Re: why Apple won't build an ebook reader

--- In [email protected], Bill Janssen <bill@...> wrote:
>
> > Yes, Jobs has a point, especially in the context of Apple.  However,
> > one might speculate that the Kindle will spur interest in reading.
> 
> One could, but hard to see any reason one *would*.
> 
> I suppose one could also speculate that Jobs is just trying to muddy
> the waters, being poised to bring out his own reader, perhaps as early
> as next week!  But why?
> 
> I thought his comment was interesting mainly because of his proven
> track record in consumer gadgets, particularly leisure-time gadgets,
> and his emphasis on "I skate to where the puck is going to be."
> 
> The Kindle's interesting, too.  It's a dedicated point-of-sale
> terminal for Amazon, which makes the always-on connection aspect more
> understandable.  Why put barriers in the way of purchasing something?
> The "reader" part of it almost seems just window dressing, the
> macguffin Amazon has hung their 21st Century version of direct mail
> on.  And of course Apple's doing something similar with the iPhone and
> the ability to use it to purchase music (and ebooks!) directly.  But
> look at the differences in functionality between the two.  Wow!
> 
> Bill
>

I certainly won't dispute Steve Jobs success in skating to where the puck will be in terms 
of consumer electronic gadgets.  However, as other posters have pointed out, he may also 
employ a little misdirection from time to time about where he anticipates the puck will be 
a few months out.

 I'd say that what Amazon is doing is more like bringing the puck up the ice.  There's a 
school of thought over on the MobileRead forums that says the Kindle is a long-term 
effort on Amazon's part.  The argument is that it fits so well with their overall business 
that Amazon will patiently and systematically work to refine the Kindle and the Kindle 
Store, and will adjust the Kindle's price point to gain wider market acceptance over the 
long term.  

One specific instance of efforts at refining their system is allowing Amazon gift cards to be 
used for the purchase of Kindle editions.  One vocal complaint among early Kindle 
purchasers was that the fine print on Amazon gift cards turned out to exclude 
downloadable electronic products.  They argued that excluding ebooks didn't make any 
sense, and evidently Amazon agreed, because shortly after Christmas the Kindle Store 
began accepting gift cards for purchases.  There were several other similar early 
complaints that have also become non-issues due to changes to Amazon's back-end 
system.

John




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