What would make Kobo surpass Kindle?

[Josieb1]

Originally Posted by llcj

The Kindle Oasis 2 at $140.00CAD more than the Kobo Aura One had better be made to a higher standard.

(8g, wifi only KO2 at Amazon.ca sells for $389.99; 8g, wifi KAO sells for $249.99)

I had a Kobo Aura (the original), a Kobo Glo, a Kobo Glo HD and a Kobo Aura H20. Even my basic Kindle 4 (which I still have) has been built to higher standard than the first three kobo's, and certainly my PW2 was far better than my Aura H20, which I only ever used near water. For all other reading I have been using Kindles for years now.

Just because I now have an Oasis 2 and a Voyage don't assume I haven't used the cheaper end of the kindle market. My opinion is based on experience.

[shalym]

Originally Posted by llcj

The Kindle Oasis 2 at $140.00CAD more than the Kobo Aura One had better be made to a higher standard.

(8g, wifi only KO2 at Amazon.ca sells for $389.99; 8g, wifi KAO sells for $249.99)

Interesting. In the US, the difference is only $20. From the kobo.com website, Aura One is $229, and Amazon.com has the new Oasis for $249.

Shari

[llcj]

Originally Posted by Josieb1

Just because I now have an Oasis 2 and a Voyage don't assume I haven't used the cheaper end of the kindle market. My opinion is based on experience.

As is mine. Cheaper Kindles are no better made than Kobos, in my opinion.

No, I do not own a Kindle, my MIL does - a PW.

[llcj]

Originally Posted by shalym

Interesting. In the US, the difference is only $20. From the kobo.com website, Aura One is $229, and Amazon.com has the new Oasis for $249.

Shari

Yeah, I know, it's ridiculous. If I could get one for only $20.00 more than the KAO I would order one. As it is, I don't feel right ordering a device costing $389.99 knowing full well at that price I won't even be tempted to keep it.

I find the price on the Kindle Voyage at $299.99CAD equally rich.

[Josieb1]

Originally Posted by llcj

As is mine. Cheaper Kindles are no better made than Kobos, in my opinion.

No, I do not own a Kindle, my MIL does - a PW.

The Kobo Glo HD in particular was made of a weaker plastic than a kindle, or any of my other Kobo's. I like to swap cases a fair bit and in both my Glo HDs I ended up with hairline fractures in the screen running from the top down the screen, on the left hand size. The first one after a week, the second an identical break 11 months after I got it. I was lucky Argos gave me a replacement the first time and a refund the second as it was under a year. Imo the fractures were caused by the flexing of the screen taking the device in and out of a case.

[ZodWallop]

Kobo's main (but not only) problem is that they they've ceded the US to Amazon and B&N.

Perhaps if Kobo and Nook were to merge and there was a major ad blitz, it might help.

But at this point, I think it is too late for Kobo to gain on Amazon. So long as they maintain their niche and remain profitable, that will have to be good enough for Kobo.

[koboy]

it would help greatly if Kobo made a new E-Reader that i thought was worth buying.

(usual subjective disclaimer applies)

best wishes koboy

[sjfan]

Originally Posted by Josieb1

The eco system is what makes Amazon stand out.

IMO this is the biggest divide, and it's not one that's going to be talked through. To me, the Amazon ecosystem and its tendency to drive people to proprietary formats and single-vendor lock-in is the Kindle's single biggest negative. "Avoid the Amazon ecosystem" was one of my handful of top considerations when looking for an e-reader, along with screen quality, battery life, and storage space. I similarly have avoided the Apple ecosystem when there are reasonable alternatives, though I'm not a zealot about either--I had an iPhone 3GS back when the Android alternatives were ridiculously behind the curve, and I'd buy a Kindle if the hardware were leaps and bounds ahead of the competition.

For you and many others, the same ecosystem and (to frame it from the alternate perspective) its ubiquity, ease of use, and wide array of available books is a positive feature that makes it stand out as a plus.

When you have a fundamental disagreement of whether a core feature is a plus or a minus, you're never going to get agreement on "what would make product A better".

Which is fine. They're both in the market, so we can choose according to our evaluations of the relative value of various features.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by sjfan

IMO this is the biggest divide, and it's not one that's going to be talked through. To me, the Amazon ecosystem and its tendency to drive people to proprietary formats and single-vendor lock-in is the Kindle's single biggest negative. "Avoid the Amazon ecosystem" was one of my handful of considerations when looking for an e-reader, along with screen quality, battery life, and storage space.

