Quote:
Originally Posted by fugazied
Well, in a way we are early adopters of this technology. It's not truly widestream in the way mobile phones are yet. I think that means we have to put up with the teething problems for the industry as it grapples with how to manage/price/sell/DRM ebooks.
The publishers have a system that works with traditional books but sucks with ebooks which can be distributed globally very easily. It's just a matter of time I think, so we just need to be patient while they annoy us with DRM models and geographic restrictions.
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That is exactly how I feel. And after all, at the moment there are still plenty of way to get around these restrictions. In the end, they cannot stop the market forces, especially when the time comes that ebooks make up 20 or 30 per cent of the whole market. But price differences for residents of different countries will remain if tax issues are involved (i.e. Amazon and others will always have to collect taxes for books sold in the EU).
And remember, it is the same for music (itunes has a much wider selection and much lower prices on their US site), software, TV (most TV programs can be accessed online, but with a US IP address only), DVD's (and downloadable movies), electronics and a lot of physical goods that are to be shipped to US addresses only. Actually a whole group of companies has come up to take advantage of these restrictions and transship such items for you.