Jeff Bezos interview in Newsweek

[DMcCunney]

Published 12/21

Jeff thinks the pbook is going away, though he doesn't know when..

http://www.newsweek.com/id/227751
______
Dennis

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Well, I believe that reading deserves a dedicated device. For people who are readers, reading is important to them. And you don't want to read for three hours on a backlit LCD screen.

Which ably explains making Kindle books available for PCs and iPhones, eh? Oh, well... so he's sold on his own product line. Nothing new there.

We've got Kindle for PC. And we're working on Kindle for the Mac. Our vision is that we want you to be able to read Kindle books wherever you want to read your Kindle books.

This isn't an interview... it's just another Kindle ad!

[daffy4u]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

This isn't an interview... it's just another Kindle ad!

Seriously, what did you expect? Of course, he's going to promote his product. Can you really fault him for that? Whenever you have the opportunity, promote the product.

You have a link to your site in your sig, a more passive ad to be sure but still a promotion.

[Kali Yuga]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

Which ably explains making Kindle books available for PCs and iPhones, eh? Oh, well... so he's sold on his own product line. Nothing new there.

I know it may be tough to stomach it, but... Read the entire interview. The Kindle hardware is a separate business from the Kindle books; i.e. Amazon plans to make money off of both. Regardless to whether your preference is to read off of a netbook or smartphone or an eInk device, Amazon wants you to buy their ebooks. The hardware does not subsidize the books (iTunes model) nor do book sales subsidize the device (cell phone model). Feel free to be skeptical, but it's worth noting that Bezos has been pretty consistent on those points for over a year now (and has discussed it at length in the past).

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

This isn't an interview... it's just another Kindle ad!

If you like; it isn't a terribly in-depth interview, and promotion is part of any CEO's job. If someone sat Howard Stringer down for half an hour to discuss the Sony ebook devices, he'd do the same things -- discuss the benefits, hype the product, excuse any flaws, etc.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by Kali Yuga

Regardless to whether your preference is to read off of a netbook or smartphone or an eInk device, Amazon wants you to buy their ebooks.

My preference, actually, is to read them on my iPaq PDA. So, in my case, Jeff has struck out at every at-bat with me. Once all Amazon e-books are non-DRM'd, so I can move them to my iPaq, I'll be more interested in reading all of what Jeff has to say.

[Nathan Campos]

I've liked the interview and he needs to be a little Kindle ad because he needs to sell more.

[Jack Tingle]

Good or bad, it was an _effective_ interview because Bezos explained to the journalist what they were doing and why. It would have been better, IMO, if the journalist had been a little better prepared with some harder questions, but for the general Newsweek reader, Bezos gave out decent, accurate, if slightly slanted, information.

Regards,
Jack Tingle

[Nathan Campos]

Jack said all.
Very nice point!

[Crusader]

Ultimately do you not even care about selling the physical Kindle itself?

No, we do care. Our goal with the Kindle device is separate from the Kindle bookstore. With the Kindle bookstore, wherever you want to read we're going to support you. And then for the Kindle device, we want that to be the world's best purpose-built reading device.

In that case Amazon needs to embrace ePub and provide access to their store for non-Kindle owners, and I'm not talking about the Kindle for PC application. My choice is to read on the eBook reading device of my choice - that being one of the myriad other devices besides the Kindle.

Offer me the opportunity to purchase the ebook in a file format that works with my device without having to jump through hoops and having to risk various workarounds to get the book onto it. And while you are at it, how about getting the stupidity of geo-restrictions resolved?

[daffy4u]

Originally Posted by Crusader

And while you are at it, how about getting the stupidity of geo-restrictions resolved?

That's not Amazon's fault. Do a search and you'll find posts about Fictionwise and BookonBoard (and maybe more) having the same problems. It has to do with laws in individual countries, so that's where the solution needs to come from.

[Crusader]

Originally Posted by daffy4u

That's not Amazon's fault. Do a search and you'll find posts about Fictionwise and BookonBoard (and maybe more) having the same problems. It has to do with laws in individual countries, so that's where the solution needs to come from.

I never implied it was Amazon's fault. My apologies if it came across that way. Since Amazon has such a large cut of the ebook market they are one of the few companies that might be able to talk sense into publishers/distributor's heads... or at the very least get them to sign up to offer works to other regions aside from the US.

[daffy4u]

Originally Posted by Crusader

I never implied it was Amazon's fault. My apologies if it came across that way. Since Amazon has such a large cut of the ebook market they are one of the few companies that might be able to talk sense into publishers/distributor's heads... or at the very least get them to sign up to offer works to other regions aside from the US.

I apologize as well for reading your question the wrong way.

[Kali Yuga]

Originally Posted by Crusader

In that case Amazon needs to embrace ePub and provide access to their store for non-Kindle owners, and I'm not talking about the Kindle for PC application.

Yeah, I doubt that's going to happen. At a minimum Amazon will want you tied into Whispernet, so officially any app or device you use will need that capability. Amazon moving to ePub is not going to change that. Bezos has even said in the past he'd support other ebook readers, if they supported Whispernet -- though realistically, I think we all know the chances of that are pretty much zero.

I.e. there's a bit of spin to his assertions, but the basic idea is that Amazon wants you to buy their ebooks even if, for whatever reason(s), you don't buy a Kindle device.

Originally Posted by Crusader

And while you are at it, how about getting the stupidity of geo-restrictions resolved?

As already mentioned, you're dealing with a few decades worth of contracts and international laws (including which government gets to collect the sales taxes / VAT for an Internet-based sale).

Like it or not, Amazon's international services, or Sony selling via region-specific ebook retailers, are probably as good as it's going to get for awhile.

Also, in terms of Amazon applying pressure to the publishers et al, don't forget there is a great deal of conflict right now. E.g. Amazon and other retailers are pushing hard for a $10 price point; publishers are pushing back by delaying ebook releases. Everyone is scrambling for rights, dealing with the Google scanning project, etc. So I don't think anyone really has any special leverage or political capital to spare right now.

[Crusader]

Both points are true, but one can dream right?