Amazon and DRM changes

[innocenat]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

The prices for Kobo are competitive.

Kobo Libra 2 32GB - $189
Amazon Kindle Oasis 32GB with ads - $279
Amazon Kindle Oasis 8GB with ads - $249
Without ads, add $20 to the prices for the Kindles.

Now you tell me how that is not competitive?

I am not sure you read the reply you quoted, specifically this part: Clara HD and PWSE are the same price here, which is just ridiculous. I just can't justify that purchase.

Here's pricing in Japan, for example.

Kobo Clara 2E: 19,900JPY.
Kobo Libra 2: 23,980JPY.
Paperwhite Signature: 19,980.

At this pricing, I also can't justify Clara 2E over PWSE either.

[Cetacea]

After reading this, I guess I'll order a Kindle PW.... I will use my Kobo as back up for all the e-books I have bought before 2023 and the Kindle for all the new ones. I read a lot of Indy authors and many of them are either completely exclusive on Amazon or have some of their books exclusively there.

I hope I'm able to make the same font changes etc. on the Kindle as I was able on Kobo. Which was the main reason I had a Kobo. I would still like to import the kindle ebooks into calibre just because I had everything organizied in collections etc. But oh well, I'll get used to a new way of doing that.

[ownedbycats]

*sigh* All the people here going "I'm going to buy a Kindle" makes me think that Amazon must be quite pleased....

[djrx]

Originally Posted by ownedbycats

*sigh* All the people here going "I'm going to buy a Kindle" makes me think that Amazon must be quite pleased....

I mean did you expect any different? Amazon is the biggest online store front in the world. The majority of people don't even know that other e-ink readers exist as most will either use a Kindle or their phone/tablet with the Kindle app installed. The people here who are complaining about the changes are the minority.

The changes Amazon made didn't even make a dent in the tech news world as shown by the lack of coverage outside of this thread. Even on sites like reddit, there's barely any posts about it in r/kindle or r/calibre.

Amazon can make these moves because the majority are happily using Kindles or using the Kindle app. The few thousand that care enough to buy a Kindle alternative isn't going to make a dent to their profits nor make any significant challenges to make them rethink their stance..

[Lys]

Originally Posted by ownedbycats

*sigh* All the people here going "I'm going to buy a Kindle" makes me think that Amazon must be quite pleased....

If people can't do without Amazon walled system, Amazon is correct in their approach to force it and get more money out of their dominant position in the market (especially in those countries where they are really the uncontested #1. I feel here Kobo's presence is much more than in the US, for example with it being available in many brick&mortar stores and with its store directly linked with some of the main publishing houses here).

I ran a check over Calibre and out of around 200 ebooks I bought in the last 2 years, less than 20 are from Amazon, and only 2 of them are exclusive there. I can well live without them, thankfully for me. Will I lose on reading new authors not yet on my reading list? Maybe, but that's on them and their accepting exclusive contracts. They won't cry over losing a reader who can't access their books due to their (legitimate) decision on how to handle their works. I won't cry over not adding new things to my never-ending TBR.
But for sure I won't go and spend money for what I consider a vastly inferior device (for my needs, of course. Kindles are absolutely fine devices for other people who value other things than I do).

[hleo12]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

The prices for Kobo are competitive.

Kobo Libra 2 32GB - $189
Amazon Kindle Oasis 32GB with ads - $279
Amazon Kindle Oasis 8GB with ads - $249
Without ads, add $20 to the prices for the Kindles.

Now you tell me how that is not competitive?

Not in my country.
These are the prices in my country for those devices, converted to USD.

Libra 2 32gb - 230 USD
Oasis 3 32gb - 239 USD
Oasis 3 8gb - 219 USD

Clara HD - 140 USD
Clara 2E - 173 USD
PW5 - 120 USD
PWSE - 160 USD

Amazon customer service removes ads if you ask nicely so that's 20 USD I won't be worrying about.

I miss having a Kobo, but it's just not wise to switch financially. I'll always feel like I was cheated if I buy a Kobo with these prices.

[Lys]

Originally Posted by hleo12

Not in my country.
These are the prices in my country for those devices, converted to USD.

Libra 2 32gb - 230 USD
Oasis 3 32gb - 239 USD
Oasis 3 8gb - 219 USD

Clara HD - 140 USD
Clara 2E - 173 USD
PW5 - 120 USD
PWSE - 160 USD

Amazon customer service removes ads if you ask nicely so that's 20 USD I won't be worrying about.

I miss having a Kobo, but it's just not wise to switch financially. I'll always feel like I was cheated if I buy a Kobo with these prices.

