Quote:
Originally Posted by WillysJeepMan
But if we accept Amazon's claim at face value, then the number of kindle books downloaded to iOS devices is less than 20%... perhaps significantly less.
And if that's the case, then I expect Amazon to yank the kindle app from the app store rather than give Apple a cut of kindle book sales. Because after all, with the growing number of non-iOS devices being sold this year, they can easily write off the small percentage of sales generated by iOS devices.
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NOBODY can afford to give Apple a 30% cut of their ebook sales, especially if they are not free to factor this into pricing (because of agency model). Apple can not realistically expect to get this from anyone.
Instead, anyone who wants to have an iOS ereader app will have to decouple storefront access from the app. They could then create a storefront web app, or even a full blown iOS app strictly for purchasing ebook content - the former is not something Apple can control, and the latter does not technically violate Apple's guidelines, which don't impinge on retail sales except when it involves content that the app itself consumes.
The business implications will depend on the app. Some will have to try to generate ad revenue somehow, or start charging for the app, or rely on the kindness of strangers, but Amazon/B&N/Kobo can probably rely on the fact that a good percentage of people using their iOS app also have a dedicated ereader or are used to buying ebooks with a web browser (not that it means much in terms of arguing my point, but that's how I do most of my ebook purchasing).
Amazon has the least to worry about because if you want to read Kindle books on iOS, there is no other app that can do it. Since the existence of an iOS app is a selling point for the Kindle 'read with anything' platform, they'll continue to make one available, even without direct storefront access.
Note that nothing about this should preclude purchase by clicking the 'purchase this book' link in a book sample (which is often how I initiate a purchase). Apple might not like it, but would have to apply some pretty twisted logic to justify banning the reading app.