Quote:
Originally Posted by Marcy
Actually the worst you can say about it is that you are locked into the mobi format.
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That is true.
But it only matters if you already have committed to epub.
Amazon's prime target has always been and continues to be first-time mainstream buyers for whom lock-in to epub or mobi is a non-issue.
They have never really targetted us veterans of PDA ebooks or of first-gen reader gadgets. They don't mind if we join the party but they're not going to change the playlist solely to suit us. Not any time soon.
It's not their business model.
Given Kindle's market domination I, for one, am happy to see they leave room for the competition to live in rather than go for 100% market share.
Which is one reason all the breathless talk of $99 Kindles by the clueless media (most recently Slate) leaves me shaking my head. Amazon is a tough competitor but to date they have been careful not to do anything that would trigger antitrust inquiries of their Kindle business. Co-opting ePub (ala Apple, B&N, or Adobe) or subsidized hardware pricing are both things that could needlessly destroy many competitors and trigger such an investigation. Neither is good for us or them.
Some lines are best not crossed.