Amazon releases its own IT label

BOOKSELLER Amazon believes IT people will flock to its online store to buy gear with its designer label on it.

The marketing geniuses at Amazon apparently sat down and worked out that IT experts the world over will want their USB cables to sport the logo of an outfit better known for flogging books.

Nothing improves a geek's status better than having Amazon branded gear, it thinks, but we think that would be a bit like buying your music in a collection from Ktel or buying store brand tomatos at Tescos.

Street cred departing on the next bus out of town aside, the "Amazon Basics" line should be as cheap as chips, but actually most of it is about the same as what's sold on the High Street, except that when buying by mail order you can't check the quality. So you really are paying over the odds for the (*cough*) "label".

The $5.41 price for a digital cable is not too bad but the HDMI stuff costs about what you would pay if you didn't fall for Monster Cable's marketing. It is possible to find less expensive kit than that.

More likely to be affected are Amazon's own partners who will be trying to flog the same sorts of bits and bobs through the site. But as one told us, "If you can't match Amazon you should really not be here." µ