In Amazon Sparks Fire I was examining the power of synching device with destination: iPod connected to iTunes; Kindle Fire connected to Amazon.com. While I don’t generally like to put predictions forth about what the future holds for companies and products, I do think it’s fun to play the “what if?” game from time to time.

If the theory holds true that connecting device with destination is a game-changer for ringing in new revenue, what other companies might see a huge benefit from entering the tablet arena? Let’s play ‘what if’ with a few.

Netflix
What if Netflix released its own tablet in 2012? One could argue that iPod connects the consumer to music, Kindle to books – wouldn’t it make sense for Netflix to build the device/destination option for movies?

Sure you can watch video on both Kindle and iPad via YouTube and such. And there is a Netflix app available for both. But a tablet that connects you directly to your Netflix account might be an interesting ticket for a company that suffered through some bad press in 2011.

Google
The web giant Google has made it very clear over the years that they had no interest in getting into the ‘hardware’ game. However, as with all things digital, times change quickly. Google finds itself playing catch-up in with the social side of the web, and is searching (pardon the pun) for its next eureka moment.

With all of the cool assets at Google’s disposal, could you imagine the impact a Google tablet could have on the market? They own the Android platform, Youtube, Skype, Blogger and countless other tools including… oh yeah, search!

My only argument against such a move is that Google doesn’t own a whole lot of things for the consumer to buy – but having the consumer login to their Google account to activate the tablet could open up a lot of options.

Walmart
Okay… this may be a little out of left field, but what if Walmart decided to get into the tablet wars? Holy crap! They definitely have the clout with manufacturers to produce a formidable and affordable rival to iPad. They could connect the consumer not only to their online shopping platform, but provide additional shopping convenience of site-to-store on a bazillion products (alright, maybe not a bazillion, but you get the picture). Free shipping, hell – buy it on your tablet and pick it up around the corner!

Plus, imagine how brand whores would be clamoring for space on a tablet that connects directly to the consumer’s wallet via the world’s largest retailer.

As I stated for the beginning – these options may or may not be practical, but playing ‘what if’ sure can be a lot of fun. So who am I missing – who can you think of that might benefit from jumping into the Tablet wars in 2012?

Chuck Francis
remerge