MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Amazon, B&N, Kobo: iOS aps to be pulled in June

Worldwalker · 02-27-2011, 01:35 PM

You still keep throwing random analogies (and occasional falsehoods) in the air, and still not addressing the point:

Let's say this computer was built by HP. (it wasn't, I built it myself, but just to pick a manufacturer we can talk about) It's running the Windows operating system, with Firefox for a Web browser, and I bought a book recently from Baen Books, which maintains a Web storefront. There is no difference between an HP computer running Windows, with Firefox riding on that, buying from Baen, and an Apple computer with iOS running on it, with the Kindle app riding on that, buying from Amazon. In fact, for the sake of discussion (and comparison), let's pretend I'm a Kindle owner instead of a Sony owner, and I have the PC Kindle program running on my computer, and bought my book from Amazon -- all of which I very easily could have if I had different platform preferences -- so we're dealing with the same thing.

Computer: Apple -or- HP
OS: iOS -or- Windows
App: Kindle for iPad -or- Kindle for PC
Bookstore: amazon.com -or- amazon.com

The bookstore is the same. The program, an Amazon-written, Amazon-provided, Amazon-accessing program, is the same. The only differences are in the computer manufacturer and the operating system manufacturer.

And you're trying to tell me that a difference of computer manufacturer (Apple instead of HP) and/or different operating system (iOS instead of Windows) means it's only natural and right that the computer manufacturer charge money to every store that uses its computer, or its operating system. And you're refusing to acknowledge that those stores don't pay money to HP, or Dell, or e-Machines, or any other computer builder, nor do they pay money to Microsoft, or the Linux project, or even Apple, for what they do using the operating systems they wrote, nor do they pay MS or Opera or Google or the Mozilla Foundation for the browser they make the purchase through.

If Amazon should pay Apple when someone buys a book on the iPad, shouldn't Amazon pay HP when someone buys a book using an HP computer?

If Amazon should pay Apple when someone buys a book using iOS, shouldn't Amazon pay Microsoft when someone buys a book using Windows?

If Amazon should pay Apple when someone buys a book using Kindle for iOS, shouldn't Amazon pay Microsoft when someone buys a book using Kindle for PC?

If Amazon should pay Apple when someone buys a book using the iOS browser, shouldn't Amazon pay the Mozilla Foundation when someone buys a book using the Firefox browser?

If not ... why not?

How is the iPad not a computer?

How is iOS not an operating system?

How is Kindle for iOS not an Amazon program?

How is the iPad browser not a browser?

You haven't given us any answers to those because you can't. Not real ones. You can regurgitate reams of Apple talking points in a valiant but ultimately futile effort to swamp all argument under a wave of verbiage, and hope that the lurkers just see the quantity of your words rather than analyzing the meaning of your ideas. That probably works elsewhere. People on MobileRead, though, aren't stupid. They can see our questions, and they can see your non-answers.

I have a little story for you ...

Long, long ago, back in the days when Apple still sold really cool computers, there was a big company called Texas Instruments. And there was a big company called IBM. Texas Instruments sold an amazingly awesome home computer, the TI-99/4. It has a 16-bit CPU, great graphics, speech synthesis, and all kinds of things. IBM came out with a home computer, too. It was, not to put too fine a point on it, a piece of trash in comparison. It had an 8-bit CPU, and a slow one at that. You had two choices in graphics, bad and worse. It could beep. And it was expensive. But IBM did one thing differently: Texas Instruments was threatening to sue any company that sold a program that could run on a TI-99/4. They insisted that they controlled it, and no program could be run on it unless the manufacturer paid them money. IBM, on the other hand, threw open their specifications. They told the whole world how to build programs that would run on their computers, and even supplied a programming language with every one, so you could write your own and share them, too.

So how did that work out?

Well, have you ever seen a TI-99/4 outside a computer museum?

Texas Instruments, as a computer manufacturer, was a flash in the pan. Their awesome computer was ignored, and ultimately forgotten.

In fact, TI ended up doing chip fab for IBM.

