock 11y ago
I still meet people who are unaware that Amazon sells more than books. Many people are just not that connected/don't care.

by scott_s 11y ago

paulcole 11y ago

Yeah, that's kind of my take as well. But I put that in the lazy reporting category. Seems like it would be worth the paragraph explaining the misconception and helping people realize why the seemingly weird stuff Amazon kinda does makes sense.

apaprocki 11y ago
Don't feel bad -- we at Bloomberg always get classed a "media" company when the media properties came about a decade after the software (& hardware). It's just easier to say because it fits better into public expectation. To most people Amazon is e-commerce because nearly everyone buys things from them online or via mobile apps.
- narrowrail 11y ago
  If this sub-thread were not about being specific in one's characterization, I would not point this out, but: > online or via mobile apps As far as I'm concerned 'mobile apps' operate 'online' and it isn't clear the distinction you are making. Is it common to refer to 'online' as via a web interface (ports 80/443)?
  - sokoloff 11y ago
    I think that's the distinction and I think it's a valid one. My experience on Aliexpress, Amazon, and Ebay (to name the 3 I use the most) is that the web and mobile interfaces and use cases are still quite distinct from each other. On Aliexpress, I sometimes use the mobile to checkout for the explicit discount, but never search from mobile. On Ebay, I respond to bidding alerts on mobile, but don't initiate transactions/searches on mobile. On Amazon, I basically never use their mobile app (and usually use google to search Amazon's [web]site).

jasonpeacock 11y ago

I still meet people who are unaware that Amazon sells more than books. Many people are just not that connected/don't care.