3D isn’t as cool as it once was, but Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) is still betting on the technology to sell its first entry into the smartphone market. The retail company revealed the Amazon Fire Phone earlier this year to little real enthusiasm. The company’s take on a 3D interface, which is based on the user’s eye position, may be the last chance for 3D as the market once again rejects products that surround them.
According to Bloomberg, there is a big community of developers who are hoping to see success on the new Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) platform. Games, among other types of applications, could be the big winners of an Amazon transformation of the user interface. The company’s ability to change the way the smartphone world works is, however, very much in question.
Amazon gives 3D another chance
According to the Bloomberg piece, which was authored by Olga Kharif, Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) is raising the hope of 3D developers. “Developers are counting on Amazon’s combination of marketing muscle and scale to promote 3D, which so far has mostly landed with a thud.” The piece cites the lackluster 3D offerings from companies like HTC and the frustration of developers as evidence for the failure of 3D across the device space.
“Until we see the devices gain traction, we wouldn’t spend the time to make it work on a device like that. It’s like 3D televisions three years ago at CES you’d have thought everyone will be having them in their living room, and today no one is talking about them,” Intel vice president Mike Bell told the publication.
Though there is clearly a lack of faith in 3D as the future of the interface, many developers are betting on Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) to sell the market nobody else can. Recon Analytics analyst Roger Entner told Bloomberg, “Depending on how successful the Fire is, that’s the way the market might go. Everybody’s waiting to see how it works out.”
3D continues its slow death
Though there are still some legitimate 3D mega hits, like Gravity, and some innovative uses of 3D technology in novelty games and amusements, the technology appears to be dying another death. Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) has a different idea about what 3D should be, but the company may be too late to ride the novelty and “cool factor” of the technology, while too early to actually provide a great user interface.
3D movie revenue was in decline in 2013 and 3D televisions never made it into the living rooms of most Americans. Though gaming consoles like the PS3 added 3D functionality few games ever became successful in the area, and the Nintendo 3DS, which promises a three dimensional experience in its tile offers optional 2D gameplay in most titles
Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) has 3D developers excited once again, but the company’s attempts may be the last chance that 3D gets in this generation of devices. If Nintendo can’t sell 3D games while selling 40 million 3D consoles and Amazon can’t sell the Fire it may be a long time before the technology raises its head again.
