Kobo / Apple purchasing changes

[stonetools]

My take is simple - if you don't like their policies don't buy their products. They understand revenue, market share and profit losses, not much else.

I don't like this decision, I won't buy from them in the future.

Well said: your whole post was good.

I'll also point out that Apple DOES respond to vigorous criticism: witness their response to Antenna-gate.
Eventually, if Apple ends up selling fewer Ipads because of this, they will allow the restoration of the links, and that's how it should be.

[PeterT]

Interesting post over at http://blog.the-ebook-reader.com/201...p-rule-changes

Gist is

Last Saturday Kobo posted on their blog about having to change their reading apps for iPad and iPhone to remove the built-in reading store and any references to Kobo’s website because of new rules instituted by Apple regarding in-app purchases.

The blog post received hundreds of comments from people angry with Apple for making Kobo change the app, but now it is gone, the post has been deleted and is nowhere to be found.

[MrsJoseph]

Originally Posted by PeterT

Interesting post over at http://blog.the-ebook-reader.com/201...p-rule-changes

Gist is

That is interesting...

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by stonetools

Wow, I find it really hard to believe that smartphone/ipod touch users would not either not use their web browser nor know how to use their web browser. I came into the world of the Internet through computers: but I guess if your first computing device is a smartphone or ipod touch, then you connect to the Internet through apps and bypass the whole web browser approach.

Why do I need to use the browser on my iPod touch? I have apps.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by stonetools

I'll also point out that Apple DOES respond to vigorous criticism: witness their response to Antenna-gate.

Only after Consumer Reports stepped in and gave the iPhone 4 a thumbs down. That got Apple's attention fast.

[TedJ]

Originally Posted by djgreedo

But Apple's detractors are mostly a mix of diehard fanboys and users with little knowledge of alternatives.

See what I did there?

Originally Posted by djgreedo

Calling someone ignorant because they don't know much about technology is not looking down.

No, it's called making an unwarranted assumption of someone's knowledge or experience because of a buying decision you don't agree with.

I don't own an iPad or iPhone, but I do own several Macs. I have more than 30 years experience working and playing with computers, during which time I've used every major OS. You can't see why I (and other people with similar backgrounds) would be offended by being labelled "ignorant" because we don't toe your party line?

I'm sick of the Apple bashing... can't we go back to bashing Kindle/Nook/Sony instead?

In all seriousness, I've only been here at MobileRead a little over 6 weeks and the amount of rampant fanboism on all sides has been more than a little disheartening. We can do better, every one of us.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by TedJ

In all seriousness, I've only been here at MobileRead a little over 6 weeks and the amount of rampant fanboism on all sides has been more than a little disheartening. We can do better, every one of us.

I bash all of the companies (except for SanDisk)

[BaenSidhe]

Serious question. So I've bought a book for my (hypothetical) iPad from Amazon/Kobo/Sony/whoever. How do I get it to the iPad? Amazon's whispersync still work? Does every other ereader app have cloud support?

I always thought it was stupid that I had to sideload all my files onto a tablet that has 3g/wifi. Especially since lots of reviewers, etc. are always criticizing Sony for not having wifi. Or am I wrong and there's a way to download my files from my computer to an iPad without having to connect via USB? And if you can, did that method exist in May 2010?

Do other tablets require sideloading of personal files or prevent you from dowloading off of the internet?

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by BaenSidhe

Serious question. So I've bought a book for my (hypothetical) iPad from Amazon/Kobo/Sony/whoever. How do I get it to the iPad? Amazon's whispersync still work? Does every other ereader app have cloud support?

I always thought it was stupid that I had to sideload all my files onto a tablet that has 3g/wifi. Especially since lots of reviewers, etc. are always criticizing Sony for not having wifi. Or am I wrong and there's a way to download my files from my computer to an iPad without having to connect via USB? And if you can, did that method exist in May 2010?

Do other tablets require sideloading of personal files or prevent you from dowloading off of the internet?

You can download files via the iPad's web browser. When you select the file it'll ask you which application you want to open it in.