02-27-2011, 01:35 PM	#265
Worldwalker Curmudgeon Posts: 3,085 Karma: 722357 Join Date: Feb 2010 Device: PRS-505	You still keep throwing random analogies (and occasional falsehoods) in the air, and still not addressing the point: Let's say this computer was built by HP. (it wasn't, I built it myself, but just to pick a manufacturer we can talk about) It's running the Windows operating system, with Firefox for a Web browser, and I bought a book recently from Baen Books, which maintains a Web storefront. There is no difference between an HP computer running Windows, with Firefox riding on that, buying from Baen, and an Apple computer with iOS running on it, with the Kindle app riding on that, buying from Amazon. In fact, for the sake of discussion (and comparison), let's pretend I'm a Kindle owner instead of a Sony owner, and I have the PC Kindle program running on my computer, and bought my book from Amazon -- all of which I very easily could have if I had different platform preferences -- so we're dealing with the same thing. Computer: Apple -or- HP OS: iOS -or- Windows App: Kindle for iPad -or- Kindle for PC Bookstore: amazon.com -or- amazon.com The bookstore is the same. The program, an Amazon-written, Amazon-provided, Amazon-accessing program, is the same. The only differences are in the computer manufacturer and the operating system manufacturer. And you're trying to tell me that a difference of computer manufacturer (Apple instead of HP) and/or different operating system (iOS instead of Windows) means it's only natural and right that the computer manufacturer charge money to every store that uses its computer, or its operating system. And you're refusing to acknowledge that those stores don't pay money to HP, or Dell, or e-Machines, or any other computer builder, nor do they pay money to Microsoft, or the Linux project, or even Apple, for what they do using the operating systems they wrote, nor do they pay MS or Opera or Google or the Mozilla Foundation for the browser they make the purchase through. If Amazon should pay Apple when someone buys a book on the iPad, shouldn't Amazon pay HP when someone buys a book using an HP computer? If Amazon should pay Apple when someone buys a book using iOS, shouldn't Amazon pay Microsoft when someone buys a book using Windows? If Amazon should pay Apple when someone buys a book using Kindle for iOS, shouldn't Amazon pay Microsoft when someone buys a book using Kindle for PC? If Amazon should pay Apple when someone buys a book using the iOS browser, shouldn't Amazon pay the Mozilla Foundation when someone buys a book using the Firefox browser? If not ... why not? How is the iPad not a computer? How is iOS not an operating system? How is Kindle for iOS not an Amazon program? How is the iPad browser not a browser? You haven't given us any answers to those because you can't. Not real ones. You can regurgitate reams of Apple talking points in a valiant but ultimately futile effort to swamp all argument under a wave of verbiage, and hope that the lurkers just see the quantity of your words rather than analyzing the meaning of your ideas. That probably works elsewhere. People on MobileRead, though, aren't stupid. They can see our questions, and they can see your non-answers. I have a little story for you ... Long, long ago, back in the days when Apple still sold really cool computers, there was a big company called Texas Instruments. And there was a big company called IBM. Texas Instruments sold an amazingly awesome home computer, the TI-99/4. It has a 16-bit CPU, great graphics, speech synthesis, and all kinds of things. IBM came out with a home computer, too. It was, not to put too fine a point on it, a piece of trash in comparison. It had an 8-bit CPU, and a slow one at that. You had two choices in graphics, bad and worse. It could beep. And it was expensive. But IBM did one thing differently: Texas Instruments was threatening to sue any company that sold a program that could run on a TI-99/4. They insisted that they controlled it, and no program could be run on it unless the manufacturer paid them money. IBM, on the other hand, threw open their specifications. They told the whole world how to build programs that would run on their computers, and even supplied a programming language with every one, so you could write your own and share them, too. So how did that work out? Well, have you ever seen a TI-99/4 outside a computer museum? Texas Instruments, as a computer manufacturer, was a flash in the pan. Their awesome computer was ignored, and ultimately forgotten. In fact, TI ended up doing chip fab for IBM.