Quote:
Originally Posted by HarryT
That would be a ridiculous thing to do. Right now, any book sold through Mobi is an additional sale, since it's to a non-Kindle device. Why would they want to stop that?
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I think it all depends on how the contracts with the publishers are structured. Though Amazon owns Mobipocket, I have to assume that the .azw editions are contracted directly between Amazon and the publishers, not between Mobipocket and the publishers with Amazon acting as a Mobipocket dealer.
In the former case, Amazon can do whatever it wants with the .azw editions as long as it keeps them Kindle-specific, because there's no market crossover between Mobipocket and Kindle that way. The Mobipocket dealers, like Fictionwise, can't complain because the Kindle doesn't compete directly. However, that also means that there's no guarantee Mobipocket (or its dealers) will ever get a broader catalog or better pricing as a result of Amazon's direct deals.
I have to agree with Derek. If the Kindle is successful, I think Amazon will likely shut Mobipocket down. As long as they own Mobipocket, I don't see any viable way they can expand beyond the Kindle-specific market. If the Kindle is successful enough that they don't
need to expand beyond it, then they have no reason to keep Mobipocket running. And unless they change the Kindle's format and DRM scheme, they're not likely to sell MP off intact.
Of course, if I'm wrong, it wouldn't be anywhere near the first time.