Why do you prefer Kobo ereaders to Amazon ereaders

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by jhowell

I still disagree with the premise of this thread; that Kobos being discussed more means that a greater number of people prefer them.

I don't think that either. Just that Kobo threads here on MR generate more interest these days than Kindle threads. And I believe that's what the OP meant.

Personally I don't have a strong preference either for Kindle or Kobo; I have both and like both.

[Josieb1]

I think Kobo are getting much stronger, and Amazon are resting on their laurels. I think Amazon are dumbing down the software so it’s easy for everyone to use, nothing wrong with that, and if you never buy, or want to read a book outside of the Amazon ecosystem, then it’s fine, but for me I want ease of managing all types of ebooks, from all sorts of retailers, and it’s just easier on a Kobo using Calibre.

[theducks]

My biggest gripe with Amazon devices is their continuous 'adding another brick to their walled garden wall'
The main reason I go back to a business is they offer what I want, at a fair price (no necessarily the cheapest) and not because I am locked into their store. Ads before/after a book, OK (I paid for Ad free). Commercials While Reading (This is what has gone wrong with US TV, Cable and even YouTube. MINUTES of commercials, multiple times a show)

[Uncle Robin]

Originally Posted by theducks

(This is what has gone wrong with US TV, Cable and even YouTube. MINUTES of commercials, multiple times a show)

I got in on what is now YouTube Premium when it was an invite-only beta of YouTube Red and have kept it at the original price of around $6US. Netflix, Disney+ etc have no appeal, but my ad-free YT is a great investment and such a habit that I forget YT even HAS ads until I click on a YT link when not logged in

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by jhowell

More people discussing new Kobos than new Kindles could be a sign that Kindle users are happy with the device they already have. That is the case for me.

I do remember when a new Kindle would come out and there was a lot of talk about getting the new Kindle from a lot of Kindle owners.

You would not be buying another Kindle or Kobo if you did not like your current device enough.

[gmw]

I chose "More open and customizable", but like many of the other options I am not certain just how true that is because I have never owned a Kindle, and never purchased from Amazon.

My strongest reason would probably be something like: I like competition and the best way to foster that is to make sure smaller (but still worthy) competitors get supported.

The fact that Kobo (in my experience) make excellent hardware, have a large selection of books, and do price matching, all adds up to making them a company I have been very happy to deal with. It makes my "supporting the competition" choice very easy to live with.

Yes, I do have concerns about Amazon as a company, so maybe I should have ticked that last option too, but I'm not really that familiar with their policies.

[davidfor]

I only select "Better software" and even that I hesitated over. The option that is missing is "Because I bought one ages ago and can't be bothered changing"

That is at least partly it. I bought a Touch nearly 10 years ago. That was because I looked at all the one that were available and decided it was the one I liked most. Then a sale happened that was about 30% off and I got a Kobo.

Now, I prefer the Kobo software, but, I have no real idea whether it is better. Looking at the list of choices:

• Better store - No. I don't think either are particularly good. But Amazon have a much larger number of books. Which isn't necessarily a good thing.
• Better hardware - I think they are pretty much the same.
• More innovative products - There isn't really anything innovative about any of the devices.
• More open and customizable - Kobo probably is, but, this had no impact on my original choice.
• Better software - How do you define that? Less crashes? Better to use?
• Better support - Kobo is not going to win that.
• Better price - The devices are different enough
• Library access - I can access libraries, but, the only reason I have borrowed a book was to test the access.
• More accessible in my country - Both Kobo and Kindle are available in B&M stores.
• I disagree with the direction Amazon's is taking with ereaders - I have no idea what direction Amazon is taking.
• I disagree with Amazon's policy directions in general - This I can almost get behind, but, honestly, I can't be bothered. They are doing exactly what any corporation would do if they'd managed to get into the position they are in. (Note: I have absolutely no interest in discussing this in any way. If you want to criticise me about it, go ahead. Just make sure you are polite and try not to base your arguments on, "They are big, therefore they are bad".)

Overall, the main reason I prefer Kobo over Amazon is inertia. I do like them, and nothing Amazon has done so far has given me any reason to change. But, I have never used a Kindle for more than five minutes at a time. And most usage has been in a shop.

[Uncle Robin]

Originally Posted by davidfor

[*]Better support - Kobo is not going to win that.

And here was I thinking it was Brits who were the masters of the cutting understatement.

[Quoth]

Best support is not needing it. I don't expect to need other than the 2 to 6 year "SOGA" replacement or refund or repair with seller and hope not to need that either when I buy essentially an appliance like an oven, Bluray player, fridge, freezer or dedicated ereader.
I hope not to need support on the HW of a phone, tablet or laptop.

I don't remember any ordinary retail product having "good support" in recent years. Except many years ago you could easily replace a kettle or toaster element or get stuff repaired in a local repair shop. Bigger dealers had real service departments.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by davidfor

[*]More innovative products - There isn't really anything innovative about any of the devices.

Innovations ereaders:

1. Sony: eink
2. Touch (pros and cons of capacitive, IR & digitizer and all are 20th C.)
3. Front light (pros and cons)

There has been slow incremental improvements to eink and not as much as there has been in LCDs. Early graphic LCDs were greyer than original eink, mono and abysmal viewing angle. However inherently LCD is transmissive and eink is opaque, so LCD does colour well and existing eink technology can never do colour well.

There are only minor variations possible on ereaders and the improvements are mostly just the eink panel. Options like audio (jack or BT), buttons, SD card slots and waterproofing are not innovations:

3.5mm jack socket and digital Audio: 1980s
Bluetooth: 1998
Touch: Capacitive, IR, Resistive, digitiser are all at least 1980s.
Front light: Glass (later plastic) light "pipes" to illuminate from the front from 1930s.
SD card: 1999, based on 1997 MMC.
eInk/ePaper: Xerox in 1970s. Sony ereader based on eInk 2004, A watch 2005. Kindle was late 2007. Sony Frontlight & Touchscreen in 2008.
Waterproofing: Both by thin coating and package design are over 70 years old.

Any improvement in eink "whiteness" without a frontlight has been marginal since 2016 (Carta & Mobius).
Almost all competitors to eInk company have been bought and buried.

There hasn't been real ereader innovation since about 2008, just incremental panel brightness/contrast quality improvements till about 2016. Then incremental increases in resolution and size.

[EowynCarter]

epub support is a must have for me.

[JSWolf]

Better support (IMHO) is given on MR for both Kobo and Kindle.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Quoth

Innovations ereaders:

1. Sony: eink
2. Touch (pros and cons of capacitive, IR & digitizer and all are 20th C.)
3. Front light (pros and cons)

Sony was also the first company to adopt RMSDK and brought ePub to the forefront. They also were the first with a touch screen using IR.

[GlenBarrington]

Originally Posted by Mort1997

I don’t prefer kobo to amazon

Same here, before I had Sony ePub readers, and I thought that Adobe DRM was stupid complex. Switching to Amazon seemed so much easier.

[GlenBarrington]

Originally Posted by theducks

My biggest gripe with Amazon devices is their continuous 'adding another brick to their walled garden wall'
The main reason I go back to a business is they offer what I want, at a fair price (no necessarily the cheapest) and not because I am locked into their store. Ads before/after a book, OK (I paid for Ad free). Commercials While Reading (This is what has gone wrong with US TV, Cable and even YouTube. MINUTES of commercials, multiple times a show)

I've never seen a commercial on my Amazon readers, and I don't pay for 'no ads'. True, there is a default ad before I turn it on, but it has always been book/reading related.