Last week Amazon introduced 'Kindle for iPhone', an application which enables you to read Amazon ebooks on your iPhone. The interweb buzz centered on the notion that the decision to launch this application was a reflection of Amazon's desire to sell ebooks, not devices (the Kindle). I disagree.
The people who already own Kindles and iPhones will realize how superior reading on their Kindle is to reading on their iPhone. The comparison will be made and 'Kindle reading' will crush 'iPhone reading.' Alternatively, the people who don't own Kindles and download the application to their iPhone are just putting themselves on the Kindle-buying launching pad. They may not be in the market for a Kindle right now, but come Christmas. . .
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Kindle for iPhone: Amazon's Gateway Drug
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Stanza is an existing e-book reader app for the iphone (http://www.lexcycle.com/). Amazon's app is called "Kindle for iPhone."
Stanza is not an Amazon product. Stanza is it's own eReader for the iPhone. Amazon's is called 'Kindle for the iPhone'. Just for clarification purposes.
Amazon did not introduce Stanza.
Kindle for iPhone is the app that reads Kindle books. Stanza is a completely separate ereader app.
Of course it's a gateway. I don't have a Kindle but I want one and it's cheaper for me right now to make do with the iphone app. It is just whetting our appetites (which they will RUIN if they raise the cost of books above $9.99).
Sorry guys! Corrected now. . .
I do think Amazon is using the Kindle for iPhone app as a gateway to get people to buy the Kindle.
I just think that isn't the best thing for Amazon to do.
My biggest issue is that Kindle for the iPhone is not as good an ebook reader and Stanza or ereader. I can't even highlight text with Kindle for the iPhone or add notes on passages. It really feels crippled compared to other apps.
Amazon should focus on selling eBooks, not selling consumer electronic products. The Kindle was a necessary product to help jumpstart the eBook market. Now Amazon should be focusing on allowing us to buy and read ebooks in any way we want.
please consider writing a post about this freeware project to convert documents more easily to kindle format.
https://sourceforge.net/projects/autokindle/
Actually for me it was the reverse. I've had my Kindle for a long time now and love it. I just bought an iPod Touch because of being able to read my Kindle books on it. Sometimes it's not convenient to take my kindle because of it's size. And sometimes I just like to travel light. This way I'll never be caught without a book to read when there are unexpected wait times.
Book On Tape publishers should view the Kindle the same way. The computer voice reading is a gateway drug to a professional human reading.
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