Comments on: The 800-pound gorilla of e-books: Tech company, retailer or others? Or no one in particular? Best outcome! http://www.teleread.com/ebooks/the-600-pound-gorilla-of-e-books-tech-company-retailer-or-others-or-no-one-in-particular-best-choice/ News & views on e-books, libraries, publishing and related topics Wed, 15 Feb 2012 23:28:27 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Luqman http://www.teleread.com/ebooks/the-600-pound-gorilla-of-e-books-tech-company-retailer-or-others-or-no-one-in-particular-best-choice/comment-page-1/#comment-1121001 Luqman Mon, 10 Aug 2009 07:43:09 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/2009/08/07/the-600-pound-gorilla-of-e-books-tech-company-retailer-or-others-or-no-one-in-particular-best-choice/#comment-1121001 I would like to add that the EReader DRM which B and N uses is very close to Social DRM- it's encrypted with the name and credit card of purchaser and can be used on any number of devices with the EReader software installed- PCs, Macs, PDAs, Dedicated Reading Devices, Smartphones, etc. As long as you right down the credit card number, you'll always have access to your books even if the B and N servers go offline. I would like to add that the EReader DRM which B and N uses is very close to Social DRM- it’s encrypted with the name and credit card of purchaser and can be used on any number of devices with the EReader software installed- PCs, Macs, PDAs, Dedicated Reading Devices, Smartphones, etc. As long as you right down the credit card number, you’ll always have access to your books even if the B and N servers go offline.

]]> By: Steve Jordan http://www.teleread.com/ebooks/the-600-pound-gorilla-of-e-books-tech-company-retailer-or-others-or-no-one-in-particular-best-choice/comment-page-1/#comment-1119131 Steve Jordan Fri, 07 Aug 2009 16:17:39 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/2009/08/07/the-600-pound-gorilla-of-e-books-tech-company-retailer-or-others-or-no-one-in-particular-best-choice/#comment-1119131 Greg, It's not as if there are only two choices... full-fledged PCs and Macs, or iPhones. There are lots of devices in-between, including PDAs, netbooks and UMPCs. And not everyone has the same needs or desires when reading; there are quite a few of us who don't see the need for a dedicated reader, when we already have something that will serve as well. B&N's multi-device strategy is indeed a good one, because it eliminates the $300 entry fee (plus books) for the Kindle experience, it opens up e-books to many more eyeballs worldwide, and it provides more choice of reading experience with less dominating control. If all we need is SW reading apps for existing devices... well, that's a lot easier to create and disseminate than manufacturing Kindles for every potential buyer, and I'll point out here that Amazon has so far demonstrated an inability to keep up with serious Kindle demand on a timely basis... they can't manufacture readers fast enough to get them into every set of hands they'd like. B&N may be a monkey right now, but it's got the potential to grow up to be the Mighty Joe Young of e-booksellers. Greg,
It’s not as if there are only two choices… full-fledged PCs and Macs, or iPhones. There are lots of devices in-between, including PDAs, netbooks and UMPCs. And not everyone has the same needs or desires when reading; there are quite a few of us who don’t see the need for a dedicated reader, when we already have something that will serve as well.

B&N’s multi-device strategy is indeed a good one, because it eliminates the $300 entry fee (plus books) for the Kindle experience, it opens up e-books to many more eyeballs worldwide, and it provides more choice of reading experience with less dominating control. If all we need is SW reading apps for existing devices… well, that’s a lot easier to create and disseminate than manufacturing Kindles for every potential buyer, and I’ll point out here that Amazon has so far demonstrated an inability to keep up with serious Kindle demand on a timely basis… they can’t manufacture readers fast enough to get them into every set of hands they’d like.

B&N may be a monkey right now, but it’s got the potential to grow up to be the Mighty Joe Young of e-booksellers.

]]> By: Greg M. http://www.teleread.com/ebooks/the-600-pound-gorilla-of-e-books-tech-company-retailer-or-others-or-no-one-in-particular-best-choice/comment-page-1/#comment-1119039 Greg M. Fri, 07 Aug 2009 13:44:16 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/2009/08/07/the-600-pound-gorilla-of-e-books-tech-company-retailer-or-others-or-no-one-in-particular-best-choice/#comment-1119039 Well, lazy researcher that I am, I just checked Wikipedia, and learned that 800 lbs would be truly enormous: [quote] Occasionally, a silverback of over 183 cm (6 ft) and 225 kg (500 lb) has been recorded in the wild. However, obese gorillas in captivity have reached a weight of 270 kg (600 lb) [/quote] Now back to ebooks... Even if Amazon were to discontinue the Kindle tomorrow, the current state of the B&N store is completely unacceptable. They have no compatible reading devices. Sure, you can read the ebooks on Mac or PC, but nobody (or very few people) or going to read whole books sitting behind a workdesk, and the iPhone or Blackberry screens are too small for me. If B&N wants me to switch to their ebook store, there needs to be, first are foremost, a way for me to read the dang ebooks, so they're not going to be any kind of competitor until the Plastic Logic device comes out, and then a comparison may be possible. So in my book, B&N is just a monkey for now. Well, lazy researcher that I am, I just checked Wikipedia, and learned that 800 lbs would be truly enormous:

[quote]
Occasionally, a silverback of over 183 cm (6 ft) and 225 kg (500 lb) has been recorded in the wild. However, obese gorillas in captivity have reached a weight of 270 kg (600 lb)
[/quote]

Now back to ebooks… Even if Amazon were to discontinue the Kindle tomorrow, the current state of the B&N store is completely unacceptable. They have no compatible reading devices. Sure, you can read the ebooks on Mac or PC, but nobody (or very few people) or going to read whole books sitting behind a workdesk, and the iPhone or Blackberry screens are too small for me. If B&N wants me to switch to their ebook store, there needs to be, first are foremost, a way for me to read the dang ebooks, so they’re not going to be any kind of competitor until the Plastic Logic device comes out, and then a comparison may be possible.

