Interview:Adam Engst on iPad and ereaders

kjk · 03-11-2011, 12:25 PM

(Adam is a long (looong) time Apple user/observer; pre-Mac I think

)

http://ereaderjoy.blogspot.com/2011/...-ereaders.html

Not a fan of the iBooks process:

Quote:

Seriously, I can't say that working with Amazon has ever been easy for publishers (and we haven't done much with it), but working with the iBookstore has been the most amazingly horrible, opaque, and frustrating experience I've had.

Apple's software is terrible, the iTunes Connect Web site is lousy, and support questions often aren't answered for - and I'm not kidding here - months. It's gotten a little better over time, but mostly it makes my stomach hurt.

Pretty clear stance on DRM:

Quote:

What it really comes down to for me is that utilizing DRM means that you see your customers as criminals, and when you treat someone like a criminal, they act like it.

RockdaMan · 03-11-2011, 12:49 PM

This guy doesn't understand the market:

Quote:

One thing that I think is potentially helping the Kindle is that Apple has become so large and so dominant that buying a Kindle is almost an act of rebellion. People go on about how the Kindle is great because there are no other distractions and because you can read it in direct sunlight and whatnot, but my feeling is that they're really saying "I'm avoiding the iPad because I don't want to be seen as slavishly buying everything Apple releases."

Thats not why I want a replacement at all.

kjk · 03-11-2011, 02:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RockdaMan

This guy doesn't understand the market:

Thats not why I want a replacement at all.

Sure. But really not that different from what I read from some commentors here on Mobileread, about "the sheep buying anything with an Apple logo" as the only reason for the iPad's success.

DMSmillie · 03-11-2011, 03:17 PM

Heh... the concept of "sheep" blindly going along with the herd has also been proposed, also here on MobileRead, as the only/main reason for the success of the Kindle.

One can, I'm sure, find a similarly "sheepish" reason for the success of just about anything. Reality tends to be a lot messier and more complicated than such "the main reason for" explanations generally allow for.

Dulin's Books · 03-11-2011, 04:01 PM

he thinks people are buying Kindles because the refuse to buy an ipad?

Horemheb · 03-12-2011, 03:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kjk

Sure. But really not that different from what I read from some commentors here on Mobileread, about "the sheep buying anything with an Apple logo" as the only reason for the iPad's success.

Yeah, you wonder which statement is dumber.

I am not able to understand how Adam Engst even got the idea that using Kindle can be seen as rebellion against Apple. First of all there are so many reading platforms (PCs, phones, tablets, dedicated e-readers) that all Kindles and Apple's all platforms together comprise only a small fraction of them. Even if we take only LCD based reading platforms there are an overwhelming number of choices besides Apple. Why would anyone choose just Kindle out of the many? Yes, eInk would be a good reason but there are other eInk readers. And in that case the reason is eInk not rebellion against anything. And in many cases it is indeed eInk which is the reason. The moment I first took a look at an eInk display I thought that reading on LCD is no match for reading on eInk.

So Adam Engst did not give it too much thought before he came up with this idea.

HarryT · 03-12-2011, 03:28 AM

Not to mention the fact that there are a lot of us who have both an iPad and a Kindle. They are very different devices: a Kindle certainly isn't a substitute for an iPad.

elemenoP · 03-12-2011, 08:12 AM

Adam Engst, what a blast from the past! I fondly remember reading "Tidbits" in the early 90s, I learned a lot from it.

But yeah, I agree, he doesn't "get" dedicated ereaders at all, and puts his own assumptions on the whole market.

eP

The Old Man · 03-12-2011, 09:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

Not to mention the fact that there are a lot of us who have both an iPad and a Kindle. They are very different devices: a Kindle certainly isn't a substitute for an iPad.

Exactly right, Harry! I have both because they are both "better" in certain areas and I don't hate anybody nor am I fan of any particular brand. I buy what seems best for me and my wife.