For you and many others, the same ecosystem and (to frame it from the alternate perspective) its ubiquity, ease of use, and wide array of available books is a positive feature that makes it stand out as a plus.

When you have a fundamental disagreement of whether a core feature is a plus or a minus, you're never going to get agreement on "what would make product A better".

Which is fine. They're both in the market, so we can choose according to our evaluations of the relative value of various features.

Are you aware that even if you use a kindle, you can buy books from other places. You are not locked into an ecosystem. I can get books here and put them on my kindle without jailbreaking or adding anything.
There is no lock.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by llcj

As is mine. Cheaper Kindles are no better made than Kobos, in my opinion.

I can't speak for more recent Kobos, but the Kobo Glo I owned was frustrating in that I had to tap the screen twice most the time to get it to turn the page. Very irritating. The software always felt "half done" to me. The Kindles I've owned (and own) on the other hand seem (-ed) more solid. The Glo had a tendency to lock up (maybe a couple times a week), something that hardly ever happens with my Kindles. The reason I tried the Glo was for the flexibility, but I found I preferred reliability more. Again, this was the Glo and I realize that it's a few generations back now. But the Kindles I use and used (except for the Basic, Generation 8) are just as old (some older) than the Glo. And they're still rock solid.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by sjfan

IMO this is the biggest divide, and it's not one that's going to be talked through. To me, the Amazon ecosystem and its tendency to drive people to proprietary formats and single-vendor lock-in is the Kindle's single biggest negative. "Avoid the Amazon ecosystem" was one of my handful of top considerations when looking for an e-reader, along with screen quality, battery life, and storage space. ...

And then there's those of us who use Linux and (unless we go through the trouble of installing Wine and trying to get ADE to work) we're shut out of DRM ePubs because of its proprietary Adobe ecosystem. No such problem using Kindles. Most places where non-DRM ePubs are provided also have the mobi versions or (at least) the non-DRM ePubs can be easily converted to mobi. So, either way, we're in a proprietary system for DRM books. Either Amazon or Adobe. Amazon is easier.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

Kobo's main (but not only) problem is that they they've ceded the US to Amazon and B&N.

Perhaps if Kobo and Nook were to merge and there was a major ad blitz, it might help.

But at this point, I think it is too late for Kobo to gain on Amazon. So long as they maintain their niche and remain profitable, that will have to be good enough for Kobo.

I think that's kind of where Barnes & Noble is now also. They're never going to be a threat to Amazon again, but they do have their niche.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by llcj

I find the price on the Kindle Voyage at $299.99CAD equally rich.

The current (sale) price of a refurbished Voyage (with full warranty) is currently $120 in the U.S.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by rcentros

I can't speak for more recent Kobos, but the Kobo Glo I owned was frustrating in that I had to tap the screen twice most the time to get it to turn the page. Very irritating. The software always felt "half done" to me. The Kindles I've owned (and own) on the other hand seem (-ed) more solid. The Glo had a tendency to lock up (maybe a couple times a week), something that hardly ever happens with my Kindles. The reason I tried the Glo was for the flexibility, but I found I preferred reliability more. Again, this was the Glo and I realize that it's a few generations back now. But the Kindles I use and used (except for the Basic, Generation 8) are just as old (some older) than the Glo. And they're still rock solid.

I have the K4, non touch kindle and it is still going strong.

[lightbulbjim]

Originally Posted by rcentros

And then there's those of us who use Linux and (unless we go through the trouble of installing Wine and trying to get ADE to work) we're shut out of DRM ePubs because of its proprietary Adobe ecosystem. No such problem using Kindles. Most places where non-DRM ePubs are provided also have the mobi versions or (at least) the non-DRM ePubs can be easily converted to mobi. So, either way, we're in a proprietary system for DRM books. Either Amazon or Adobe. Amazon is easier.

I don't think it's any different. If you buy from the Kobo store you get DRMed ePubs. If you buy from the Kindle store you get DRMed Mobis. No extra software is required in either case.

If you're talking about buying DRMed ePubs from sources other than the Kobo store, then fair enough. But that's not an option for Kindle either.