Don't be fooled by the Kindle.  Amazon is not a gadget maker.  Amazon has never been a gadget maker.  Amazon made its name as a low-overhead internet retailer that could ship you the stuff you want, when you want it, with relatively little hassle.  Only problem, is that the "stuff" Amazon once became so famous for shipping, no longer needs to be shipped. 

Just ten years ago, Amazon ousted local bookstore owners to the same classified newspaper sections that EZ-Pass-ousted toll-booth workers were already perusing.  The brand now finds itself grasping to retain its leadership role in enabling Americans to read.  At the end of the day, Amazon is more than happy to be a mere "App" on a Smartphone desktop, as long as users can buy books through that desktop. 

As Blackberry moves to capture this shift, be sure to keep a lookout for promotions advertising Kindle for iPhone.  And Kindle for iPad.  You can bet they'll be coming soon.

The Kindle, in hindsight, will likely be viewed as never having actually posed a serious threat to Blackberrys, iPhones, Droids and other leading one-stop-shop mobile devices.  Unlike a "TiVo," Amazon was not seriously seeking nor expecting to create and maintain ownership of a new category.  Instead, one might infer that the long-term strategy behind launching the Kindle was simply to enjoy first-to-market status, while leveraging this status to eventually establish an Amazonian window through which consumers would ultimately purchase. 

The bigger question remains, on whose desktop will the Kindle ultimately sit?  Microsoft's?  Google's?  Apple's?  When that answer is determined, Amazon prays you'll be reading about it (and paying to read about it) through their window.