Actually its a decent article. The hard-nosed nub of the article is here:
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Also, from a business perspective, I can't discount the value of lock-in as a way of monetizing hardware. Amazon and Barnes and Noble can ONLY hit these phenomenal price points because of lock-in, and the money they make on digital sales. Even so, consumers need to understand the tradeoffs they are making.
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IOW, if you like the everyday low prices, convenience, and range of options offered by Amazon, then you have to accept device lock-in, since Amazon can't effectively monetize hardware without it. Of course, if you live in a world where the profit motive is unimportant for business , you don't have to make that trade-off. But here on Earth Prime, that's the business model that works. Earlier,
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To be fair, I should note that vendor lock-in in the eBook space is an unusual case. I can read Kindle books on my Epic 4G, iPhone, iPad, and laptop in addition to the Kindle itself. Likewise, although I can't read Nook books on the Kindle, software apps let me read the same device as the Kindle. This lock-in effect really only applies to dedicated eBook readers and the stores themselves. But for casual consumers, that is plenty strong.
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IOW, the vendor lock-in isn't really that much of a lock-in for the tech savvy consumer. With the right hardware, you can have your cake and eat it too.