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Originally Posted by Cthulhu
There have been comparisons, spurious or not, regarding the SONY Reader & the Kindle to the Apple iPod. I remember reading online somewhere to supposition that Apple created iTunes as a "loss leader" to sell their hardware. If this is true, how did Apple position itself so that it could tell content providers (i.e. record labels) "we're going to sell your songs, cheap."
Wonder if this was a Corleone non-refusal type offer, or was there a great deal of negociation?
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I think that, if the supposition is true, it mattered little to the record companies, who were suddenly being offered a new outlet for their music that would net them some profit from digital files. I'm sure Apple convinced them that buying into iTunes, and its becoming successful, would cut back on perceived losses from pirated music.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cthulhu
More on topic, what can SONY & Amazon do to follow the example of strong hardware demand created by a plethora of content?
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I'm honestly not sure demand is
that strong, considering you don't need a dedicated reader to read content. Sure, e-ink is nice, and the devices sell out, but they're not exactly being produced by the millions, are they?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cthulhu
Steve, I think that the new generation of readers must function like a killer app for digital texts. I think that every step toward higher resolution, contrast, and colour aids in that goal.
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I do agree: Dedicated readers need to be something
special, to justify their existence. For me, for example, B/W e-ink simply won't be enough, though it is enough for others. (In fact, if I had to buy something today, I'd pass on the dedicated readers and get a mini-laptop or UMPC. Multiple formats, wireless when needed, easy input, color screen... I'm good.)