Thread: How Come Amazon Is More Popular Than Kobo?
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Old 10-09-2018, 08:33 AM   #81
davidfor
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Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Sydney, Australia
Device: Kobo:Touch,Glo, AuraH2O, GloHD,AuraONE, ClaraHD, Libra H2O; tolinoepos
Quote:
Originally Posted by johnnyb View Post
I am pretty sure your people and I are not the same types of readers. If all I did was breeze through popular fiction for entertainment, I‘d probably be totally fine with Kobo. Since I read a lot of of scholarly literature for information and literature in languages not my own, my preferences are somewhat different.
Hence my choice of platform. The fact that many types of readers can be ok with the Kobo offerings does not mean that I cannot point out the flaws of the Kobo system in regard to mine and similar readers’ profiles.
So while it may true that other readers’ emphasis may be somewhat different, I am pretty confident that I put just the right amount of emphasis on these features in regard to a certain group of readers.
Yes, a "certain group of readers" have the same requirements as you. But, it is probably a minute group compared to the number of people reading ebooks by one method or another. Based on what I see, here on MR, in the real world and in comments elsewhere on-line, most people reading ebooks, buy them from the a shop ,download them to the device/app they use and read the book there. The people here, on MR, are unusual in this respect and know more about what they can do with ebook, but in no way are we typical users.
Quote:
Moreover, reverse ‘whataboutism’ does not do it for me. If Amazon can offer these features, why can‘t Kobo? Cost-saving measures? Kobos are generally (if only slightly) more expensive that Kindles already.
Of course Kobo could offer these functions. They have made the decision not to. Why, I have no idea. Anything I say is just a guess. Maybe they talked to their typical customers and found that none of them wanted the function. Maybe they decided that Amazon had done it so well that they couldn't compete. Maybe it will be in version 5 of the firmware. But, the most likely reason is that they simply don't think it will sell more devices or books.

Just to be clear, I am in no way trying to say that syncing books and reading status between devices isn't useful. Or that annotations aren't. Just that I think you are putting far to much emphasis on this as a reason that people would choose an ereader. I think that very few people use this as part of their decision making.

Also, I have no idea what "reverse ‘whataboutism’" is. I had to look up "whataboutism". It seems to be disproving an argument by accusing the arguer of hypocrisy. So is "reverse ‘whataboutism’" proving the argument by accusing them of hypocrisy? Or disproving it by not accusing them of hypocrisy? I suppose it must be the latter as I can't think of any attempt to accuse you of hypocrisy. Or is it what you are demonstrating above?
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