iPad drives Kindle prices higher, readers revolt

[TallMomof2]

Heck, I would be happy if the ebooks were priced better. I was looking at NYT bestsellers at Amazon and many that are also available as paperbacks have their ebook edition priced higher than the paperback but lower than the hardcover.

Still won't buy above $9.99 and prefer not to go above $7.99. I have plenty of books to read and can wait for this fiasco to die.

[SensualPoet]

The belief that the iPad is a trojan horse into the publishing industry seems mis-guided to me. There are benefits to "visually enriched" book or magazine content but for those publications which are about words -- The New Yorker -- an iPad is a "nice to have".

Tablet computers are really more about the whole computing experience as a consumer, not producer, of content. So they occupy a fuzzy space between "full function but portable" netbooks and "full function but high quality output" desktops. The tablet is "partial function high quality output" ... with lots of gotchas.

There is room for "budget" dedicated e-readers; mid-range larger "magazine readers" in b&w and colour; netbooks for portability; tablets for playback; advanced laptops / desktops for everyday heavy duty work. In this mix of "tiers", tablets have the least compelling raison d'être and will have a hard time justifying the $829 price point for 9.7" 3G and minimal 64 GB storage. (And that SIM card to run 3G: it's a special model, not the one in your phone. And that USB cable -- it's extra. Extra too for: the docking station. And the external keyboard. And the leather case. And each and every app that runs on it since it can't run a single Mac or Windows app.)

[ChrisC333]

There is room for "budget" dedicated e-readers; mid-range larger "magazine readers" in b&w and colour; netbooks for portability; tablets for playback; advanced laptops / desktops for everyday heavy duty work.

I'd agree with that. I think we'll see a whole range of options tried over the next decade or so. For instance, as manufacturing costs come down it might even be possible to make a more or less "disposable" reading device. Such an item might have something like a preloaded set of "The Complete Works of..." a copyrighted author, or all the volumes in a popular series, or whatever bundling could be marketed at a price which could include the cost of a simple device with no wifi, no USB, no ability at instal more material, and the bare minimum of electronics needed to read the content. It's not my preferred way of doing things, but we've already seen that philosophy working in many other product areas.

In this mix of "tiers", tablets have the least compelling raison d'être and will have a hard time justifying the $829 price point for 9.7" 3G and minimal 64 GB storage. (And that SIM card to run 3G: it's a special model, not the one in your phone. And that USB cable -- it's extra. Extra too for: the docking station. And the external keyboard. And the leather case. And each and every app that runs on it since it can't run a single Mac or Windows app.)

I'm with you there too. I can't guarantee that I won't eventually fall for an iPad, out of sheer 'gadget greed' but right now my full function tablet PC is a much more attractive option for what I expect to be able to do.

Cheers,

Chris

[Crowl]

Originally Posted by TallMomof2

Heck, I would be happy if the ebooks were priced better. I was looking at NYT bestsellers at Amazon and many that are also available as paperbacks have their ebook edition priced higher than the paperback but lower than the hardcover.

Still won't buy above $9.99 and prefer not to go above $7.99. I have plenty of books to read and can wait for this fiasco to die.

Personally, I won't set exact figures for the most I will pay for a book, but one thing that is certain for me is that I won't pay more than price of the main paper edition at the time for an ebook and with issues like drm then I would tend to expect a noticeable discount on that current price. For some authors that would mean that I was prepared to pay just under the hardback price, but for most I would ignore them until they dropped down to paperback levels.

[Crowl]

Originally Posted by ChrisC333

I'd agree with that. I think we'll see a whole range of options tried over the next decade or so. For instance, as manufacturing costs come down it might even be possible to make a more or less "disposable" reading device. Such an item might have something like a preloaded set of "The Complete Works of..." a copyrighted author, or all the volumes in a popular series, or whatever bundling could be marketed at a price which could include the cost of a simple device with no wifi, no USB, no ability at instal more material, and the bare minimum of electronics needed to read the content. It's not my preferred way of doing things, but we've already seen that philosophy working in many other product areas.

I don't think they would actually strip things down to quite that extent as leaving out such things as usb prevents them from selling you new stuff, they have got the ereader into your hands by selling you it as part of the complete works you bought and now they would use it to flog you more ebooks.

