Rupert Murdoch: iPad & Kindle unloved without us

[guyanonymous]

Alas - the so-called free-market isn't really free. If it were, duties and levy's on imports and exports wouldn't exist, nor would borders with respect to electronic sales of media. But I agree with you in theory!

[ficbot]

Originally Posted by Shaggy

They do serve their customer. Unfortunately, we are not their customer. Murdoch's customers are the advertisers that pay him for including ads with his content.

Ah. Good point. I guess I would like to hope that at some point, me with my book and media-buying dollars in hand, would start being the customer and that my needs or wants would be considered. For example, on the whole ridiculous issue of geographical restrictions, where you have someone wanting to give you money and you say no...

[thename]

Originally Posted by Bremen Cole

The consumer IS THE MARKETPLACE and in 10 years the marketplace will decide. In ten years the marketplace will have decided which format, DRM (or lack thereof) and price model survives. In a free market economy the power is the marketplace. It is not Macmillan, Apple, B&N, Amazon or Murdoch that decides.

All these various forces can try all the schemes they want, the choice is in our hands.

Tell that to my Beta-Max and HD-DVD players. Superior marketing is what decides the winner in general, not necessarily superior product. Murdoch and co. are well aware of this trend.

Picture the scene: Murdoch's media empire turns its guns on the anti-competitive features of the Kindle and why it's bad for consumers. Do you think the little eReader could survive?

[guyanonymous]

Nobody said consumers, as a whole, make the best decision.

[fugazied]

Originally Posted by sianon

Murdoch has no concern for his customers, his sole motivation is greed and profit. I for one would prefer not to pay for any content that would put so much as a dollar in his pockets.

He is skillful at making money that is for sure. Fox news demonstrates he will sink to any depths (even to the depths of polarising a nation with vile) to make a buck.

I think he places too much emphasis on traditional reporting though. Most of the reports about the status of the iranian riots came via bloggers and people with camera phones for example. When something big happens we not only have news corporation's version but normal people's version. Most of the corporate news is simple reported once and re-circulated 1000 times.

[guyanonymous]

Might one say...he's the modern William Randolph Hearst?

[Bremen Cole]

Originally Posted by thename

Tell that to my Beta-Max and HD-DVD players. Superior marketing is what decides the winner in general, not necessarily superior product. Murdoch and co. are well aware of this trend.

Picture the scene: Murdoch's media empire turns its guns on the anti-competitive features of the Kindle and why it's bad for consumers. Do you think the little eReader could survive?

The consumer chose VCR and Blueray.... I don't see your point.....

[thename]

Originally Posted by Bremen Cole

The consumer chose VCR and Blueray.... I don't see your point.....

Point was that in many respects the winners were the inferior product. Consumers "chose" what the marketing told them to. There's a reason the vast majority of consumers have "chosen" 2 readers (Kindle and iPad) despite what many of us see as glaring, miserable flaws and I'd suggest it's not because they're the best in the field.

[guyanonymous]

I wonder if the deciding factor in book formats will, as it was with the vcr/beta, with bluray/hd-dvd, and online video formats, going to be porn. As I understood it, once the porn industry decides which way to go, the manufacturers follow. They know where the $ is.

[Kali Yuga]

Originally Posted by guyanonymous

As I understood it, once the porn industry decides which way to go, the manufacturers follow. They know where the $ is.

Do romance novels qualify?

[guyanonymous]

Actually they might. I've seen it posted here, and noticed on Usenet, that romance novels and sci fi are the most common genres.

[thename]

Originally Posted by guyanonymous

Actually they might. I've seen it posted here, and noticed on Usenet, that romance novels and sci fi are the most common genres.

Romance also seems to be the most popular offering from various Overdrive libraries (Seattle Public Library shows 14 of the top 20 PDF/EPUBs being romance--17 if you count the Twilight series--rounded out with stuff like Freakonomics and Blink).

The Betamax/VHS, however, may be only have been mythically decided by pornography and definitely didn't end up influencing the HD-DVD/Blu-Ray war (originally Blu-Ray prohibited 'em).

[guyanonymous]

My mistake on the hd stuff....

As for the beta/vhs...myth or not, it's definitely been reported that way several times.

Alas - on this issue, I'm not fussed enough to research/delve into.

[Bremen Cole]

Originally Posted by thename

Point was that in many respects the winners were the inferior product. Consumers "chose" what the marketing told them to. There's a reason the vast majority of consumers have "chosen" 2 readers (Kindle and iPad) despite what many of us see as glaring, miserable flaws and I'd suggest it's not because they're the best in the field.

No one said they were the best, best is nearly always subjective. Kindle is the number one selling ereader because that is what people bought the most of. Apple has not sold 1 iPad, so I don't really think consumers has chose it yet. Miserable Flaws, are in the eye of the beholder. The Kindle is not right for me, so I did not buy one. The iPad may be right for me, I might buy one. You might like an offering from Dell, so you would get theirs. That is the marketplace. Of course all the companies have marketing departments, and they all compete and the consumer chooses the ones they prefer.... so... again the customer chooses the winners and losers in a free market economy.

[angelad]

Originally Posted by guyanonymous

Actually they might. I've seen it posted here, and noticed on Usenet, that romance novels and sci fi are the most common genres.

Basic demographic split by romance-women, sci fi - men