I've had enough with this "iPad killing Kindle" thing

[Solicitous]

Originally Posted by Teddman

The DX needed to drop by at least $100 before the iPad came out, and the Kindle 2 would've been better served by a cut to $199 too.

I still don't know what Amazon is thinking by maintaining pricing on both Kindle models. Unless they just figure they'll try to make Kindle for iPad more popular than iBooks and make selling books to iPad users their main focus, or at least an equal focus with selling Kindle hardware.

I don't think Amazon are too concerned at all. What needs to be realised is the Kindle and the iPad are two difference devices. If people want a dedicated ereader they will pick a Kindle over an iPad, people who want a multi function device will pick an iPad over a Kindle. Amazon have with the iPad what they want - vendor lock-in. People download the Kindle app for the iPad, buy books and find themselves locked-in. To continue reading the books people will needs to continue to have a device which supports the Kindle application, or buy a Kindle (forget DRM stripping, not a point I want to go into).

Amazon are going to get the customers, iPad owners can go a buy iBooks (60,000 to choose from) or over 300,000 ebooks from Amazon (I know there are other sources but they are not relevant to the situation). Then there is the difference in upkeep of the devices. If you want an ebook through the Kindle, well free cellular connection, download and all yours buddy. With the iPad you'll need a data plan to download ebooks from anywhere over an cellular connection.

[Kali Yuga]

This kind of talk will not go away. The Kindle or the Nook could outsell the iPad 10 to 1, and the tech pundits would still invoke "Kindle Killers" or "iPad Killers" until some other device becomes the New Hotness.

I suggest you just ignore it.

[Donnageddon]

It seems like just yesterday, <insert product X> was going to be the iPod killer.

[ChrisC333]

Pot stirring and mud slinging is just a part of modern journalism. It might be annoying but it may sometimes do as much good as harm, by bringing the Kindle name to the attention of people who might not otherwise have heard of them.

Case in point:

A few months ago I'd never even heard of e-ink. When the iPad was announced the media hoopla caught my eye and I started looking into the whole matter of dedicated readers. Since then I've bought an e-ink reader (iRiver Story) an iTouch, and a Touchsmart tablet computer. I enjoy reading on all of them. I may not even ever buy an iPad. Who know, perhaps I might - but who should care but me?

My guess is that the iPad won't kill anything, but it will be a solid part of a general expansion in e-reading in general - which covers not just books but a huge range of online reading. I don't see e-ink devices as capturing a big share of the overall market (which I think will be dominated by light tablet/netbook style machines) but there's no particular reason why they might not hold onto a viable niche of their own. I do think that some of them will fade away though - there's too many at the moment that do too narrow a job and don't do it especially well or at a sustainable price.

[dmaul1114]

Originally Posted by Solicitous

Amazon are going to get the customers, iPad owners can go a buy iBooks (60,000 to choose from) or over 300,000 ebooks from Amazon (I know there are other sources but they are not relevant to the situation).

That's kind of a bunk argument since there's a Kindle app for the iPad that can access those 300,000+ books in the Kindle store.

As well as the iBook store, and the Kobo store, and eventually the B&N store etc.

Tablets will have broader selections that any reader by being able to have e-book apps for the different stores/drm schemes.

[Fat Abe]

We forget the most important benefit of Kindle ownership- snob appeal. Not the money angle, but intelligence. Do a quick survey of the Verbal section SAT scores of iPad users vs. Kindle users. Most of the people I see purchasing an iPad at Apple Stores are lowbrows. Not all, but the majority. Kindle buyers are hard core readers. Case closed. Lol.

[Nilam]

My OS of choice is Linux. The Kindle works great on this platform as all you need to do is copy compatible documents into the "Documents" directory on the device. Calibre also works wonders for managing my library, and works great on Linux.

From past experience with Apple devices support on Linux is less than ordinary. The iPad I am assuming will be no better.

I have been using my Kindle DX for about a month now. It has significantly changed the way I work when reviewing documents in PDF. It has saved me from printing about 200 pages a week. Not to mention the 1000's of pages I used to carry around to client sites.

As I already own a laptop I do not need a device to browse the web, read e-mails etc. What I needed was a large screen device to review PDF documents. The Kindle DX meets all my needs.

I would purchase the Kindle DX over the iPad even if it cost more. So for me the iPad is not a Kindle DX killer.

[Solicitous]

Originally Posted by Nilam

My OS of choice is Linux. The Kindle works great on this platform as all you need to do is copy compatible documents into the "Documents" directory on the device. Calibre also works wonders for managing my library, and works great on Linux.

