Amazon Squares Up To Apple: Kindle Vs Ipad
Author: Marco Gustafsson
It had to happen. Apple's foray into the eBook market with its iPad had to get a reaction from Amazon, but nobody quite expected the severity of this reaction. Amazon has responded amazingly strongly and in several different ways.
1. Kindle Apps
Prior to the iPad launch, Amazon made the announcement of the opening of an applications store, and an invitation for developers to come up with apps in the same way that they did for the iPhone and the iPad. This was an apparent attempt to offer the Kindle as a genuine competitor to the iPad.
Without some other use of the Kindle other than as a dedicated e-reader, Amazon knew that it was destined to suffer a knock-out blow from Apple. It is not easy to fight Apple's commercial and financial resources, but it can be done given the right strategy. One tactic of that strategy is to emulate what Apple has achieved in the versatility of their products, and by developing applications for the Kindle, Amazon is doing that: and taking the first step on the road to genuine multimedia capability for the Kindle.
This might conceivably be the beginning of a larger war between the two giants, involving not only eBooks, but also music, movies and all the other miscellaneous applications that have come to be associate with the iPhone and, no doubt, the iPad.
2. DRM Drop-Out
Amazon made DRM optional for publishers. With iBooks locked by FairPlay, Amazon's DRM opt-out means that users can port their eBooks to other e-readers. DRM is now optional for publishers, and while that is not a great advance for the majority of Kindle owners, it is for the smaller publishers who will now have more of an incentive to market the Kindle. It is one more in the eye for Apple, and another small advantage that Amazon is trying to gain over the iPad. According to the article "An Introduction to Popular E-book File Formats", with its own Digital Rights Management structure AZW format protects the e-book publishers and authors from possible piracy and is loosely based on Mobipocket's popular MOBI file format (Digital Book Readers).
3. Price Maintenance
Amazon took steps to protect the low prices of Kindle eBooks by maintaining a maximum price of .99 on all its publications. It is the only e-reader that does not allow publishers to apply higher pricing, and it responded to Macmillan's pressure by removing all that publishers products from its virtual library. Yes, Amazon has stated that these will be reinstated, but that has yet to happen, and Macmillan meantime has been subject to insults from Amazon on public forums.
This move was likely made in response to criticism that eBooks are too expensive in relation to their production costs and overheads. By sustaining a price ceiling of .99, Amazons maintains a level of competitiveness that other e-readers will find it hard to match, including Apple.
4. Touchco Acquisition
Each of the above three will have an influence on the outcome of the bout between Amazon and Apple, but much more significant is Amazon's acquisition of Touchco, the e-paper and touchscreen technology firm. This appears to be Amazon's ace in the hole, and the acquisition must have come as shock and a blow to Apple.
Touchco had been working on a true multi-touch screen to work with e-paper that enables unlimited simultaneous touches to be detected. Combined with the Mirasol multi-color technology on e-paper, this offers Amazon the ability to create a multi-touch color tablet device that could very easily not only compete with the iPad, but also exceed its technological capability. It is definitely a big one in Apple's eye, and the gloves are definitely off now.
The acquisition took place very secretively and quietly, and nobody had an inclination of what was going on. It is hard to believe that Apple was unaware of it, but it sure seems that way. Round 1 might have been Apple's, but Amazon has certainly won rounds 2, 3 and 4, although knowing Apple's resilience and resources, certainly not with knockout blows.
The Touchco technology might have been used with e-paper to develop cell phones, music players and a whole host of possible applications, but that is now lost in Amazon's fight with Apple for the e-reader market. Sometimes it is time for corporations to focus on their core business, because this type of infighting almost invariably ends up with no winners and the public the losers.
However, what can we look for in the near future? Likely an expansion of the Kindle, or a variant, as an iPad competitor, and almost certainly the demise of the clunky E Ink and the development of a sleeker display medium. Watch this space and get ready for round 5, because Apple will certainly not take this lying down!
Frequently Asked Questions
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QUESTION:
When it comes to reading electronically, Apple iPad vs. Amazon Kindle?
