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The BMW dealer will sell you 80 different brands of carrot juicers though

• kazinator 9y ago
  So what? That Safeway also sells plenty of things that are not their house brand (in addition to the house brand, or not). Nobody requires them to; they probably do that because it's profitable to them not because they are worried that someone will regard them as the next Microsoft in the pejorative sense. The fact that Amazon sells their device that is similar to Google's and not Google's is perfectly sensible, if they regard that as a strategic thing which is reasonable given what it is.
  • wlesieutre 9y ago
    Not that I think they should be required to carry everything, but it's stupid from a consumer perspective. All the home streaming and "smart speaker" devices have important differences in what they can do and what they're compatible with. They're not interchangeable. It'd be more like Safeway refusing to sell Mission brand tortillas because they have Safeway brand tortilla chips and that's basically the same thing, right? It's made from flour into thin layers and you eat it.
    • kazinator 9y ago
      > They're not interchangeable. While that is true, more importantly, they are their respective purveyors' spyware devices using which they intend to claw their way into people's lives to an even greater extent.
      • wlesieutre 9y ago
        And claw you into their ecosystems. Amazon is more than happy to sell you other brands of USB cables or clothes, despite having their own "Amazon Basics" brand. But they draw the line at other brands of eBook readers and media players.