04-23-2010, 07:05 PM | #16 |
Kindlephilia
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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. |
04-23-2010, 08:08 PM | #17 |
Wizard
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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.) |
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04-23-2010, 08:43 PM | #18 | ||
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Cheers, Chris |
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04-24-2010, 06:04 AM | #19 | |
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04-24-2010, 06:07 AM | #20 | |
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04-24-2010, 06:20 AM | #21 |
Grand Sorcerer
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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. |
04-24-2010, 06:36 AM | #22 |
Orisa
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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.
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04-24-2010, 08:44 AM | #23 | |
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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 Last edited by ChrisC333; 04-24-2010 at 09:02 AM. |
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04-24-2010, 01:32 PM | #24 | |
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04-25-2010, 07:04 PM | #25 |
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I dont remember seeing Amazon raise prices on the Kindle itself
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04-25-2010, 09:27 PM | #26 |
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04-27-2010, 09:40 AM | #27 |
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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.
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04-27-2010, 09:46 AM | #28 |
Kate
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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. |
04-27-2010, 02:58 PM | #29 | |
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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 |
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04-28-2010, 12:30 AM | #30 | |
Kate
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Well, it WAS $9.99, I swear! |
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