So in my book, B&N is just a monkey for now.

]]> By: Julius http://www.teleread.com/ebooks/the-600-pound-gorilla-of-e-books-tech-company-retailer-or-others-or-no-one-in-particular-best-choice/comment-page-1/#comment-1119035 Julius Fri, 07 Aug 2009 13:26:03 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/2009/08/07/the-600-pound-gorilla-of-e-books-tech-company-retailer-or-others-or-no-one-in-particular-best-choice/#comment-1119035 I have used Ebooks since mid 1990s on various devices -- PPC, Palm, cell phones, iPhone. Love them, but feel that the book publishers and retailers are going the way of the recording companies on this -- confused! I would recommend that they get together to SUBSIDIZE EBook readers, as mobile companies have subsidized cell phone prices. Offer a Book Club subscription in return for a year or two based on level of reader "purchased" , with a minimum book purchase requiremnt or monthly fee. I would RUN to get one that fit my pocket with a book service subscription if the reader were made affordable this way. I see NO OTHER WAY for this to happen otherwise to any worthwhile extent. I am attempting to rep[lace EBooks with audio books right now, as so many are =free through my library. I am tracking it at: http://myyearofaudio.blogspot.com We'll see how all this goes... I have used Ebooks since mid 1990s on various devices — PPC, Palm, cell phones, iPhone. Love them, but feel that the book publishers and retailers are going the way of the recording companies on this — confused! I would recommend that they get together to SUBSIDIZE EBook readers, as mobile companies have subsidized cell phone prices. Offer a Book Club subscription in return for a year or two based on level of reader “purchased” , with a minimum book purchase requiremnt or monthly fee. I would RUN to get one that fit my pocket with a book service subscription if the reader were made affordable this way. I see NO OTHER WAY for this to happen otherwise to any worthwhile extent.

I am attempting to rep[lace EBooks with audio books right now, as so many are =free through my library. I am tracking it at: http://myyearofaudio.blogspot.com

We’ll see how all this goes…

]]> By: Aaron Pressman http://www.teleread.com/ebooks/the-600-pound-gorilla-of-e-books-tech-company-retailer-or-others-or-no-one-in-particular-best-choice/comment-page-1/#comment-1119034 Aaron Pressman Fri, 07 Aug 2009 13:25:32 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/2009/08/07/the-600-pound-gorilla-of-e-books-tech-company-retailer-or-others-or-no-one-in-particular-best-choice/#comment-1119034 That is exactly the conclusion that music publishers arrived at, although perhaps too late. p.s. How, how, how could the Harvard Business Review have that article which misses the fact that there's already a Kindle iPhone app, one has been promised for Blackberry and the Bezos quotes you mention. Crazy. It's like me saying Pepsi will beat Coke in the Cola wars because they offer diet sodas. That is exactly the conclusion that music publishers arrived at, although perhaps too late.
p.s. How, how, how could the Harvard Business Review have that article which misses the fact that there’s already a Kindle iPhone app, one has been promised for Blackberry and the Bezos quotes you mention. Crazy. It’s like me saying Pepsi will beat Coke in the Cola wars because they offer diet sodas.

]]> By: David Rothman http://www.teleread.com/ebooks/the-600-pound-gorilla-of-e-books-tech-company-retailer-or-others-or-no-one-in-particular-best-choice/comment-page-1/#comment-1118993 David Rothman Fri, 07 Aug 2009 10:57:55 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/2009/08/07/the-600-pound-gorilla-of-e-books-tech-company-retailer-or-others-or-no-one-in-particular-best-choice/#comment-1118993 LOL. Actually I fattened him after checking Wikipedia and finding some 800-pound mentions. Nice to have attentive readers. David Addendum #1: Googling within nytimes.com, I find that "800-pound" is a bit more popular. So it isn't just Wikipedia alone. Addendum #2: I caught and changed that stray "600-pound." No slimming now! LOL. Actually I fattened him after checking Wikipedia and finding some 800-pound mentions. Nice to have attentive readers. David

Addendum #1: Googling within nytimes.com, I find that “800-pound” is a bit more popular. So it isn’t just Wikipedia alone.

Addendum #2: I caught and changed that stray “600-pound.” No slimming now!

]]> By: Paul Durrant http://www.teleread.com/ebooks/the-600-pound-gorilla-of-e-books-tech-company-retailer-or-others-or-no-one-in-particular-best-choice/comment-page-1/#comment-1118983 Paul Durrant Fri, 07 Aug 2009 10:42:52 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/2009/08/07/the-600-pound-gorilla-of-e-books-tech-company-retailer-or-others-or-no-one-in-particular-best-choice/#comment-1118983 Goodness, what kind of diet have you put your gorilla on? He's gone from 800lb to 600lb in no time! Goodness, what kind of diet have you put your gorilla on? He’s gone from 800lb to 600lb in no time!

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