Earlier quoted context omitted.
As others have said, I think the value for the Kindle is pretty damn high. * Works in lots and lots of countries * Great iOS and Android apps to supplement reading on Eink * Well-priced devices, even if you pay to remove ads, that offer years and years of software support and are extremely durable/reliable * Great hacking community and ability to use things like DeDRM to bring your purchases to other devices * Insane…
Yeap, I definitely prefer Kobo. I plug it into my PC to copy over public domain and DRM-free ePubs with ease, or DRMed ePubs via ADE. I am not tied to any ecosystem. As for the development community, I feel far more secure knowing my Kobo is not locked down. There are no cat-and-mouse games being played with encryption or other protection mechanisms. Modifying the software is a matter of creating a tarball or by popp…
I also have a Remarkable 2 and a Boox Note Air that are obviously much more hackable.
I’ve reviewed many Kobo devices over the years. I do find them second-rate compared to what you can get from the Kindle line. That's my honest opinion. That isn’t me feeling insecure about my decision (I am an e-reader enthusiast and have reviewed dozens of devices and have the money to buy whatever device I want. I think Sony made the best devices if I’m really being honest, and they shut down their storefront over a decade ago and barely sell any units now), it’s my personal opinion and I said “I’ve always seen it as” — I didn’t declare that as fact. You disagree, which is fine!
I’m glad we have a choice of things. I still stand by my opinion that if I’m going to be tied down into an ecosystem, I’d rather be tied down to the one with the most books. And where I live, that’s Amazon.