Ehh, the whole "zomg Amazon
baleeted books and are evil" thing has been done to death. You are welcome to go with another vendor because of it, and there are plenty around -- though I still find it hilariously ironic that anyone regards Sony as the savior of their digital freedoms. Anyway....
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hellmark
Actually, it only leads in the US. Globally, the kindle is a drop in the bucket.
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True, but....
The US book market made $36 billion last year; the UK was about $3.5 billion (£2.3bn), France $5.5 billion (€4 bn), Germany $14 billion (€9.6bn). Global book sales were estimated at $119 billion.
Also, certain aspects of market share can be deceptive. E.g. Kindle's share of ebook purchases hasn't sat stagnant at 45% for ages; it's been rising, and apparently went from 23% in Q1 2009 up to 45% in July 2009. During that time, Sony went from 4% to.... 6%. And as a benchmark, the iTunes music store has a US market share in the 50% and higher range.
And let's face it, it's only a matter of time before the Kindle makes it to international markets. Sony had a multi-year advantage, and the Kindle still managed to sweep past 'em -- both in sales and mind share -- quickly and, I suspect, with a fraction of Sony's marketing budget.
It's a bit early to pick any winners or losers, but I expect the Kindle will do very well in any market where Amazon has a strong presence.