Forbes: "IPhone steals lead over Kindle"

Robotech_Master · 10-02-2008, 08:34 PM

Their article: http://www.forbes.com/2008/10/02/sta...002stanza.html

Precis: More copies of Stanza may have been downloaded than there have been Kindles sold.

My commentary: http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/10...d-over-kindle/

Precis: It's nice to see the iPhone getting this recognition in a major net news source, but annoying that it's so lopsided as to focus on Stanza and leave out all mentions of Fictionwise, eReader, the Baen Webscriptions/Bookshelf integration, and so on.

daffy4u · 10-02-2008, 11:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Robotech_Master

Precis: More copies of Stanza may have been downloaded than there have been Kindles sold.

No one (outside of Amazon) knows how many Kindles have been sold, so the comparison is faulty (and yes I do have Stanza and eReader on my iPod Touch but I haven't read anything on it

).

bill_mchale · 10-03-2008, 09:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by daffy4u

No one (outside of Amazon) knows how many Kindles have been sold, so the comparison is faulty (and yes I do have Stanza and eReader on my iPod Touch but I haven't read anything on it

).

No one may no for sure, but I think it is fairly easy to take a guess considering the fact that there are not exactly a huge number of people providing e-ink screens. As a result I think it is clear that Amazon, Sony and others better watch their back door. Though I suspect that most dedicated readers will probably want a device better suited to reading than an iPod Touch, I can tell you that numbers like this will speak volumes to publishers. Stanza and Fictionwise both can honestly tell publishers that their software is in the hands of as many people as any of the dedicated devices.

I downloaded both Stanza and eReader for my iPod Touch 2 weeks ago. I am on my third book in 2 weeks. I have read with eReader and on my second with Stanza (Stanza plays better with Baen's Free Library than the eReader does). I found both to be perfectly adequate for reading and quite fun to use.

I kid you not, the only real disadvantage that I see with the iPod Touch as an eBook Reader is the screen size. Give me a 7" version.. or maybe even a 5" version and Sony and Amazon both have lost me as a potential customer.

That being said, there is not a larger iPod yet. If there was an eReader out there that could be used with my Mac, natively, then I would buy it pure and simple. As it is Sony might have a shot since it does at least support ePub. Kindle, as far as I am concerned, is far too closed a standard for me to invest in.

--
Bill

RickyMaveety · 10-03-2008, 11:06 AM

Most of that is really meaningless.

First, the iPhone and iTouch are both multifunction devices. They are also the hottest multifunction devices out there at the moment.

Second, when people purchase a multifunction device ... especially one that functions as a pda ... they tend to download as many programs as they can get their hot little hands on (I know I do ...). It doesn't mean that they are actually going to use any of them, or that on trying them out they will stick with that format.

There could be iPhone or iTouch owners who also bought (and carry) a Kindle, or a Sony, or whatever dedicated reader they own. I would hate ... really hate ... being limited to a screen that small for reading.

So, they are really comparing apples (pun intended) to oranges, and the whole thing leads to no defensible conclusions.

bill_mchale · 10-03-2008, 11:24 AM

Well, I think it shouldn't be that hard to figure out if the iPod is having an impact on book sales. Since Fictionwise happens to both sell books and one of the applications used to read books on the iPhone/iPod Touch, they should be able to tell us how many people who downloaded the software actually bought books.

Actually, in Early August, they did. According to teleread (http://tinyurl.com/3etkmy), as of August 13th of this year, over 35,000 of the 130,000 iPod users who had downloaded the software had actually bought books (it doesn't say how many of those had bought multiple books). Now that was more than a month ago, and I believe the number of eReader software downloads has increased to something like 300,000... if the number of book buyers has also increased, then that means Fictionwise might have close to 100,000 new customers.

bill_mchale · 10-03-2008, 11:28 AM

Robotech Master,
Sorry I should have read your blog posting first. So 300,000 downloads? Wow, does that include the free books that fictionwise hosts? Or just the books that are for money?

I think the latter is really the most important. After all, the people who actually spend money on books, especially those who buy multiple titles are serious about using the iPod Touch as a reader. Certainly after I read a few more books from the Baen library, I am probably going to end up paying for a few...

--
Bill

giedre · 10-03-2008, 11:54 AM

Maybe Jobs will have to rethink what he said about people not reading books.

mores · 10-03-2008, 12:06 PM

@geidre: love your avatar

I was always wary of the iPhone, liked the concept but because of it's lack of ebook reading capabilities I was certain it would never replace my P1i.
Well ... my wife now has an iPhone, forced me to find a way to read on it, I installed Stanza and what can I say ... I want one too.

All that's needed is an iTunes-style App to store, sort and manage one's library and Stanza+iPhone will be a perfect match!

Interesting, though. Big hype when the kindle hit, almost no public mention of the "other" ebook readers out there.

JSWolf · 10-11-2008, 10:14 AM

I think what has happened is that people who have a Touch or iPhone have downloaded and installed eReader and if they already have some eBooks previously purchased in eReader format, they will just be downloading them again to try out eReader. So the numbers are pretty well skewed Also, as mentioned before, we don't know how many people downloaded eReader and have not really used it other then trying it out.