Not only that, I think that's what 95% of what everybody does. It's the haters and lovers that frequent these boards.

rhadin · 03-12-2011, 09:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RockdaMan

This guy doesn't understand the market: . . . Thats not why I want a replacement at all.

That may not be why you want a replacement, but I think he understands the overall market pretty well -- except I don't see buying a Kindle as an act of rebellion against Apple. I see buying any ereading device other than an Apple product as telling Steve Jobs that one prefers to think and act independently and have choices, not be an Apple lemming.

RockdaMan · 03-12-2011, 09:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rhadin

I see buying any ereading device other than an Apple product as telling Steve Jobs that one prefers to think and act independently and have choices, not be an Apple lemming.

Ok...

bwaldron · 03-12-2011, 01:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rhadin

That may not be why you want a replacement, but I think he understands the overall market pretty well -- except I don't see buying a Kindle as an act of rebellion against Apple. I see buying any ereading device other than an Apple product as telling Steve Jobs that one prefers to think and act independently and have choices, not be an Apple lemming.

I buy Android for that

My e-ink devices were bought for entirely different reasons -- my devices of choice for long sessions of pure book reading.

WalkingDistance · 03-12-2011, 02:51 PM

Oh the classic iPad vs. Kindle argument... where it'll go nobody knows.

adamengst · 03-13-2011, 03:48 PM

It's so much fun seeing one talked about in public.

First off, I think people are reading WAY too much into my statement. I said:

> One thing that I think is potentially helping the Kindle is that Apple has become so large and so dominant that buying a Kindle is almost an act of rebellion.

Note the words "I think" and "potentially" and "almost". I'm not stating this as a fact, I'm proposing it as a possibility, as something that might be true in some cases. In fact, I'm pretty sure it is true in some cases, but it would be madness to suggest that it's true in all cases, or even in a majority of cases. If you're all really interested, we can explore the question of why people buy one device over another, but I don't think there's any argument that not all people make fully rational decisions all the time. Sometimes they just like one thing more than another, or have a good or bad association. I don't wear or buy Nike running shoes, for instance, and while I can make up various rational justifications for why, the fact is that I'm not a big fan of Nike and buying other brands of running shoes is a small personal rebellion about how big and powerful Nike has become.

It's true I'm not a big fan of the Kindle. I have a Kindle 1 and a Kindle DX, and they sit on my floor unused until I need to test something on them, at which point I generally become fairly frustrated with them since I find the Kindle interface opaque. I'm sure that's in large part because I use them infrequently, but I could also make a point-by-point criticism of the Kindle on usability grounds.

Everything is more complicated than it seems, and there are always more than two sides to every argument (which I learned in Carl Sagan's seminar in critical thinking when I was an undergrad at Cornell many years ago). But it's not always possible, in the time and space available, to present and explore every possibility. When it comes right down to it, I was asked those interview questions by an online friend and I hadn't replied as promptly as I would have liked, so I was writing quickly in an effort to get the message out of my Inbox. And because the guy's a friend with a blog (as opposed to, say, the Washington Post), I wasn't thinking as carefully as I might about my wording. So it goes.

cheers... -Adam

leebase · 03-13-2011, 05:10 PM

Thanks for replying Adam. Clearly you've rattled a nest of fanboys. It's really funny, as a technology fan, to watch folks love or hate a technology. The love, I understand. I love my iPad and my Canon cameras. But I don't HATE the kindle.

I am quite amused where in one sentence someone will label Apple buyers lemmings and then extoll their Kindle purchase. So one's NOT a lemming if buying a kindle but is if buying an iPad?

If you really want to have fun, just suggest that an excellent reading experience can be had via an LCD device. Watch people swear up and down that ONLY eInk is suitable for reading as if their experience were more valid than yours.

Lee

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03-11-2011, 03:17 PM	#4
DMSmillie Enquiring Mind Posts: 562 Karma: 42350 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: London, UK Device: Kindle 3 (WiFi)	Heh... the concept of "sheep" blindly going along with the herd has also been proposed, also here on MobileRead, as the only/main reason for the success of the Kindle. One can, I'm sure, find a similarly "sheepish" reason for the success of just about anything. Reality tends to be a lot messier and more complicated than such "the main reason for" explanations generally allow for.

