Do Americans have it better?

[carlobee]

i agree with this post. we are on globalization i guess and i would love it if everything can be accessed by everyone in the world - especially modern forms of reading like this. we know reading helps a lot of people.

[pilotbob]

I think the bottom line is that you are reading American press about American companies. In that case the "market" is the US.

Heck, I don't get all depressed when I read about new mobile phones that will never come to the US and are only for Japan and Korea.

I for one know that the US is not equal to the world.

I think this is like anything.... it's not fun being on the outside looking in.

BOb

[Stitchawl]

Originally Posted by kazbates

Why does it always come down to a question of the US versus everyone else? I'm an American and love my country. (

Kaz, I don't think it's a case of 'us versus everyone else.' I thinks it's 'us as we were versus us as we are now and as we could be.' I say this as an American. One who paid his dues in full during the mid 60's in Vietnam. I loved the US then and I love it now. This is why I want to see it reclaim the world position it once held before it sat back on its laurels and allowed #2, #3, and #4 to try harder and surpass it.

When I was 16 years old there were eleven American television manufacturers. Today there are none. When I was 16 years old, nine of the ten top world banks were American. Today there are none in the top ten. Amazon started as a book seller. Today it has diversified so far as to sell backyard water parks (which, by the way, they won't ship to my location,) medicines, sporting goods, clothing, etc. Diversification is needed in today's marketplace, but so is globalization. As we e-book buyers have discovered, there are plenty of other retailers out there willing and able to sell to us where ever in the world we are located. For every book we purchase from Fictionwise or the Sony Bookstore, that's one less book that Amazon has sold. Eventually that will have to enter into the thinking of the policy makers. If they want to maximize their advertising dollar, they must begin to think globally. Diversification isn't enough.

I'd love to see Amazon increase its business. But I'd like to see it do that by selling to a broader market.

Stitchawl

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

Diversification is needed in today's marketplace, but so is globalization

The weird part is, Amazon has globalized... There's an Amazon.co.uk, a .de, a .fr, etc.

But why are the products on each of those sites different? I can understand (sort of) why some books won't be on sale here and not there, etc, but hardware!?!?!?

[HansTWN]

I think it simply is a marketing decision by Amazon. 1.)They are having trouble negotiating contracts with the telcos for whispernet service at reasonable cost. They do not want a WiFi version because that means no impulse purchases. 2.)They haven't successfully negotiated special terms with the publishers who have their entrenched partners in Europe. 3.)They feel that Europeans in general are not that open to technical gadgets as Americans.

[Sparrow]

Originally Posted by ficbot

So I am curious, if you had to choose between 'Kindle and related products' OR 'life+50 copyright' which would you choose? Do Americans really have the better deal?

I would choose 'life+50', it would enrich my life to a greater extent than a bit of kit.

I wish I was Canadian!!

[Stitchawl]

Originally Posted by Sparrow

I would choose 'life+50', it would enrich my life to a greater extent than a bit of kit.

I wish I was Canadian!!

You can be! Drink a lot of Labatt's beer, watch hockey games, and say 'eh' at the end of your sentences! Easy!

Stitchawl

[Stitchawl]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

The weird part is, Amazon has globalized... There's an Amazon.co.uk, a .de, a .fr, etc.

Is that really 'globalization' or just 'expansion' while cashing in on their name?

But why are the products on each of those sites different? I can understand (sort of) why some books won't be on sale here and not there, etc, but hardware!?!?!?

Sony is a Japanese company but Sony-USA won't sell any products to the Japanese market. Sony-Japan doesn't sell any of its products with English language menus or labels unless it's sold as Sony-World Market and only sold in Duty-Free shops in Japan. Even then, the Sony 505 isn't available for sale here.

I'd hate to be a lawyer trying to sort out international trade agreements and licensing! What a nightmare that must be!

Stitchawl

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by ficbot

So I am curious, if you had to choose between 'Kindle and related products' OR 'life+50 copyright' which would you choose? Do Americans really have the better deal?

life+50. And preferably "the longer of 50 years and lifetime".

[Sparrow]

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

You can be! Drink a lot of Labatt's beer, watch hockey games, and say 'eh' at the end of your sentences! Easy!

Stitchawl

I've noticed US interviewees we hear have taken to saying 'so...' at the start of answers - what's all that about??

And Australians say 'aw look...' at the start of theirs!

The world's going bonkers!

[ruth1304]

Because it's a big market companies try things first in the US - if they can't make money on something there they may not make money on it at all. It means they get things first, but it also means they're guinea pigs for the things that don't work or are withdrawn because they're not profitable. By the time things that start in the US move abroad they work ... and sometimes the price has come down because of all the people in the US who have already invested in it.

It's not all bad! And if the kindle was easily available in the uk I probably would have bought it, because it's so widely marketed. But as it is I bought a sony and love it.

[Stitchawl]

Originally Posted by Sparrow

I've noticed US interviewees we hear have taken to saying 'so...' at the start of answers - what's all that about??

And Australians say 'aw look...' at the start of theirs!

The world's going bonkers!

It's about bad grammar! Perhaps that's about bad education... Many of us remember Bill Cosby as both stand-up comedian and TV actor. Some of us are aware that in his later life he went back to school and received his Ph.D in Education and has devoted his life to teaching kids. Here is part of a recent rant of his;

"They're standing on the corner and they can't speak English.'
I can't even talk the way these people talk:
Why you ain't,? Where you is,? What he drive,? Where he stay,? Where he work,? Who you be...?
And I blamed the kid until I heard the mother talk. And then I heard the father talk.
Everybody knows it's important to speak English except these knuckleheads. You can't be a doctor with that kind of crap coming out of your mouth. In fact you will never get any kind of job making a decent living. People marched and were hit in the face with rocks to get an Education, and now we've got these knuckleheads walking around....

