What reasons would you give for not buying a Kindle?

[DixieGal]

Originally Posted by melliz

After 40 years old, I'm just looking for a hassle free. Mellow, drama free life. I just want to be able to take whatever items I buy and have them perform flawlessy the first time. I'm not very computer savy, the terminology confuses me when it comes down to formats, etc. I just like to believe these companies should have their products performing as advertised. But as we all know, that ussually isn't the case. I generally know in advance what's on the box, they ussually don't like to tell you all the little quirks. So that's my theory. Maybe I've listened to John Lennon's "Imagine" one too many times.

If you are in the US, then I think you should get a Kindle2. It has "whispernet" which basically lets you buy and download books from the beach or a deck chair.

[melliz]

Thank You everyone for all your input. It has been very helpful.

[Alisa]

Originally Posted by spec2

Reasons against Kindle:

Expensive compared to the Sony 505.
Limited format support including no support for ePub and somewhat contrived method o coverting PDFs.
Slightly heavier and larger than the Sony 505.
Enclosure is improved, but still not as elegant as the Sony 505. It's also 1/2 plastic vs. the all metal Sony 505 (feels better and looks more professional IMHO).
Case is approx $30 extra.

Reasons against the Sony 505

No wireless connectivity.
No on-board dictionary.
No text to voice.
No native Mac support for Sony Book Store (Mac support for non-DRM'd books is available via the great 3rd party Calibre app).
Sony eBooks generally are a couple bucks more than the same Kindle book. The Sony Book store also has fewer titles available.

Bottom line, both are nice readers. As far as reading a book they are nearly identical. So it really just depends on what your needs/desires are in a reader.

That's a good list of cons. I would add a few things.

Kindle:
No content organization (Sony has their "Collections").

Sony:
For the 505: no search, no annotation.
For the 700: more expensive, some say the screen is harder to read.

[kilofox]

Originally Posted by rhadin

I won't buy one for several reasons. (1) No ePub support. (2) Buying one helps Amazon build a vertical monopoly position, something I do not want to see happen as it could destroy the publishing world. (3) Amazon's contract terms for publishers (which reflect Amazon's desire to be a monopoly) directly contradict Amazon's PR statements about DRM and openess. If they aren't honest here, where else aren't they honest? Is current pricing a bait-and-switch-type scheme -- low book prices only until they corner the market? (4) I dislike the keyboard as it reminds me of my laptop computer and makes me think of reading on my laptop. I already own a laptop so why buy another?

No offense... but I believe you are greatly confused about what defines a monopoly. If your idea of a monopoly is true, then Apple's iTunes Store would have been brought down years ago.... but it wasn't.... because it isnt a monopoly. That's a fact.

[rhadin]

Originally Posted by kilofox

No offense... but I believe you are greatly confused about what defines a monopoly. If your idea of a monopoly is true, then Apple's iTunes Store would have been brought down years ago.... but it wasn't.... because it isnt a monopoly. That's a fact.

Apple only sells music and music players; Apple does not produce music. Amazon is trying to produce books as well as sell books and a book-reading device. That is a major -- and significant -- difference.

Apple never told musicians that they couldn't sell their music with a buy now option unless they let Apple produce their recordings. Amazon has told publishers and authors that if you want the buy now option for print-on-demand (POD) books, then you must use Amazon's POD services. That is a major -- and significant -- difference.

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by rhadin

Apple only sells music and music players; Apple does not produce music. Amazon is trying to produce books as well as sell books and a book-reading device. That is a major -- and significant -- difference.

Is Amazon really "producing" ebooks? I don't think so. I think the publishers are still producing them.

BOb

[Alisa]

Originally Posted by rhadin

Apple only sells music and music players; Apple does not produce music. Amazon is trying to produce books as well as sell books and a book-reading device. That is a major -- and significant -- difference.

Apple never told musicians that they couldn't sell their music with a buy now option unless they let Apple produce their recordings. Amazon has told publishers and authors that if you want the buy now option for print-on-demand (POD) books, then you must use Amazon's POD services. That is a major -- and significant -- difference.

I thought Amazon's POD policy was that if you want the "one-click" option, you have to use Amazon's POD services OR give them a small supply of books (I think it was 5 but I'm not sure) to keep on hand. That's a big difference from forcing you to use their POD services. However, selling printing services and allowing people to self-publish are not the same as producing content. Amazon doesn't have any ownership over the content.

I found the quote from Amazon:

Another question we've seen: Do I need to switch completely to having my POD titles printed at Amazon?

No, there is no request for exclusivity. Any publisher can use Amazon's POD service just for those units that ship from Amazon and continue to use a different POD service provider for distribution through other channels.

Alternatively, you can use a different POD service provider for all your units. In that case, we ask that you pre-produce a small number of copies of each title (typically five copies), and send those to us in advance (Amazon Advantage Program-successfully used by thousands of big and small publishers). We will inventory those copies. That small cache of inventory allows us to provide the same rapid fulfillment capability to our customers that we would have if we were printing the titles ourselves on POD printing machines located inside our fulfillment centers.

It was discussed here.

[kilofox]

Originally Posted by rhadin

Apple only sells music and music players; Apple does not produce music. Amazon is trying to produce books as well as sell books and a book-reading device. That is a major -- and significant -- difference.

Apple never told musicians that they couldn't sell their music with a buy now option unless they let Apple produce their recordings. Amazon has told publishers and authors that if you want the buy now option for print-on-demand (POD) books, then you must use Amazon's POD services. That is a major -- and significant -- difference.

Sorry ... but Amazon isnt the only game in town. That makes the monopoly claim moot. There are plenty of other sources to purchase the same book that is available on Amazon.

A book or music is intellectual property... unless the Authors work under contract for Amazon.. Amazon is not producing the books. They are just selling them.. just like Apple does with music.

I understand the frustration.... but labeling it as a monopoly is wrong. Dont believe me? Sue Amazon for anti-trust.... I bet you a beer you will lose.

[bwaldron]

Originally Posted by rhadin

Apple only sells music and music players; Apple does not produce music. Amazon is trying to produce books as well as sell books and a book-reading device. That is a major -- and significant -- difference.

If it were true, it would be

As pilotbob notes, Amazon doesn't produce ebooks.

[bwaldron]

Originally Posted by kilofox

Sorry ... but Amazon isnt the only game in town. That makes the monopoly claim moot. There are plenty of other sources to purchase the same book that is available on Amazon.

Absolutely. There is no monopoly here.

Neither Apple nor Amazon are any sort of "shining knights" -- they are both large and attempt to wield (and grow) the power they have...sometimes to the benefit of consumers and/or content producers, often not.

[shinew]

Price!
Although I bought 2 $600 iPhones when they just came out... so the absolute price point is not an issue. It is still too expensive for what it does given the current e-ink technology is capable of offering.

p.s. the kindle2 i meant, because I already bought a used kindle 1 since the price was "right"

[astra]

Because it has a keyboard.
And I like the look and feel of Sony Reader PRS-505 more than Kindle's.

[Ervserver]

because Oprah has one

[astra]

Oh and another reason is Kindle has no proper page count.

So, the keyboard and page count are the main reasons why I would not buy Kindle.

Dunno about its battery life now. It used to be significantly lover than Sony's. 5 days vs. 14. Maybe they have improved it in K2.

[desertgrandma]

Originally Posted by Ervserver

because Oprah has one

Actually, because Oprah hawked it like a side show carnie hawking

"THE MOST STUPENDOUS, OUT OF THIS WORLD, INSTANT WRINKLE REMOVER SO GET YOURS NOW!"