From past experience with Apple devices support on Linux is less than ordinary. The iPad I am assuming will be no better.

I have been using my Kindle DX for about a month now. It has significantly changed the way I work when reviewing documents in PDF. It has saved me from printing about 200 pages a week. Not to mention the 1000's of pages I used to carry around to client sites.

As I already own a laptop I do not need a device to browse the web, read e-mails etc. What I needed was a large screen device to review PDF documents. The Kindle DX meets all my needs.

I would purchase the Kindle DX over the iPad even if it cost more. So for me the iPad is not a Kindle DX killer.

Glad I'm not the only one who has found to be left in the dark being a Linux user. Apple astounds me, they promote OSX having a Unix heritage, FreeBSD services, promote open source software.....but don't allow their devices to run on all this open source software!!!

Originally Posted by dmaul1114

That's kind of a bunk argument since there's a Kindle app for the iPad that can access those 300,000+ books in the Kindle store.

As well as the iBook store, and the Kobo store, and eventually the B&N store etc.

Tablets will have broader selections that any reader by being able to have e-book apps for the different stores/drm schemes.

That is what I was getting at, why would Amazon drop the price of the Kindle to try and attract readers when the Kindle App for the iPad will attract them anyway?

[HansTWN]

Originally Posted by Fat Abe

We forget the most important benefit of Kindle ownership- snob appeal. Not the money angle, but intelligence. Do a quick survey of the Verbal section SAT scores of iPad users vs. Kindle users. Most of the people I see purchasing an iPad at Apple Stores are lowbrows. Not all, but the majority. Kindle buyers are hard core readers. Case closed. Lol.

But if you take a survey of the incomes of Ipad and Kindle users the roles will be reversed. And in the US, as far as status goes, money beats education any day.

[dmaul1114]

Originally Posted by Solicitous

That is what I was getting at, why would Amazon drop the price of the Kindle to try and attract readers when the Kindle App for the iPad will attract them anyway?

Because from reports they make more money selling Kindle hardware than they do selling e-books.

With forcing most things at $9.99 or under, they're not getting much of a cut on e-books sold, they're using prices to sell Kindle hardware.

They put out the Apps to expand the Kindle market as well--tout the best reading experience as in e-ink on the Kindle, but you can also use whisper synch and pick up where you left off on your PC, Phone, iPad etc.

[dmaul1114]

Originally Posted by HansTWN

But if you take a survey of the incomes of Ipad and Kindle users the roles will be reversed. And in the US, as far as status goes, money beats education any day.

And I'd be surprised if there was all that much difference between the two in terms of education levels of users as Apple products are super popular on college campuses among students and faculty.

Pretty ignorant statement on his/her part in any case.

[JSWolf]

The iPad is not all that portable and doesn't work well in direct sunlight. The K2 is good in direct sunlight and is portable. So given the Kindle app for the iPad, they can compliment each other. The ipad is as portable as the DX. The main difference is direct sunlight.

[dmaul1114]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

The iPad is not all that portable and doesn't work well in direct sunlight. The K2 is good in direct sunlight and is portable. So given the Kindle app for the iPad, they can compliment each other. The ipad is as portable as the DX. The main difference is direct sunlight.

Agreed, and that's why the "Kindle Killer" stuff is silly. They are different devices. Some will just want one or the other as their reader. For others they can compliment each other.

As I said above, I do think it puts a lot of challenge on the Kindle DX, Que and other large e-ink devices as I'm not sure how that market will stand up when those devices are as much or more than the Ipad and other tablets.

They'll still sale to avid readers who just want a bigger screen and want e-ink, the long battery life etc. But as I said, that's a niche within a niche. I think most like me who want a bigger screen for PDFs for scholarly work etc. would rather have a tablet we can do more on as it's not something that gets read for hours on end like a novel reader like the Kindle 2.

[=X=]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

The iPad is not all that portable and doesn't work well in direct sunlight. The K2 is good in direct sunlight and is portable. So given the Kindle app for the iPad, they can compliment each other. The ipad is as portable as the DX. The main difference is direct sunlight.

Yes that is huge for many, including myself. But there are a few more differences that are segnificant. Battery life and free 3G.

[dyrinn45]

ebooks would not do what digital media did to the music industry for many years. What people are seeing now are the hard core book readers getting them, It wont go "mainstream" until the good readers have a better price point, and their is some incentive(sp) to read via ebooks. Right now, with the price points of books jumping all around and the fact that you spend 250+ on a decent reader, only the really big "bookie" people get them. If a company can make an ereader that has the sex appeal of the nook, and market it for 125-199 dollars, i bet you will see a big insurgance of ereaders.