For comparison's sake, here:

Sage (32GB) 299.99€
Libra 2 (32GB) 189.99€
Clara 2E (16GB) 149.99€
Nia (8GB) 109.99€
(Clara HD is not available anymore)

Kindle Base(16GB) 99.99€ with ads, 109.99€ without ads
PW (8GB) 139.99€ with ads, 149.99€ without ads
PW (16GB) 159.99€ with ads, 169.99€ without ads
PWSE (32 GB) 189.99€
Oasis (8GB) 249.99€
Oasis (32GB) 279.99€
They still list Oasis 32GB + cellular @ 339.99€

and when some colleagues tried to have the ads taken down, they were told it was not possible. So you need to beg nicely to the right CS unit (so, cringe, Amazon).

[Mari123]

Originally Posted by jhowell

I commented previously on some of the possible issues that might arise in purchasing a Kindle for the purpose of obtaining files suitable for DRM removal. Here are my thoughts on which models would be the most desirable in case someone still wants to go ahead with that.

Given the recent restrictions on Download & Transfer I recommend obtaining a model that allows books to be downloaded to the device directly from Amazon over WiFi in KF8 format which can be accessed via USB.

I would avoid the 1st and 2nd generation Kindles and the DX. They only support the old MOBI format and may no longer be able to connect to Amazon.

The Kindle Keyboard (3rd gen), Kindle Touch (4th gen), and Kindle (4th & 5th gen) are workable. However they may require manually installed firmware updates to be usable. And as older models they are more likely to be cut off from service in the future.

The Paperwhite 1 (5th gen) is the most desirable option in my opinion. It is the newest model that does not support KFX format.

I would avoid newer models than that. Most of them support KFX out of the box that cannot be disabled. Some models that didn't can be reverted to older firmware that does not support KFX, but that requires jail breaking which is more difficult to set up and risks bricking the device.

Would Kindle Basic 2014 work too?

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by Mari123

Would Kindle Basic 2014 work too?

Probably not.

[Cetacea]

Originally Posted by ownedbycats

*sigh* All the people here going "I'm going to buy a Kindle" makes me think that Amazon must be quite pleased....

It highly depends on what kind of genre you are reading. In certain genres, there are a lot more authors publishing exlusively or almost exlusively with Amazon.

I first only read in German and back then I bought most of my e-books from other small shops as epubs. That's why I had a Sony e-reader first and then went to Kobo when the Sony reader died. Though I had to buy a new Kobo model twice already, because they broke down. Therefore I was already thinking about what I would buy next once my current model breaks down again. It's not that big of a thing for me. If I have two e-readers, I will switch around and read my older e-books on the Kobo and the newer ones on the Kindle. I think everyone needs to figure out were their hard limits are. For me, personally, the restriction of not being able to read new releases from my favourite authors weights higher than having to use a different e-reader.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

Probably not.

At the minute, other than Scribe, Kindles don't get KFX from Download via Manage my Content and Devices, assuming the content is not part of Prime/KU etc, but ordinary purchases.
I'm not sure about ordinary eBooks bought for Scribe.

Also authors/publishers on KDP can specify no DRM, but this is ignored for direct "whispernet" (mobile or WiFi) to eink that supports KFX and delivery to Apps/Fire.

I think Amazon will soon be in trouble with the EU due to restrictive practices & market dominance.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by Quoth

At the minute, other than Scribe, Kindles don't get KFX from Download via Manage my Content and Devices, assuming the content is not part of Prime/KU etc, but ordinary purchases.

Yes, I know. But Amazon might disable Download & Transfer any time, and then the only way to deDRM Kindle books would be to get them off an older Kindle. The 2014 basic would be too new for that.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by DuckieTigger

Why would that be if the older titles are published last year or earlier?

This is assuming that the 1.17 loophole is closed. It seems reasonable to expect that eventually that will happen and AZW won't be available even for pre-January 3rd books.

[jhowell]

Originally Posted by Mari123

Would Kindle Basic 2014 work too?

As others have stated it will work for now for books that are available using Download & Transfer. That excludes books borrowed under Kindle Unlimited and in a few other categories. There is no way for us to know whether or not Amazon plans to further restrict Download & Transfer. I think so, but I am not sure by how much or when that might happen.

That device is capable of running firmware up to version 5.12.2.2 which downloads most books in KFX format with as yet unbroken DRM. It should be possible to jailbreak that device and revert it to firmware that does not support KFX, such as version 5.6.2.1 and block it from updating back to later firmware. But that is something I would not recommend for those who are not technically savvy. Unless you already own that one it would be easier to just obtain a older model that cannot run firmware with KFX support..

In the end there is no guarantee of the ability to remove DRM in the future no matter which Kindle model you own.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by ownedbycats

*sigh* All the people here going "I'm going to buy a Kindle" makes me think that Amazon must be quite pleased....

Yeah, I agree. If I wanted a Kindle I would have bought a Kindle.

Luckily for me, though I will read a series, I'm not a series reader. The Amazon exclusive books I've bought are generally standalone titles.

In the future if I title is Amazon exclusive, I'll see if the author has a website or some other way for me to buy that title and if not, hey, my TBR pile is already outrageous anyway.

Already, I have cut down on the amount of books I buy. These changes have already had a chilling effect on me and my wallet thanks Amazon for that.