Interesting times...
Amazon.com Inc. will buy digital audiobook provider Audible Inc. in a deal worth about $300 million that expands its push into digital content and ratchets up its rivalry with Apple Inc.
Audible, based in Newark, N.J., sells thousands of audiobooks from authors such as John Grishman and Stephen King that can be downloaded off the Internet and played on computers, iPods or MP3 devices. Audible supplies the audiobooks that are sold on Apple's online iTunes store.
Audible needs Apple because of the popularity and market penetration of the iPod. Apple needs Audible because Audible offers an easy hook-up to iTunes for access to 80,000 audiobook titles. If this deal crashes their relationship, it may be tough on both. The competition for music sales between Amazon and Apple may end the Audible/iTunes relationship. Pity.
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