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Old 10-08-2009, 03:08 PM   #73
Alisa
Gadget Geek
Alisa can tie a knot in a cherry stem with his or her tongueAlisa can tie a knot in a cherry stem with his or her tongueAlisa can tie a knot in a cherry stem with his or her tongueAlisa can tie a knot in a cherry stem with his or her tongueAlisa can tie a knot in a cherry stem with his or her tongueAlisa can tie a knot in a cherry stem with his or her tongueAlisa can tie a knot in a cherry stem with his or her tongueAlisa can tie a knot in a cherry stem with his or her tongueAlisa can tie a knot in a cherry stem with his or her tongueAlisa can tie a knot in a cherry stem with his or her tongueAlisa can tie a knot in a cherry stem with his or her tongue
 
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Posts: 2,324
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Join Date: Aug 2007
Device: Paperwhite, Kindle 3 (retired), Skindle 1.2 (retired)
When you think of everything that goes into selling a product like this in a given country, I'm surprised they released it to so many countries simultaneously. The fact that Canada is not yet covered says to me that logistics can pose a serious barrier. Canada would be a huge market. I'm sure Amazon must want it. I doubt they're anti-Canadian. This says to me that there are complexities that go beyond just whether there is wireless coverage and people who want books. You figure they have to look at all sorts of things. Are the wireless fees low enough to support the business model? Is the link quality good in enough areas? Are there enough people who can afford it once you add duties and shipping? Are there enough customers for English language books? Could there be issues with the government? Can Amazon adequately provide customer support in the region? If it's going to cost you $50 to ship a replacement, then that can seriously suck out the profit. The list goes on. Even if all these things are favorable, there's the question of how fast they can scale this enterprise. If you can't add support for everyone at once, then you pick the areas you think will be most profitable.

When Amazon confined their initial release to the US, plenty of people speculated that it was just American isolationism. It's business. Most products do not have global launches. Companies figure out the best markets for their product at the time. There are plenty of products that are released elsewhere that never make it to the US. I don't take it personally.
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