TallMomof2 · 10-11-2008, 08:42 PM

I was in the emergency room today for four hours, nothing serious daughter fractured a bone in her foot while dancing, and I was grateful for my Touch. I had a few books loaded and it was easy to read while waiting, waiting, waiting....

RickyMaveety · 10-11-2008, 08:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by giedre

Maybe Jobs will have to rethink what he said about people not reading books.

Sorry ... still terribly distracted by the CUTEST AVATAR EVER!!!

10-02-2008, 08:34 PM	#1
Robotech_Master Fanatic Posts: 514 Karma: 2954711 Join Date: May 2006	Forbes: "IPhone steals lead over Kindle" Their article: http://www.forbes.com/2008/10/02/sta...002stanza.html Precis: More copies of Stanza may have been downloaded than there have been Kindles sold. My commentary: http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/10...d-over-kindle/ Precis: It's nice to see the iPhone getting this recognition in a major net news source, but annoying that it's so lopsided as to focus on Stanza and leave out all mentions of Fictionwise, eReader, the Baen Webscriptions/Bookshelf integration, and so on.

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10-03-2008, 11:06 AM	#4
RickyMaveety Holy S**T!!! Posts: 5,213 Karma: 108401 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: San Diego, California!! Device: Kindle and iPad	Most of that is really meaningless. First, the iPhone and iTouch are both multifunction devices. They are also the hottest multifunction devices out there at the moment. Second, when people purchase a multifunction device ... especially one that functions as a pda ... they tend to download as many programs as they can get their hot little hands on (I know I do ...). It doesn't mean that they are actually going to use any of them, or that on trying them out they will stick with that format. There could be iPhone or iTouch owners who also bought (and carry) a Kindle, or a Sony, or whatever dedicated reader they own. I would hate ... really hate ... being limited to a screen that small for reading. So, they are really comparing apples (pun intended) to oranges, and the whole thing leads to no defensible conclusions.

10-03-2008, 11:24 AM	#5
bill_mchale Wizard Posts: 1,451 Karma: 1550000 Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Maryland, USA Device: Nook Simple Touch, HPC Evo 4G LTE	Well, I think it shouldn't be that hard to figure out if the iPod is having an impact on book sales. Since Fictionwise happens to both sell books and one of the applications used to read books on the iPhone/iPod Touch, they should be able to tell us how many people who downloaded the software actually bought books. Actually, in Early August, they did. According to teleread (http://tinyurl.com/3etkmy), as of August 13th of this year, over 35,000 of the 130,000 iPod users who had downloaded the software had actually bought books (it doesn't say how many of those had bought multiple books). Now that was more than a month ago, and I believe the number of eReader software downloads has increased to something like 300,000... if the number of book buyers has also increased, then that means Fictionwise might have close to 100,000 new customers.

10-03-2008, 11:28 AM	#6
bill_mchale Wizard Posts: 1,451 Karma: 1550000 Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Maryland, USA Device: Nook Simple Touch, HPC Evo 4G LTE	Robotech Master, Sorry I should have read your blog posting first. So 300,000 downloads? Wow, does that include the free books that fictionwise hosts? Or just the books that are for money? I think the latter is really the most important. After all, the people who actually spend money on books, especially those who buy multiple titles are serious about using the iPod Touch as a reader. Certainly after I read a few more books from the Baen library, I am probably going to end up paying for a few... -- Bill

10-03-2008, 11:54 AM	#7
giedre Connoisseur Posts: 84 Karma: 4850 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: North Carolina Device: Sony 500,505, Kindle, 1150	Maybe Jobs will have to rethink what he said about people not reading books.

10-03-2008, 12:06 PM	#8
mores Guru Posts: 834 Karma: 102419 Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Vienna, Austria Device: iPhone	@geidre: love your avatar I was always wary of the iPhone, liked the concept but because of it's lack of ebook reading capabilities I was certain it would never replace my P1i. Well ... my wife now has an iPhone, forced me to find a way to read on it, I installed Stanza and what can I say ... I want one too. All that's needed is an iTunes-style App to store, sort and manage one's library and Stanza+iPhone will be a perfect match! Interesting, though. Big hype when the kindle hit, almost no public mention of the "other" ebook readers out there.

10-11-2008, 10:14 AM	#9
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 78,894 Karma: 143095300 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	I think what has happened is that people who have a Touch or iPhone have downloaded and installed eReader and if they already have some eBooks previously purchased in eReader format, they will just be downloading them again to try out eReader. So the numbers are pretty well skewed Also, as mentioned before, we don't know how many people downloaded eReader and have not really used it other then trying it out.

10-11-2008, 08:42 PM	#10
TallMomof2 Kindlephilia Posts: 2,017 Karma: 1139255 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Snowpacolypse 2010 Device: Too many to count	I was in the emergency room today for four hours, nothing serious daughter fractured a bone in her foot while dancing, and I was grateful for my Touch. I had a few books loaded and it was easy to read while waiting, waiting, waiting....

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