Some things work a little differently. Eg, as you know, when you buy a book from the Kindle store, it simply appears in the "Archive" list in the Kindle app, and you download it from there.

[Victoria]

Originally Posted by djgreedo

Yes, Apple's users do often rate their products well. But Apple's users are mostly a mix of diehard fanboys and users with little knowledge of alternatives (i.e. they haven't tried the often better competition - e.g. when people see my phone and MP3 player compared to an iPhone/iPod Touch they are often amazed at how much more intuitive and well designed the non-Apple is when they previously assumed that Apple's devices are great because Apple says so).
.

I try not to respond to flaming, but this is completely uncalled for. I am an Apple user who rates their products highly. I am not ignorant nor a "fanboy", whatever the hell that means. I used MS & then Windows products for 20 years, before switched to a Mac for home. I still use Windows products at work. I am perfectly capable of comparing the two products.

I understand people get caught up in the heat of the moment. But it is one thing to disapprove of a marketing strategy of a company, and it's another to insult fellow colleagues at MR, with demeaning labels like "fanboy". I think it is unacceptable, and I am getting tired of reading it in every other post

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by BaenSidhe

Serious question. So I've bought a book for my (hypothetical) iPad from Amazon/Kobo/Sony/whoever. How do I get it to the iPad? Amazon's whispersync still work? Does every other ereader app have cloud support?

Do other tablets require sideloading of personal files or prevent you from dowloading off of the internet?

Each ebookstore app does things differently, but Apple's new guidelines are against selling or setting up accounts, not in-app downloading/synchronization. (Yet.)

So yes, whispersync still works; you buy the book in the browser and it gets sent to your default reader/location. Then you fire up the Kindle app and it automatically downloads the first time you open it.

Other tablets do *not* require sideloading or prevent downloading but some dedicated readers do, not as a matter of policy, but usually through a lack of features. Like, when they lack wifi or the browser is hardwired to a few addresses.

Also, Cloud support is not at all common outside the big three dedicated reader brands, but it it is starting to spread. It is most common on the, ahem, open reader apps (fbreader, coolreader, aldiko, etc) on android, where most now offer OPDS support.
(https://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/OPDS)

With other readers (Kindle, for one) and tablets, you can also use the browser to access a private repository. There are many tricks and support web sites out there that help link connected readers like Kindle to personal documents on cloud services like dropbox, but if you are even moderately computer literate you can do it yourself through ftp or with Calibre.
(https://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/Calibre)

Where these things become a competitive issue is with non-techies and newcomers, which to their credit, Amazon understood way back at the launch of the first Kindle. Others have ben iterating alternatives to whispersync since, with varying degrees of success.

[stonetools]

The bottom line is that the ONLY change, really, is that instead of accessing the bookstore web page via a link in-app, you now access the bookstore web page by directly opening the web browser.

[BaenSidhe]

Originally Posted by HarryT

You can download files via the iPad's web browser. When you select the file it'll ask you which application you want to open it in.

I guess I didn't have the right app on the iPad I was playing with. All I got was a message saying Safari can't download files.

[HarryT]

It has to be a file type that there's an app registered to handle. Eg, on an "out of the box" iPad you can't download Mobipocket-format files, but install the Kindle app and then you can.

[BuddyBoy]

Originally Posted by stonetools

As for ebooks, you should always remember that on day one of the Ipad's launch there was only ONE bookstore app in the App Store-Ibooks. It was only AFTER the Ipad proved a smashing success that the other booksellers came in. They weren't as altruistic as you all seem to believe. Now that they're in, its clear they WANT to stay in , even if it means dancing to Apple's tune.

Well, the Kindle and Kobo apps were already on the iPhone before the iPad release, and the HD versions were available before the end of the first month, so they had already committed considerable development resources before the iPad launched. I'd probably venture to guess that they delay was not entirely of their own making, but I can certainly say they didn't "wait until it was a smashing success" before committing to the iPad.

Don't go rewriting history - it isn't attractive and it doesn't win you any points in the end.

ETA: March 23, 2010 - https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=78043