Quote:
Originally Posted by jbcohen
To what do you attribute the dominance of the Kindle?
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Not necessarily in order of importance:
1- They understand that mainstream ebook readers are for accessing ebooks. In other words: it's all about the books, not the specsheet.
2- They got in relatively early in the game (pre-ePub, even) with a good plan and stuck to it.
3- First reader that was fully standalone and not a PC accessory. (Whispernet, whispernet, whispernet) Even PC-phobics can use it.
4- Oprah.
5- Early installed base (see 1, 2, 3, & 4) means they have the visibility with the public and the clout with component suppliers to get first crack at new tech. (Pearl screens, for starters.) It also allows them to spread software, engineering, and marketing costs over a larger base, allowing lower prices.
6- Customer service on hardware *and* ebook sides.
7- K.I.S.S. = reliability. Plenty of other readers have more features, but what Kindle does, it does well.
8- Availability + price: they're the only true global player on hardware and one of only two in multiregion ebookstores. (Both should change but early leads matter.)
9- Multiplatform software apps support the flaship reader gadget; Kindle is an ecosystem, not a gadget. (They understand Integration.)
10- Immunity from herd disease (aka, "standards religion")
(More seriously: they *own* their tech--DRM, Format, servers, etc--and all the infrastructure that supports the Kindle. They depend on nobody else and control their own destiny.)
If I had to focus on just one, though, I'd go with number 3. Everything else flows from there.
Kindle rules (for now) because Whispernet works.