Honestly, if Ubuntu dropped their ridiculous, underdeveloped, undersupported Ubuntu One services and partnered with Amazon to integrate theirs (Cloud Player/Cloud Drive/etc), that would be a MAJOR improvement for both them and the end-user. Excellent cross-platform cloud services and marketplaces integrated with the OS would be great for bringing less-technical users to the platform in the wake of the proposed "Windows 8 exodus" (if it actually happens).
Instead, they're using... basically affiliate links. Instead of a real monetization strategy involving a real partnership, they're using the "blogger who just realized he could make money off of this thing" strategy.
I've done partnership deals with Amazon's BD department before. They're very wary of just going head-first into a long-term deal without some kind of "feeling out" process to make sure the two companies are going to get along.
I wouldn't be surprised if this isn't their "feeling out" period before launching exactly what you're suggesting in a year or so.
But converting Ubuntu One to using Amazon services wouldn't be an affiliate deal, presumably, right? That would be a high-level, "we'll shut down a competitor to EC2/S3/… if you pay us X MM/year" sort of thing. It would also endanger their just-released-10-days-ago music store, if Amazon (their new X MM/year revenue stream), comes to them and asks forcefully.
An affiliate deal seems to make a much lighter impact to Ubuntu's ability to make independent decisions, in part because the revenue stream is less and also because the service is somewhat fungible–Ubuntu can switch to another online retailer (or suite of retailers).
Also, the perceived switching costs for a consumer to convert from Ubuntu One to Cloud Drive is going to be a helluva lot higher than `sudo apt-get remove unity-lens-shopping` (unless they make ubuntu-desktop a dependent package, making apt return a scary message)
Running those services themselves, such as Cloud Drive, the music store, etc. was never a good idea in the first place.
By trying to do too much too soon they were only ever going to produce second rate products compared to the competition (a company with the resources of Microsoft can barely win some of these verticals, let alone Canonical).
It was always going to end with them stripping out and shutting down their own solutions and integrating with the best possible partners with each service.
I think Cloud drive/player was in part an aggressive move against bitlocker licensing; the labels didn't allow multiple download licenses and Amazon launched this and claimed a purchase was a single download into your personal locker and future downloads were from your personal space, effectively skirting the issue. I believe they later negotiated licenses but they were probably operating from a stronger position at that point.
I think there is a real need for an open *nix desktop that is friendly to a broad base of users - which is how I see Ubuntu. If a canonical/amazon "itunes" is the way to finance it, then fine. I'd rather them monetize a peripheral service, perhaps an itunes-esque offering, and support a strong linux desktop market, than see them waste away.
But I worry about slippery slopes ... will rightsholders demand DRM that subverts openness?
I would love that, I have never seen any interest to subscribe to their Ubuntu One service. I would be pleased to access Amazon Cloud from Ubuntu, and have a system-wide integration. Hope this is their long term strategy.
Instead, they're using... basically affiliate links. Instead of a real monetization strategy involving a real partnership, they're using the "blogger who just realized he could make money off of this thing" strategy.