03-11-2011, 04:01 PM	#5
Dulin's Books Wizard Posts: 2,806 Karma: 13500000 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Portland, OR Device: Boox PB360 etc etc etc	he thinks people are buying Kindles because the refuse to buy an ipad?

03-12-2011, 03:28 AM	#7
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383099 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	Not to mention the fact that there are a lot of us who have both an iPad and a Kindle. They are very different devices: a Kindle certainly isn't a substitute for an iPad.

03-12-2011, 08:12 AM	#8
elemenoP Wizard Posts: 1,717 Karma: 3790058 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: NYC Device: Kindle Paperwhite, Sony 650	Adam Engst, what a blast from the past! I fondly remember reading "Tidbits" in the early 90s, I learned a lot from it. But yeah, I agree, he doesn't "get" dedicated ereaders at all, and puts his own assumptions on the whole market. eP

03-12-2011, 02:51 PM	#13
WalkingDistance Connoisseur Posts: 58 Karma: 50018 Join Date: Sep 2010 Device: Kindle 3	Oh the classic iPad vs. Kindle argument... where it'll go nobody knows.

03-13-2011, 03:48 PM	#14
adamengst Take Control Publisher Posts: 4 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Ithaca, NY Device: PDF, Kindle	It's so much fun seeing one talked about in public. First off, I think people are reading WAY too much into my statement. I said: > One thing that I think is potentially helping the Kindle is that Apple has become so large and so dominant that buying a Kindle is almost an act of rebellion. Note the words "I think" and "potentially" and "almost". I'm not stating this as a fact, I'm proposing it as a possibility, as something that might be true in some cases. In fact, I'm pretty sure it is true in some cases, but it would be madness to suggest that it's true in all cases, or even in a majority of cases. If you're all really interested, we can explore the question of why people buy one device over another, but I don't think there's any argument that not all people make fully rational decisions all the time. Sometimes they just like one thing more than another, or have a good or bad association. I don't wear or buy Nike running shoes, for instance, and while I can make up various rational justifications for why, the fact is that I'm not a big fan of Nike and buying other brands of running shoes is a small personal rebellion about how big and powerful Nike has become. It's true I'm not a big fan of the Kindle. I have a Kindle 1 and a Kindle DX, and they sit on my floor unused until I need to test something on them, at which point I generally become fairly frustrated with them since I find the Kindle interface opaque. I'm sure that's in large part because I use them infrequently, but I could also make a point-by-point criticism of the Kindle on usability grounds. Everything is more complicated than it seems, and there are always more than two sides to every argument (which I learned in Carl Sagan's seminar in critical thinking when I was an undergrad at Cornell many years ago). But it's not always possible, in the time and space available, to present and explore every possibility. When it comes right down to it, I was asked those interview questions by an online friend and I hadn't replied as promptly as I would have liked, so I was writing quickly in an effort to get the message out of my Inbox. And because the guy's a friend with a blog (as opposed to, say, the Washington Post), I wasn't thinking as carefully as I might about my wording. So it goes. cheers... -Adam

03-13-2011, 05:10 PM	#15
leebase Karma Kameleon Posts: 2,960 Karma: 26738313 Join Date: Aug 2009 Device: iPad Mini, iPhone X, Kindle Fire Tab HD 8, Walmart Onn	Thanks for replying Adam. Clearly you've rattled a nest of fanboys. It's really funny, as a technology fan, to watch folks love or hate a technology. The love, I understand. I love my iPad and my Canon cameras. But I don't HATE the kindle. I am quite amused where in one sentence someone will label Apple buyers lemmings and then extoll their Kindle purchase. So one's NOT a lemming if buying a kindle but is if buying an iPad? If you really want to have fun, just suggest that an excellent reading experience can be had via an LCD device. Watch people swear up and down that ONLY eInk is suitable for reading as if their experience were more valid than yours. Lee

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