Quote:
Originally Posted by TimMason
The Kindle's rise to preeminence is an example of how competition works. The Amazon name was enough to make it the brand-leader almost from the moment it appeared, and journalists who write about ereaders use the word 'Kindle' as if it were the generic term. Whether it really is better than the others, or whether the delivery model is the best for customers, is moot.
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I don't think it was just brand name at play. If you look at the state of the US ebook market at that moment, the biggest device player was Sony and there were a few much smaller companies like Cybook and iRex. The main stores were places like Sony Connect, Books on Board and Fictionwise. Ebook prices were pretty much the same as full paper MSRP. We're talking over $20 for new releases. Amazon came in and offered $9.99 new releases in addition to a brain-dead easy store and some compelling features in the reader itself (free wireless, dictionary, search, annotation). Add to that the visibility it had on the front page of Amazon.com and you get a powerful package. The name was certainly part of it, but there was a lot more to it.