Quote:
Originally Posted by TadW
I think the form of the device is irrelevant. It's even irrelevant if Sony manages to bring out a new device with similar connectivity like the Kindle. Key to success is the store. . . .
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The store is important but I do not think it is the overall ultimate decider. Amazon has about 20% of the total book market, which leaves 80% for non-Amazon stores. The other problem I have with your conclusion is that it assumes that shopping at Amazon is what everyone wants and is willing to do. I'm sure I'm in the minority, but I haven't bought anything at Amazon in nearly 2 years and on those rare occasions when I have bought something there, it was reluctantly. I much prefer to shop elsewhere, preferring Barnes & Noble for pbooks.
I haven't bought many ebooks yet (too many freebies that I'm going through) but when I do shop for ebooks, I shop at Baen, Fictionwise, and other non-Amazon retailers.
In a way, Amazon has forced the decision even if I wanted to buy ebooks at Amazon. Unless I am willing to buy a Kindle, I can't access Amazon ebooks (excluding Mobipocket, of course).
But even more important to me is that under no circumstance do I want Amazon to become a true monopoly. The beauty of the book industry is that it is so diverse and no single retailer or publisher can dictate what everyone can read. Should Amazon push Sony out of the ebook business (hardware, not book sales), it will then be able to push out the other competitors, too, leaving no choice but Kindle.
With no choice but Kindle, Amazon will have the leverage to force publishers to its terms, or, even more likely, push authors to publish only with Amazon on Amazon's terms. That will damage the free market of ideas significantly. One cannot rely on Bezos and his successors being benevolent dictators.