The Free Kindle Meme Goes Mainstream

[kjk]

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

vendor lock-in? as in the myth that you can only put Amazon books on the Kindle?

note: MYTH!

"Vendor lock-in" isn't generally used as an absolute term. For example, the iPod/iTunes relationship was referred to as "vendor lock-in" when iTunes content was DRMed, even though you could also rip CDs and play MP3s on it from day one.

I actually can't think of very many systems that were absolute vendor locked-in, except for streaming/subscription services.

[snipenekkid]

OK, rather than a simple dedicated and locked in free reader what if Amazon decided to do a media consumption device using the very inexpensive LCD panels, even IPS panels are likely inexpensive compared to E-ink. If the device is an Amazon lock-in in the spirit of whoooooo? Can you say A-p-P-l-L-e? As it's OK for Apple that means it's OK for Amazon, using Apple "logic" I mean. At least with Amazon there would be an upfront declaration that one can ONLY consume content purchased from Amazon in exchange for a free or very low cost device. Now add in the whole up coming Kindle App store, if that really ever takes off though since there is just so much competition in the mobile device world right now and even though there are a lot, the number of developers is finite with only so many hours in a day.

With Amazon's ability to stream or outright download content, some streaming content is now free for Prime account members, a slate type multi-media device makes sense and could easily be free tied to your Amazon Prime account and even something like Skype or one of the CellCo's to also add a phone service if wanted.

Amazon did not buy the touch screen company last year for no reason and also likely had far more reaching plans than simply a touch screen to Kindles since the could do so at any time for a lot less cost than was spend on that company.

It could also be insight into Apple's current moves with the whole iOS app stuff. said it then and will say it now, Apple is trying to do an end around on companies such as Amazon as well as Netflix and Hulu selling video content far cheaper than in the iTunes store plus not paying any tithe to the mighty Sphincter that is Apple.

It's all wheels within wheels. Should be a fun year to watch them all try and stab each other in the back.

[kjk]

Originally Posted by snipenekkid

Amazon did not buy the touch screen company last year for no reason and also likely had far more reaching plans than simply a touch screen to Kindles since the could do so at any time for a lot less cost than was spend on that company.


It's all wheels within wheels. Should be a fun year to watch them all try and stab each other in the back.

Don't forget their new Android App Store...wouldn't be surprised to see an Amazon device that could seamlessly access it before the year is out.

[Giggleton]

Originally Posted by snipenekkid

OK, rather than a simple dedicated and locked in free reader what if Amazon decided to do a media consumption device using the very inexpensive LCD panels, even IPS panels are likely inexpensive compared to E-ink.

With Amazon's ability to stream or outright download content, some streaming content is now free for Prime account members, a slate type multi-media device makes sense and could easily be free tied to your Amazon Prime account and even something like Skype or one of the CellCo's to also add a phone service if wanted.

Amazon did not buy the touch screen company last year for no reason and also likely had far more reaching plans than simply a touch screen to Kindles since the could do so at any time for a lot less cost than was spend on that company.

I don't want to read on anything other then eink ATM. I feel that the majority of people who do not have an eink reader, have yet to actually use one. The conversion to complete acceptance is instantaneous.

This whole locked down or in thing is a misnomer, the devices are never locked, Amazon itself makes a free tool to convert epubs into a kindle friendly format. Why doesn't the Kindle simply allow epubs to be read then?? The books sold from Amazon have some DRM but who cares. Anyone who wants to share these DRM books with others will share them.

I feel that streaming books from the cloud, is definitely a viable option,
http://bookworm.oreilly.com/

That site even has a mobile version, which works almost as good as the Kindle's built in book interface, but almost is not good enough of course.

And streaming books from the cloud requires constant connectivity, as well as a decent battery. For the foreseeable future I would still like local storage of my books.

Yes there's a bunch of stuff that could be added to the Kindle to turn it into a multifunctional tablet, but I see the Kindle as a book, the last book I'll ever need, it just needs a bit of cash to spur the development of content.

[DJHARKAVY]

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

vendor lock-in? as in the myth that you can only put Amazon books on the Kindle?

note: MYTH!

As in, once the average person has the Kindle, they are going to buy their books from Amazon, which is easy, as opposed to other places, which would require using software to convert and transfer.

[Andrew H.]

Originally Posted by DJHARKAVY

As in, once the average person has the Kindle, they are going to buy their books from Amazon, which is easy, as opposed to other places, which would require using software to convert and transfer.

There's no converting of un-DRM'd mobi necessary, and while I suppose using your computer to drag and drop does, technically, use software, it doesn't use software you don't already have in your OS.

[OtterBooks]

From everything I've heard about Amazon's retail price vs. publisher wholesale price, and amazon's hardware sales revenue, it seems to make much more sense that they would give away free ebooks, not Kindles. Actually, when they can get away with it, they do just that.

