Apple has only 10% of ebook market, not 22%

[Ajax]

Originally Posted by BVLarson

The key problems the Kindle has is the closed market (Amazon) and the limited functions (basically you read books, that's it). If it were cheap enough, that would be okay. I'm not sure Amazon can compete against something like the Ipad and all the future devices of this type built by monsters like Apple. If you can read your book on a full-functioned device that lets you do all the webstuff, watch movies, etc. How many future people will pay much for a machine that locks you in to one ebook supplier and does nothing else? Nooks and Kindles are destined to shrink percentage-wise as something like the Ipad eats up the new space.

I actually see the limited functions of the Kindle to be a big positive. I have no desire to have a tablet PC to read books on. I own a K2i and it's the perfect size and weight for extended reading sessions.

I own an Oberon cover that I love, but lately I have stopped using it around the house and use a clam shell hard case instead since it has so much less weight than the Oberon. Even the extra ~8 ounces of cover doubled the weight of the Kindle and made it uncomfortable to hold after a time, so I could only imagine how bad it would be trying to read on an Ipad type device.

Today alone I've read a new 7000 location novel.

[Scott Nicholson]

Except this is ebook downloads they talk about, not ebook sales. If Apple is getting 22 percent of Big Five ebook sales (and he said "up to" which sounds like BP oil-spill math to me) and only 2.5 books are downloaded per device (including freebies) the Big Five is in bigger trouble than I thought.

Jobs played them for fools and the fun has just begun.

Scott

[dadioflex]

Edit.

[Bremen Cole]

I am one of those iPad owners that has not bought one book from Apple. The prices are just to high, and the DRM is not hacked yet.....

The interesting thing is since I have had my iPad (about 2 1/2 months) I have bought from Kobo, Amazon and even 1 book from B&N. The iPad is helping ebook sales for everyone, and that is a good thing....

[leebase]

There are two separate issues....the iPad as a reading device, and the iBookstore as a seller of ebooks. The device sales numbers clearly show the device is a hit and will sell more than all the dedicated readers combined. But that doesn't mean people are buying it for reading.

To know the answer to the reading question we need to know far more than just the ibookstore numbers. We need to know the kindle store and kobo and nodders and B&N numbers as well. We'll probably never be given those numbers particularly in Amazon's case. There will likely be survey's done instead.

The iPad could be a hugely successful reader even if the ibookstore is not much of a success. It is entirely likely that Amazon will sell more books via the iPad/iPhone/iPod touch's than they do via the kindle devices. Next year when there are twice as many ipads as kindles....Amazon could very well sell more books on the iPad alone.

The early testimonies are already in. Far and away, those that have bought an iPad find it to be a great device for reading.

Lee

[petermillard]

Originally Posted by Bremen Cole

I am one of those iPad owners that has not bought one book from Apple...

+1. Here in UK the choice in iBooks is pretty limited; I find Amazon a much better source for my type of reading, personally.

Pete

[basschick]

i laugh at their 2.5 ebook downloads per unit -

by the time my cybook had arrived after i ordered it from BoB, i had already used the BoB $25 coupon to buy some ebooks, and bought more besides. i had also found 50ish free ebooks i wanted to read from various sources, and i read all but one of them. and of course, by now i've paid for hundreds of ebooks.

2.5 ebooks? ha!