WSJ on Apple Ebook Pricing Strategy

[Croptop]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Is there anything that leads you to believe that a "hack" is going to be necessary for that? Apple's devices have always had open support for users loading their own content - eg, music, photographs, and video. Why should books be an exception?

As long as they are in the format that Apple wants you to use.

While I am a big fan of most Apple products, I purposely didn't buy an iPhone because of the closed ecosystem. Want to install an app on your phone to let you access content not in a format not supported by stock Apple apps? No problem; you can install anything you want as long as Apple approves the app. Want to install something that hasn't be vetted by Apple? Too bad unless you're willing to hack your phone.

If the rumours/leaks are true, the new Apple tablet will be running the iPhone OS, not a full version of OS X. This could very well lead to the same closed ecosystem.

But I'm waiting for later today to hear the details. I really hope that I'm completely wrong.

[charleski]

Tim Hely Hutchinson, CEO of Hachette Books, the largest publisher in the UK, speaking on Radio 4, 13 Dec 2009:

I like to think as a publisher, and it's mostly true, that good things happen to good books. Books tend to sell because they're good. And when people want those books they're not actually mostly thinking, 'Oh well, you know, I will buy it if it's £7, but I won't if it's £7.50.' They're not really thinking that, they want the good books.

Publishers clearly believe that the world is not made up of cheapskates looking to cut every corner. And Apple, of course, has built a thriving business based on the philosophy that people are willing to pay a bit more (sometimes a lot more) for a more polished product.

[stustaff]

Originally Posted by Croptop

As long as they are in the format that Apple wants you to use.

While I am a big fan of most Apple products, I purposely didn't buy an iPhone because of the closed ecosystem. Want to install an app on your phone to let you access content not in a format not supported by stock Apple apps? No problem; you can install anything you want as long as Apple approves the app. Want to install something that hasn't be vetted by Apple? Too bad unless you're willing to hack your phone.

If the rumours/leaks are true, the new Apple tablet will be running the iPhone OS, not a full version of OS X. This could very well lead to the same closed ecosystem.

But I'm waiting for later today to hear the details. I really hope that I'm completely wrong.

All perfectly true but i just think your in the minority.
The general public seem, based on sales and reviews completely happy with the iphone ecosystem.

personally there is nothing I can not do on an unjailbroken iPhone that I have missed in over 3 years.
But thats probably because i see the iphone as a phone that plays media and lets me install apps from apple.

the other day i bought comic Zeal and the desktop app that is free(4MB) lets me send pretty much any image file to it via wifi or USB and then view it on my phone.

Quick office lets me move and edit office documents between my iphone and any computer on the same network or via email.

What Im saying is that for a massive percentage of prospective itablet owners the 'closed' ecosystem is a non issue and I would be AMAZED if that is different for teh tablet.