Amazon says having their own format permits faster page turns

[RockdaMan]

Some folks are irked that they can't easily transfer digital books they bought elsewhere into their Kindles. Why did you choose a proprietary technology?

We chose a format that we felt would give us better performance and superior ease of use. It's the reason why the Kindle has faster page turns than some of the other devices. Because we control our own standard, we can develop applications that let customers read Kindle books on the iPhone, Android tablet, iPad, BlackBerrys and PC.

Also:

It's not surprising that publishers who are raising prices are losing market share relative to publishers who decided to keep prices low. Customers aren't stupid.

and

Do publishers now see you as a rival rather than a customer because of your self-publishing business?

We think the efficiencies of selling digital books should not only accrue to publishers but should also accrue to authors. That means that the middlemen standing between authors and readers need to get more efficient, and they need to pass those savings along. The 70% [royalty] rate we offer is a way to pass those efficiencies along.

Publishers provide a valuable service to authors, but the model needs to evolve.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-f...19,print.story

[ATDrake]

Re: thread title.

Not with Topaz books it doesn't.

[Purple Lady]

Well my page turns are .3 seconds. I don't know if the newer kindles can beat that, so of course this is just another excuse.

[daffy4u]

I don't see what DRM has to do with page turns. My Kindle pages turn just as fast with non-DRM mobi content.

[bhartman36]

I think the thread title is a bit misleading. Nowhere did I read that Amazon thinks its DRM increases page turns. What was stated was that the format increases page turns. That's a questionable claim on its own merits, but it's not the same as crediting DRM for the difference. Kindle format books can either have DRM or not.

A proprietary format isn't in itself DRM.

[RockdaMan]

Originally Posted by bhartman36

I think the thread title is a bit misleading. Nowhere did I read that Amazon thinks its DRM increases page turns. What was stated was that the format increases page turns. That's a questionable claim on its own merits, but it's not the same as crediting DRM for the difference. Kindle format books can either have DRM or not.

A proprietary format isn't in itself DRM.

I extrapolated based on the fact that the questioner asked about DRM. It's that that keeps users from bringing their books over. Amazon could support all the formats in the world, but without matching DRM it is a waste.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by daffy4u

I don't see what DRM has to do with page turns. My Kindle pages turn just as fast with non-DRM mobi content.

How do the page turns of the 650 compare to the K3?

[bhartman36]

Originally Posted by RockdaMan

I extrapolated based on the fact that the questioner asked about DRM. It's that that keeps users from bringing their books over. Amazon could support all the formats in the world, but without matching DRM it is a waste.

But by the same token, isn't it also the format that keeps users from bringing their books over? They could have the same DRM scheme, but if the AZW format was the only one that Amazon sold (as they do now) users would be in the same position, wouldn't they? Will an unconverted, non-DRM AZW file work any better on a Nook than a DRM'ed one would? I think daffy4u made the same point. It's not the DRM that makes the difference that they're talking about.

[daffy4u]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

How do the page turns of the 650 compare to the K3?

It's really hard for me to say. If I want to flip a bunch of pages in a row, the 650 wins. Using the page turn buttons K3 wins. Swiping is hit or miss for me.

[jasonkchapman]

Because we control our own standard, we can develop applications that let customers read Kindle books on the iPhone, Android tablet, iPad, BlackBerrys and PC.

Ah! So that's why no other format is usable on those other platforms.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by jasonkchapman

Ah! So that's why no other format is usable on those other platforms.

They neither say nor imply that "no other format is usable on those other platforms".

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by daffy4u

It's really hard for me to say. If I want to flip a bunch of pages in a row, the 650 wins. Using the page turn buttons K3 wins. Swiping is hit or miss for me.

The 650 also has page turn buttons.

But, with today's screens (Pearl) and the faster processors, ADE/ePub is every bit as fast as Mobipocket. That may have been true back when screens were slower and processors were slower.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by bhartman36

I think the thread title is a bit misleading. Nowhere did I read that Amazon thinks its DRM increases page turns. What was stated was that the format increases page turns. That's a questionable claim on its own merits, but it's not the same as crediting DRM for the difference. Kindle format books can either have DRM or not.

A proprietary format isn't in itself DRM.

proprietary technology is the term used here. I think the author doesn't quite understand that AZW is not really proprietary technology but the same old with a new lock and key. if it wasn't for the DRM, AZW would be Mobipocket plain and simple. So really, it's not proprietary technology except for the DRM.

[rhadin]

Originally Posted by daffy4u

Swiping is hit or miss for me.

Daffy, I have found that the secret to swiping is to use my thumb in a downward or upward short arc -- at least on the 950.

[daffy4u]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

The 650 also has page turn buttons.

But, with today's screens (Pearl) and the faster processors, ADE/ePub is every bit as fast as Mobipocket. That may have been true back when screens were slower and processors were slower.

That's what I was saying. When it comes to page turn buttons, the page turns faster on the Kindle than it does on the 650 when I use its buttons.