Either I'm totally off base and Amazon actually makes more profit from ebook sales than Kindle sales, or that article is rather silly.

[Lemurion]

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

vendor lock-in? as in the myth that you can only put Amazon books on the Kindle?

note: MYTH!

You're right, it's more than possible to put books from other sources than Amazon on the Kindle. Amazon does make it easier to put books from the Kindle store on the device than books from other sources, but Kindle readers aren't limited to Amazon books if they don't want to be.

However, let's say you want to buy The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo in e-format.

If you own a Kindle, the only place you can buy a copy that's readable on your device is the Amazon Kindle store.

If you own a Nook, you can get it from B&N, Sony, BooksOnBoard and a number of other sites.

If you own a Sony Reader, you can get it from Sony or BooksOnBoard, and a number of other sites.

Both the Nook and Sony allow the user to read recent bestsellers from paranoid publishers purchased from stores other than their own. The Kindle does not.

It's not an absolute lock-in - but Kindle users do have more restrictions on the number of places they can buy recent bestsellers to read on their device than people who own other devices do.

Is it enough of an issue to make the Kindle a bad choice? No! But the restrictions are real, and thus there is a grain of truth to the "Vendor lock-in" myth because people who desire a certain kind of book and own Kindles are locked in to the Kindle store - while those who own other readers are not locked in to their reader vendor's store - and can buy those books from alternate sources if desired.

[Crowl]

While we could definitely see them do different things to of get kindles into more people's hands, the simple fact of the matter is that the e-ink devices are selling very well at the current price not to mention that their approach with apps also gives people other options too.

One thing that wouldn't surprise me is if they did something along the lines of including a discount card with each kindle, have it offering 10% off per ebook order up to the value of the kindle, human nature is such that people would tend to spend a bit more than usual to get as much value out of it as possible so while their profit per book would drop they would still be profiting per book and their volume would noticeably increase too.

[GA Russell]

Originally Posted by Giggleton

I feel that the majority of people who do not have an eink reader, have yet to actually use one. The conversion to complete acceptance is instantaneous.

See the OP of this thread!
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=124300

And the OP of this thread!
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=122298

[DJHARKAVY]

Originally Posted by Andrew H.

There's no converting of un-DRM'd mobi necessary, and while I suppose using your computer to drag and drop does, technically, use software, it doesn't use software you don't already have in your OS.

Many e-bookstores do not sell mobi.

You need to convert, removing DRM to load books from most of the e-bookstores to a Kindle.

But beyond that, you can order Kindle books from your Kindle directly.

You cannot (without hacking the system) order other books from your Kindle directly.

The average user does not know the incantations and gestures to change formats. They know the incantations and gestures to download Kindle books to their Kindle.

[kindlekitten]

Originally Posted by aagstn

There are a few places, but most people are going to want books from major publishers and those do have DRM so Amazon is your only option. The fact the kindle does not support epub and Adobe's DRM like its major competitors is not a myth and its the reason I will never own a kindle.

you can do whatever you damn please. at this point in time there has not been a legally available ebook that I have wanted to read that has not been available to me to put onto and read on my Kindle.

Originally Posted by wodin

No, but it could be. It's only a suggestion of one possible scenario. If Amazon gave away crippled Kindles that really did lock you into buying from them, would you complain? And if you wanted a more open version; well, that'll be $139 please.

if the only way I could own an ereader was through that route? sure. but I am able to purchase what I like

[Giggleton]

Originally Posted by GA Russell

See the OP of this thread!
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=124300

And the OP of this thread!
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=122298

lol, now I need to go try out those ereaders, although battery life is a major concern for me, in that I do not wish to ever be concerned about battery life.



I had a dream last night about purchasing Kindles and Amazon listing all books for free download. Pay what you want I suppose, the economics of the thing weren't completely crystal.

[aagstn]

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

you can do whatever you damn please.

I certainly do and I can do it at whatever book store I want without having to jump through a bunch of hoops to get a book on my device. Well, unless I buy from Amazon so I do that rarely. Sorry it upsets you so that some of us don't want to be locked into one bookstore for our DRM books or that some of us don't want to have to convert every epub we buy into a dated ebook format.

[Lemurion]

Originally Posted by Giggleton

lol, now I need to go try out those ereaders, although battery life is a major concern for me, in that I do not wish to ever be concerned about battery life.



I had a dream last night about purchasing Kindles and Amazon listing all books for free download. Pay what you want I suppose, the economics of the thing weren't completely crystal.

Personally, I don't care for those devices. The screens are okay - I'm not fond of them myself - but they have their own set of advantages and disadvantages that make them preferable for some readers. They do average lower resolution than EInk devices, and that may be a problem for some.

What I don't like about them is that the devices feel cheaply made. They remind me of a Kobo in that fashion - they feel lower quality than the Sony, Nook, or Kindle and that's something that puts me off.