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Sure.. but it's ugly next to the iPad and as Steve Jobs has proved time and time again looks count. At a $499 starting price this might not kill Kindle but it w

by fjabre 17y ago

Sure.. but it's ugly next to the iPad and as Steve Jobs has proved time and time again looks count. At a $499 starting price this might not kill Kindle but it will take a huge bite out of its market. There is clearly no doubt about that. EDIT: I am a Kindle owner btw.. I even wrote a blog post defending it against the new Apple tablet but after seeing this I have to change my mind. I had no idea that Apple was pursuing publishers to this extent. That was Amazon's greatest strength but it appears that position is greatly weakened by this news.

DanielBMarkham 17y ago
You gotta remember that Amazon has been out there in the market executing for over the last year while others have been developing. Plus Amazon has the inside lane with publishers. And Amazon's infrastructure is second-to-none. Kindle-killer? Don't think so. If I had to bet on Apple vs. Amazon I'd put my money on Amazon.
- rimantas 17y ago
  Don't underestimate Apple's experience with ITMS. And looks like they are dealing pretty well with infrastructure.
- anigbrowl 17y ago
  I've been watching the stocks of both companies, and apple's has just overtaken Amazon's (not for the first time, mind). The 'ibook' functionality and publisher relationships basically caused them to swap places within moments of being announced. Both are up on today's opening, though down on that of a week ago.
- defen 17y ago
  > Amazon's infrastructure is second-to-none. That's true, but why does that matter for digital stuff? (I'm assuming you're talking about Amazon's ability to distribute physical goods). I don't necessarily disagree with your point but I don't see how Amazon's infrastructure is a factor.
dgallagher 17y ago
I have a Kindle too. It has a few things going for it that the iPad doesn't. First, its screen is really good for reading. Easier on the eyes than a backlit display. Second, it's much cheaper. $500 for the cheapest iPad, or $259(1) for a Kindle. Last, it sounds like books on Kindle are going to be cheaper ($10 instead of $15 on the iPad), though that could change. What the iPad can do to improve on the Kindle is allow for interaction with reading materials. Note taking, discussion forums based on specific paragraphs/sentences in the text, real-time highlighting, audio/video playback, color photos. All a dream for a college student. None of this exists for iPad yet, but it'll probably come in version 2.0 of its OS. The best Kindle can do in return is its clunky text-highlighting, which isn't saying much. So my point is, they're far apart in pricing and capabilities. Kindle will probably stay popular among book lovers, which are a fickle bunch. iPad seems like a Kindle with a zillion other capabilities. The iPad is to an iPhone as the Kindle is to a normal Cell Phone. One's very flashy and has some cool capabilities at a cost, and the other is cheaper but does a simple thing relatively well. I don't think they'll eat each other's lunch, but we will have to wait and see to be sure of course... (1) $470 Kindle DX aside; I'd grab an iPad before a DX any day.
aufreak3 17y ago
There's a kindle reader for iPhone, right? Won't that work on the iPad?

by fjabre 17y ago

DanielBMarkham 17y ago

You gotta remember that Amazon has been out there in the market executing for over the last year while others have been developing. Plus Amazon has the inside lane with publishers. And Amazon's infrastructure is second-to-none. Kindle-killer? Don't think so. If I had to bet on Apple vs. Amazon I'd put my money on Amazon.

rimantas 17y ago
Don't underestimate Apple's experience with ITMS. And looks like they are dealing pretty well with infrastructure.
anigbrowl 17y ago
I've been watching the stocks of both companies, and apple's has just overtaken Amazon's (not for the first time, mind). The 'ibook' functionality and publisher relationships basically caused them to swap places within moments of being announced. Both are up on today's opening, though down on that of a week ago.
defen 17y ago
> Amazon's infrastructure is second-to-none. That's true, but why does that matter for digital stuff? (I'm assuming you're talking about Amazon's ability to distribute physical goods). I don't necessarily disagree with your point but I don't see how Amazon's infrastructure is a factor.

dgallagher 17y ago

I have a Kindle too. It has a few things going for it that the iPad doesn't. First, its screen is really good for reading. Easier on the eyes than a backlit display. Second, it's much cheaper. $500 for the cheapest iPad, or $259(1) for a Kindle. Last, it sounds like books on Kindle are going to be cheaper ($10 instead of $15 on the iPad), though that could change. What the iPad can do to improve on the Kindle is allow for interaction with reading materials. Note taking, discussion forums based on specific paragraphs/sentences in the text, real-time highlighting, audio/video playback, color photos. All a dream for a college student. None of this exists for iPad yet, but it'll probably come in version 2.0 of its OS. The best Kindle can do in return is its clunky text-highlighting, which isn't saying much. So my point is, they're far apart in pricing and capabilities. Kindle will probably stay popular among book lovers, which are a fickle bunch. iPad seems like a Kindle with a zillion other capabilities. The iPad is to an iPhone as the Kindle is to a normal Cell Phone. One's very flashy and has some cool capabilities at a cost, and the other is cheaper but does a simple thing relatively well. I don't think they'll eat each other's lunch, but we will have to wait and see to be sure of course... (1) $470 Kindle DX aside; I'd grab an iPad before a DX any day.

aufreak3 17y ago

There's a kindle reader for iPhone, right? Won't that work on the iPad?