[pwalker8]

Yep, the market is just starting up for ebooks and ebook readers. Different people have different requirements which require different devices. For that matter, different devices can meet different needs. I use an iPad for most of my reading right now, but I also have a Sony 505 and an iPhone. I wouldn't take the iPad on a backpacking trip, but I would take the Sony. Competition is good for consumers.

From the ebook price stand point mentioned earlier in the thread, my comment is that authors have to eat. If they can't make enough money to feed themselves, then they will stop writing and go into another line of work.

[Logseman]

The title of the article is misleading. What is more expensive are ebooks for Kindle, not Kindles themselves. When I entered this thread, I did it from the main board, and the title was cut where it said "iPad drives Kindle prices..."; I understood it would drive Kindle (the device's) prices lower as a counterstrike from Amazon.

[ChrisC333]

Originally Posted by Crowl

I don't think they would actually strip things down to quite that extent as leaving out such things as usb prevents them from selling you new stuff, they have got the ereader into your hands by selling you it as part of the complete works you bought and now they would use it to flog you more ebooks.

I agree that a fuller functioned reader + book bundle would be one possible way of marketing a package deal. But that's not much of a step from where we are now.

The whole point of a "disposable" style is that it's not designed for that kind of re-use, and cost savings are made by making it as minimalist as possible. The makers can also keep making money by selling you the same thing multiple times.

We've seen it in things like razors, for instance, where the original cut-throat razors were used for years on end and carefully re-sharpened. They were replaced by the 'safety razor' which had a re-usable handle and blade holder but used disposable blades. In turn, they were followed by 100% throw away razors. They're cheap and convenient but you buy them every week instead of once or twice a lifetime. It's a trend that crops up in an increasing number of fields now.

In the games world you can buy anything from a full on Gaming Monster PC, through to various reasonably well specced consoles, right down to cheap little hand held gaming devices that run only what comes on them, with no capacity to add more (if I'm not mistaken, virtually throw away mini game devices have been around for years). I don't see any real reason why the same range might not spread to e-reading.

Lots of options there for customising the case with a content related theme.
It could be as simple as putting a large sticker on the back that would be the equivalent of a book cover, through to fancy plastic pressing or colours. Dedicated themed readers just stuffed with Thomas the Tank Engine, or Winnie the Pooh, the Discworld series, Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy or whatever... geez they'd fly off the shelves wouldn't they? I want one already....

We already have apps for iTouch etc which have built in collections of books that you can neither add to nor delete from. Simpler software, less cost to make.

It certainly seems possible to me, but of course that doesn't mean it will happen.

Cheers,

Chris

[EowynCarter]

I was looking at NYT bestsellers at Amazon and many that are also available as paperbacks have their ebook edition priced higher than the paperback but lower than the hardcover.

Ah. And I though the US publishers, unlike the french ones, had understood this...

[cheerio6414]

I dont remember seeing Amazon raise prices on the Kindle itself

[HansTWN]

Originally Posted by cheerio6414

I dont remember seeing Amazon raise prices on the Kindle itself

That is what they were talking about in previous posts -- the title of the thread should be "drives prices of Kindle books higher" not "drives Kindle prices higher".

[pboss]

Just let's hope Amazon wouldn't start selling bargain Kindles at $99 as way to create an effective doorway into their ebook store so they can rise ebook prices to a level of the Apple price point.

[khalleron]

Just an aside, going back to the original article, I bought "A River in the Sky" for $9.99 at Books on Board - they have agency pricing now, too, so I'm not sure why Amazon would have it higher.

And I was still able to use my rewards, so I got it for less than $5.00 in real money.

[CleverClothe]

Originally Posted by khalleron

Just an aside, going back to the original article, I bought "A River in the Sky" for $9.99 at Books on Board - they have agency pricing now, too, so I'm not sure why Amazon would have it higher.

And I was still able to use my rewards, so I got it for less than $5.00 in real money.

Really? Checking right now and...

Amazon $12.99 - http://www.amazon.com/River-Sky-Nove...mm_kin_title_0

BoB $12.99 - http://www.booksonboard.com/index.ph...ok&BOOK=668491

[khalleron]

Originally Posted by CleverClothe

Really? Checking right now and...

Amazon $12.99 - http://www.amazon.com/River-Sky-Nove...mm_kin_title_0

BoB $12.99 - http://www.booksonboard.com/index.ph...ok&BOOK=668491

Well, it WAS $9.99, I swear!