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Originally Posted by Kali Yuga
An easy user experience, in my opinion, is what really needs to be built in order for ebooks to catch on.
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It might be possible that at some future point in time, someone will put together an Android-based eInk tablet that can access multiple stores on one device (e.g. Amazon, Nook, custom apps etc). But I don't think even that would do nearly as much to promote ebooks as a major retailer getting its hands dirty and dragging everyone into the ebook market, as they did in the US.
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I still think that in former USSR the greatest hurdle is high device prices. My grandmother could not afford it. Most working people in Latvian cannot. My friend in Ukraine is an avid reader on computer and/or cellphone while commuting. She recently asked for advice in selecting a better cell phone with bigger screen for more comfortable reading. But anything above $50 is out of question when one earns only $200 per month.
Nothing beats paper books which generally cost $1-5 in Ukraine.
Americans prefer foolproof platform because they are always in hurry and have no time to sit down and figure it out. In former USSR it is less of a problem as people are used to complicated transactions. They will ask others to help when something is not clear. In fact, they expect things to be somewhat complicated. If they are too simple it smells like fraud.
Currently Latvia is taking census and everybody who can is invited to do it online. It requires identification via one of 5 five biggest online banking systems. Initially it was designed to identify subjects by passport number but this option was removed after paranoid outcries that passport data is not secure as passport copies could be found on the internet. So far about 30% of population have completed census using online banking identification which requires bank issued code calculators or code cards. If they can do online banking, then could also load e-readers with books.
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Amazon and Apple, who have international businesses and strong motives, are much more likely to do what's needed, without the same baggage as the publishers, authors, booksellers and politicians who try to protect their constituents.
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It seems that Amazon might be subsidizing Kindles as no other equivalent readers this cheap are available. It is a good move but they made a mistake when they charged extra $2 for international buyers even if they had only a WiFi model.
Apple, however, is out of reach for most people in Latvia. When one reads Latvian IT blogs which discusses iPhones, iPads etc., one might think that they are almost as popular as in the US. It is a fallacy because in every poor country there is also a segment of population that speaks good English and have higher income and can afford to buy new gadgets. Companies who target this income level, see great sales initially but when this segment is saturated, they hit the ceiling and remain a niche product. In my closest circle of friends or relatives, no one has iPhone although some of them use smartphones.
That's why initially CDMA networks seemed to mirror their success in the US but later had to cede to prepaid cards. I still remember how the first network operator announced that they will never, never sell prepaid plans because that encourages cellphone theft, are less convenient, calls per minute are more costly etc. And then to turn 180 degrees one year later when their new competitor was winning all new clients.