The article suggests that Amazon will load up those players with music that a buyer selects before sending it to them, something that seems fairly labor-intensive for the company. And, following a model that has worked well with cellphones, the music players would be very cheap or free with a long-term commitment to a music subscription service.

This would put Amazon directly in competition with Apple Computer's iPod, which could put pressure on a fruitful business relationship. Amazon is also one of the iPod's biggest retailers.