Quote:
Originally Posted by OtterBooks
If you try to give a copy of the book to someone and they can't access it, there's DRM. If you buy a different brand ereader and can't access the ones you bought for Kindle, there it is.
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Roger, suppose Amazon used the word "rent" instead of the word "buy" when you clicked to obtain your eBooks. Would you be willing to spend $9.99 per book?
Suppose Amazon stated with every eBook rental transaction that the eBook cannot be read on competitors' eBook readers. Would you be willing to spend $9.99 per book?
A big concern among many here is the issue of ownership. If you can't give it away, do you own the eBook, or are you just renting it?
Combine that with the fact that there is more than one DRM. If your Kindle breaks one day in the future, if you buy a Sony to replace it and you can't read the eBook on your new Sony, is your accumulated eBook library worth anything to you then? Is the money you have spent on eBooks down the drain?
Or would you feel that you have no choice but to buy another Kindle because of the money you have already spent on eBooks? When you bought your Kindle, did you think that you were entering into a lifetime arrangement with Amazon?
Personally, I think that money has a lot to do with it. If the price of all eBooks were a trivial 99 cents, I don't think there would be too much objection to the issues I raise. Sure the issues would still be there, but for 99 cents, who cares?
But when eBooks go for prices near those of paper books (which don't have these issues), a lot of people here feel they are being gypped.