Amazon.com Whittles Down to Three Tabs

Wow, Amazon.com popularized the use of tabs as a navigation metaphor in its early rise to success. However, as their product category portfolio outgrew minimum width constraints, Amazon has had to suffer through a number of creative work arounds to carry forth the legacy of the alimighty tab. Well, they've recently updated the site again and the homepage is now down to 3 tabs opposite some persistent liks. It appears to be part of the navigation strategy to also integrate the A9 Web Search into the navbar - seems forced. I can hear it now: 'when i was a dotcom post-grad, amazon had six tabs, and we had to pay for shipping!...you kids today...'