Oyster: unlimited e-books for $9.95 a month, now live with invite (iOS)

[Fbone]

It's possible most of the titles will be from Smashwords.

[WillysJeepMan]

Originally Posted by Marcy

But for books having an iPhone app and not an iPad app?? Really? It is impossibly for me to read anymore on my iPhone now that my eyes are middle-aged enough that I can't see text that small.

Not that I'm interested anyway, as I get more than enough to read between Overdrive and Baen, but still makes no sense to me.

Complaining and yet not interested?! I guess some folks just love to complain about something.

"What? I can't order steak rare in a restaurant?! I should be able to order it the way I want... oh well, doesn't matter to me anyways, I'm a vegetarian."

[Barcey]

Originally Posted by holymadness

Business reasons, not technical reasons. By only targeting one platform, you can have a smaller development team and keep costs down. When choosing which platform to target, iOS is the obvious favourite for maximizing return because iOS users earn and spend more money on average than Android/Windows Phone/Symbian users. They also pay the most for apps.

It could also be because the partner publishers didn't want to make it available to "Evil Amazon" users.

[xendula]

I'd sign up if all the books I can purchase from Amazon would be available to download from Oyster, and if I could download them to my Paperwhite, as I HATE reading on my tablets. This would make it a nice addition to my library catalogues, but paying $10 for yet another limited catalogue, which possibly is the same one as any of my libraries have.... - no thanks!

[ApK]

Originally Posted by WillysJeepMan

Complaining and yet not interested?! I guess some folks just love to complain about something.

"What? I can't order steak rare in a restaurant?! I should be able to order it the way I want... oh well, doesn't matter to me anyways, I'm a vegetarian."

I'm not sure I see your point here.
You find it laughable that some people think about and take interest in other people's needs, not just their own personal needs?
People with homes sometimes try to help the situation of the homeless.
People with jobs sometimes take interest in the needs of the unemployed.
If a vegetarian had say in the workings of a restaurant, I'd be grateful they were considering the effect on others. I like steak.

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by EowynCarter

No android ?

What year are these people living in ?

2007.

[ProfCrash]

Originally Posted by EowynCarter

No android ?

What year are these people living in ?

One where they want to make money. I play a bunch of board games where the apps are only available on the iPad or iPhone. Why? Because Apple users are more willing to pay $5-$10 for an app then Android users.

There are plenty of reports showing this is not just the case for games. So most apps start on IOS and may move to Android some time in the future.

This is the reason I got an iPad in the first place.

[EowynCarter]

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

One where they want to make money. I play a bunch of board games where the apps are only available on the iPad or iPhone. Why? Because Apple users are more willing to pay $5-$10 for an app then Android users.

There are plenty of reports showing this is not just the case for games. So most apps start on IOS and may move to Android some time in the future.

This is the reason I got an iPad in the first place.

Seriously, Android now have a majority of the market share. And android user ARE willing to pay, but we won't unless the app is actually available. What kind of stupidity is that ??

Honestly, apps come way later, sometimes with a lesser quality, and it's the user fault they don't want to pay ??
If they proposed to android user the same quality, at the same moment, i'm sure there would be no difference.

[pdurrant]

$9.99 for all-you can read? I'd sign up like a shot if it had a good enough selection. (I spent over $300 on ebooks in 2012, and I've already spent over $350 this year.)

But since I'm in the UK I doubt I'll have a chance.

And it really all depends on the selection available.

[roger64]

Oyster currently has no “concrete plans” to launch on platforms beyond iOS.

I currently have no "concrete" plan to buy from Oyster

[banjomike]

The Terms of Service read as though you will lose access to your books if you cancel your subscription. It says, in brief, you can only read the books via the app, the app is part of the "Services" you subscribe to, if you cancel your subscription you agree to stop using the services (which include the app for reading). Am I reading that right?

Also, they: We reserve the right to, but do not have any obligation to, (i) remove, edit or modify any Content in our sole discretion, at any time, without notice to you and for any reason (including, but not limited to, upon receipt of claims or allegations from third parties or authorities relating to such Content or if we are concerned that you may have violated these Terms of Service), or for no reason at all . Obviously been reading the Apple ToS.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by banjomike

The Terms of Service read as though you will lose access to your books if you cancel your subscription.

That's how all of these digital subscription services work. While you pay, you have free access to all the books they carry. When you stop paying, you lose access. You're not buying books, you're buying access to books.

[doctorow]

I cannot imagine why publishers would want to participate in subscription-based services like Oyster. I mean - they already poop their pants when a computerized voice reads aloud Kindle books. Do you seriously believe they'd agree on a deal that would make everyone look silly who spends $10 or more on a single book?

Unless you are into filling up your virtual bookshelf with a collection of virtual books that you don't even own (but only rent) - where would be the point in purchasing e-books if e-book subscriptions like Oyster became maintream?

[ApK]

Originally Posted by doctorow

Do you seriously believe they'd agree on a deal that would make everyone look silly who spends $10 or more on a single book?

It's not $10. It $10 PER MONTH. They are hoping to turn people who don't spend that much per month already into people who do. Some people might spend less then they currently do, but many of those who buy ebooks would not choose to keep paying for them each month.

Theoretically.

We'll see how it does.

p.s. Also, it occurs to me that those people who get their panties in bunch over "buy/rent/lease" semantics for the current common licensing model will now get a taste of the real difference and can see how they like it.

[doctorow]

Originally Posted by ApK

It's not $10. It $10 PER MONTH.

My point exactly! You pay $10 for this subscription service; meanwhile, regular e-books, be it from Amazon or elsewere, still go for $10 or more. By supporting a subscription service such as Oyster, publishers would cannibalize the regular e-book sale (at least, you'd think that's what they'd fear most, considering that they fear any kind of technological advancement). Just think about the Kindle text-to-speech feature and why it went AWOL. The majority of publishers hated the idea that something, anything, could take away something from their traditional market shares.