Title says it all.When it comes to reading a book electronically, in your opinion, which is better? The Amazon Kindle or the Apple iPad?
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ANSWER:
In spite of what Barnes and Noble claims about their "new" LCD screen, it's still an LCD, which, for many people, is not the best choice for long-form reading. NookColor's display isn't any better than iPad's. For long-form reading, e-ink is more like paper and therefore *most* people find it a better choice. Check them out side-by-side at Best Buy and then factor in the way that you read. If you read mostly books that are in black and white and you have no other use for iPad's multi-purpose platform, the huge savings alone would probably make Kindle the better way to go. That 0+ could buy a lot of e-books and accessories.
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QUESTION:
Kindle vs. Ipad questions.?
What does the kindle have that the Ipad doesnt ?
What does the Ipad have that the kindle doesnt ?
Can you go online with both ?
Can you read books with both ?-
ANSWER:
Kindle is definitely an amazing device. Its worth the money.You can put ebooks/notes/audio books on your kindle also Notes and annotations are very easy to make.Very easy to use with the PC and the Mac Kindle is very straight forward there's no need for additional software required for Kindle. Also supports you can also increase the text size which is again amazing.E-INK screen technology that don’t glare in any light so no strain to eyes and less harmful. There are wide range of books on kindle many are free and other are cheaper at price than the actual books so yes I have saved a lot of money till now.
You dont have to carry now all those heavy actual books, kindle is so light weight which is carrying almost 1500 books within it. Since I travel a lot I really like the 3G Internet you can get the internet wherever you go. Whenever you are tired of reading you can also you Text-To-Speech with auto-page turning feature which is jst so relaxing. If the small size strains your eyes a lot than can also change the text-size. I must say Kindle is a small magic books really I cant live without it.Amazon Kindle at amazon 9
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=kindle&x=0&y=0&tag=klnprk-20
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QUESTION:
Amazon Kindle VS Ipad?
For christmas I am thinking of putting down either the Amazon Kindle or Ipad on my wish list - but I have no idea which one.I have looked at many reviews online and then comparisons on you tube and I think I am leaning towards the Kindle as even though it hasn't got as swanky features as the ipad the price tag is alot more appealing.
Also the kindle is lighter, has more books to choose from, and battery power lasts a month
though, I can't get over the seductiveness and touch screen of the ipad?
please help I can't choose and I need some sensible advice.
THANKS =]
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ANSWER:
If you want to read ebooks I would lean towards the Kindle. The screen is easier on the eyes when reading for a long time.
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QUESTION:
Nook vs ereader vs kindle vs ipad?
What's the deference? How much are they? Can u only read on then or can u get on the Internet. Can u listen to music or put picture. Please give me the 411 on these products.
How much is a nook or a kindle
i want to be able to read books but surf the web too. well mainly facebook and quizzilla-
ANSWER:
In short:> Don't go for Nook Color. It's using backlight screen like computer screen, and is difficult to our eyes. Just not suitable for reading purpose.
> Choose the Nook if you want to be:
- Able to borrow ebooks from library to your ebook reader
- Able to read books in epub format (without need of conversion) on your ebook reader> Choose the Kindle if you want to be:
- Able to have free 3G wireless access
- Able to download books and use 3G wireless even you're outside of the United States
- Able to have text-to-speech function to read books to you like audio booksThere is also quite a good review for comparison between the two here:
http://bit.ly/nookorkindle3
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QUESTION:
iPad Vs. Kindle as an e-book reader- Which one is better...?
I want to buy one of the above and I don't know which one. I know that the iPad is much more than an e-book reader, but it is also more expensive. On the other hand, I think that the Amazon Kindle has a better screen technology (The E Ink). Which one do you prefer? I found a nice poll while looking for answers... http://pujkmbie.info/ipad-kindle/-
ANSWER:
Apples and oranges.
A Kindle is an e-reader. Books are what it does best.
An iPad is a computer. It can do books, but the LCD screen will cause eyestrain.
As an e-book reader, the iPad will never be as good as any of the e-ink e-readers.
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