Dr. William Henry 'Bill' Cosby, Jr., Ed.D.
-------------------------------------

err... umm... ahh... err... like... so... totally... I start a lot of my written sentences with 'but.' This used to drive my English teachers crazy. It simply wasn't permitted. And... I begin a lot of my sentences with 'and!' Probably gets some folks reading this gritting their teeth. 'course... I cld txt u b4 taking the time to write full words... What a wonderful world.

Stitchawl

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

It's about bad grammar! Perhaps that's about bad education... Many of us remember Bill Cosby as both stand-up comedian and TV actor. Some of us are aware that in his later life he went back to school and received his Ph.D in Education and has devoted his life to teaching kids. Here is part of a recent rant of his;

"They're standing on the corner and they can't speak English.'
I can't even talk the way these people talk:
Why you ain't,? Where you is,? What he drive,? Where he stay,? Where he work,? Who you be...?
And I blamed the kid until I heard the mother talk. And then I heard the father talk.
Everybody knows it's important to speak English except these knuckleheads. You can't be a doctor with that kind of crap coming out of your mouth. In fact you will never get any kind of job making a decent living. People marched and were hit in the face with rocks to get an Education, and now we've got these knuckleheads walking around....

Dr. William Henry 'Bill' Cosby, Jr., Ed.D.
-------------------------------------

Some people are devolving towards apes again, the first to go is language

[HansTWN]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

Some people are devolving towards apes again, the first to go is language

What have those gentle (except chimps) apes done to you to deserve this?

[SpiderMatt]

Originally Posted by ficbot

So I am curious, if you had to choose between 'Kindle and related products' OR 'life+50 copyright' which would you choose? Do Americans really have the better deal?

I'd pick the Kindle because if something is available on the internet in one country, it's available on the internet in all countries.

It's normal for companies to test out products in one country before expanding it to other areas. The issue with selling media in other countries is one of the many problems with copyright law. There are a lot of things that Amazon doesn't control and it becomes a financial risk for them to sell certain products to other countries. I've heard that they won't ship certain products to foreign addresses for warranty issues, among other things. This includes APO/FPO addresses even though the U.S. government treats these as U.S. addresses (a frustration I constantly have to deal with)! I don't know what the specific issues are, but you can be rest assured that Amazon, like all retailers, wants to make a profit. If they feel they can sell to you with minimal risk, they'll do it. Some people have already pointed out that international trade agreements also put limitations on what products can be sold where. People have also mentioned the tech in countries like Japan and Korea that isn't available anywhere else. Japan and Korea have some awesome cellphones and very cheap data plans. Many of these phones aren't available in other countries, most likely because there just isn't enough demand.

Amazon has already been looking at foreign markets for the Kindle. The company has an ideal vision of what it wants the Kindle to be and prefers not to stray from that. Presumably, that includes a cellphone connection rather than wifi (although I guess there are rumors that a UK version might have wifi). Amazon already looked at Germany but failed to come up with a plan they liked. There are so many factors to consider when expanding a product to a foreign market. The biggest one, I'm sure, is the demand for the product. Amazon needs to make sure that the version of the Kindle they put out will sell well. It sometimes seems clear cut because the product is so popular in one country but that's not always the case. Companies will usually err on the side of cautiousness if they have any inkling that a product might not do as well as they want. The U.S. is not as cellphone centric as Japan (although the iPhone might be changing that) and so I don't think Japanese and Korean companies would have been successful in trying to build up the U.S. market the way they have in their respective countries.

I'm not Amazon so I obviously don't have all the answers and I can't say what exactly goes into their decision making. But I know they want to make money. It seems to be that people are putting too much responsibility on Amazon. They're not holding back a product from other markets just so they can sit back and laugh at you. How the hell does that benefit them? There are so many different laws to consider. Not just local laws but laws of other countries. I don't know how exactly foreign laws apply personally but I guarantee you there are things Amazon needs to consider before launching something like the Kindle in another country. I'm no fan of law-dictated restrictions in the marketplace. I'd prefer that Amazon be free to just sell whatever, wherever, according to supply and demand. Unfortunately, free markets and free trade have a lot of enemies.

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

Having closed markets will not destroy the industry. It will destroy America's ability to interact with the rest of the world.

I agree. Free markets, free people! Though that's probably not what you were getting at.

For the reasons listed above, I think it's entirely unfair to to attribute Amazon's restrictions to nationalism. Unless you mean laws that force markets to be closed. Those usually arise out of some kind of paranoid nationalism. That is not unique to the U.S., though. In fact, the U.S. is more open to free trade than most countries (though still not as free as it should be).

It's highly unlikely that nationalism on the part of Amazon, or any other company, keep it from expanding outside the U.S. As Gideon pointed out, eventually Amazon's "greed will reach out and touch everyone soon enough." And I don't think that's a bad thing. It's what will eventually bring the Kindle to other parts of the world. And greed on the part of other companies is what will bring foreign goods to me. I like that.

Originally Posted by Gideon

And a horrid lack of decent health care!

For the record, America does have some of the worst health care in the world but also has some of the best. It is the consequence of a free market, although the health care is far from free in the U.S. (just more free than many parts of the world). This is completely off topic so I won't get into the details. I just thought it unjust to say we have horrible health care without pointing out that we also have great health care.