Both here on iTechrport.com.au and Delimiter.com.au there is much gnashing of teeth about Google releasing innovative products and services and excluding Australia from them.
However, Amazon has been rapidly expanding its consumer services and blocking the Antipodes from accessing them.
So what services are there?
Amazon MP3 store
Amazon Video streaming
Amazon Android App Store
Amazon Cloud music service (which is tied into their music store)
Amazon Prime (free delivery and access to streaming content)
Amazon Mac Software store (as reported by International Busniess Times Australia)
And you can bet there will be a PC download store coming soon.
You can have the ludicrous situation of being able to buy a physical book online, but prevented to buying the same book on the Kindle. The same goes for music CD v downloads, and DVD v streaming. You can buy the physical media (which in most cases are ridiculously easy to copy) and not the less flexible and restricted digital version.
It is not all bad. Amazon Kindle users can download books via whispernet, however the range available for Australians is a poor subset of the books available to US residents. Also if you buy items from Amazon UK, Australians and New Zealanders can get free shipping. Items have to be held by Amazon and you have to spend GBP$25 (About $A40).
However, if you want that Kindle shipped free, the UK price is roughly $A177, compared to US price of $A129 plus shipping.
Now part of the problem with Amazon is region rights. These rights where created during the age of sail in order to protect local markets from imports. Now that most media content is owned by multinational corporations, the high speed and low cost delivery of content via the net, and the highly regarded ability of Aussie internet users to pirate content, you would think it would be a no brainer to sell digital goods to Aussies and Kiwis.
Apparently not. Apparently Amazon need to protect the local branches of the multinational conglomerates from the evil Aussie and Kiwi consumers.
So why do we have a free trade agreement with the USA anyway?
Yes, exactly.
This is actually good for the Australian economy.
Given that say, 2/3 or media or so is foreign (and we often get charged double), people downloading it for free when it is impossible to pay for it saves Australians money – and some of that money will go to local companies instead. Like the pub and the pizza place and the football team.
If it continues for a while, Australia benefits to the detriment of foreigners, overall. Plus said companies train a whole new generation that it is mostly pointless trying to buy stuff because either a) you can’t or b) it will be an egregious ripoff.
Ahhh yes. But this not just about digital products or for that matter, the Australian economy.
Amazon has many tangible products and alternate models of some products which are not available in Australia
As pointed out, many of the big super market chains in Australia are now owned by either foreign owned conglomerates or multi-national companies meaning that buying anything at all not manufactured in Australia is generating revenue for non Australian companies.
Amazon relies heavily on it’s affiliates many of which live in Australia but have to market to overseas markets because Amazon either won’t deliver to Australia or charge extortionate shipping rates.
Here’s an example. Humminbird Fish Finders
Amazon are even now restricting items that were once freely available to Aussies from Amazon only months ago. What’s going on here?