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Kindle MatchBook

amazon.com

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Re: Kindle MatchBook

#81

Post by ChuckMcM »

eric_cc wrote: post #65
ScottWhigham wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it's an interesting move, but not a "phenomenally important move". If I like print books but not ebooks, how does this affect me? It doesn't - not in the least. If I like both, I'm sort of happy - "Uh, I guess that's cool." I'm struggling to think of the person who needs both a printed copy of a book and an ebook version. The only person I can think of is someone with a textbook/learning book - you read the p…

> I'm struggling to think of the person who needs both a printed copy of a book and an ebook version. Technically, nobody NEEDS a printed or digital book to begin with. Maybe you're just over-thinking this? I like print books but also have an iPad. For many obvious reasons it would be nice to have all of my books on my iPad (which is almost always with me).

I've started buying movies on discs again. This is because even though they are sometimes available via streaming, it isn't a "now its available via streaming and will be forever" model that I was originally sold. Books have been "pulled back" on the Kindle, but I have never had a publisher send me a letter demanding I mail them back the book I bought.

I also started playing around with XBMC which is a lot of fun, and streaming from my local copy is a whole lot nice than streaming over the 'net.

Re: Kindle MatchBook

#82

Post by fwr »

Havoc wrote: post #53
nsxwolf wrote: post #5

I thought it was going to be a really tiny e-reader.

In one of the recent Elon Musk articles it mentioned that he reads on his iphone, so the notion isn't that far out. Not that the iphone is exactly tiny...

Elon Musk does this? THE NEW BIG THING

Re: Kindle MatchBook

#83

Post by apalmer »

VikingCoder wrote: post #36
apalmer wrote: post #31

I am turning on Amazon, it just feels fundamentally unfair that they destroyed the brick and mortar book industry precisely because they operate on the principal of never having to turn a profit. Its almost a monopolist abuse of the market...

> the principal of never having to turn a profit. There should be no barrier between a writer, and a consumer. The margin, everywhere in between, should be effectively zero. The only value adds, any more, are Discovery, and sharing Reviews. Oh, and having a decent printing process, for people who like physical books.

Ehhhhh, honestly I am not fundamentally opposed to the concept but realistically our whole economic model that the US has run off of the last 100 years. If every job that is not directly producing a tangible good is eliminated frankly their wont be enough consumers to make producing economically viable.

Beyond that, one could argue a brick and mortar provides ample oppurtunity for discovery, previewing, and discussion that amazon doesnt support as directly... and these brick and mortars are dying in part not because of true competition, but because of competition against someone who hasn't had to turn a profit for the last 15 years.

Re: Kindle MatchBook

#84

Post by VLM »

jlarocco wrote: post #22
TomAnthony wrote: post #8

There are fundamental differences between a paper book and an ebook. I far prefer paper books when I'm using it as a reference, but love the convenience of ebooks when for when I'm reading through something. With technical books it is very common to read initially and reference later, or to read some sections, use others for reference etc. With that in mind it has often been a tough choice as to whether to buy a pape…

I'm a little surprised anybody could prefer paper books for reference... For me, full-text search, bookmarks, and copy/paste make ebooks far superior for referencing. Not to mention I don't have a bunch of books cluttering my desk. In any case, I completely agree this is awesome. I've been considering selling most of my old physical books and buying the ebook versions, and this will save me a bunch of money.

The almost stereotypical star trek DS9 scene where (anyone) is working on something complicated and has five PADDS on the desk all shuffling around.

Relatively few people own and simultaneously use multiple ereaders. Probably much more common in the future.

Re: Kindle MatchBook

#85

Post by wpietri »

ScottWhigham wrote: post #40
lukev wrote: post #10

This is a phenomenally important move; now, being an "ebook reader" or a "traditional reader" doesn't have to be an either/or proposition.

I think it's an interesting move, but not a "phenomenally important move". If I like print books but not ebooks, how does this affect me? It doesn't - not in the least. If I like both, I'm sort of happy - "Uh, I guess that's cool." I'm struggling to think of the person who needs both a printed copy of a book and an ebook version. The only person I can think of is someone with a textbook/learning book - you read the p…

This is a major pain point for me, and this solves half of it.

Every time I buy a book, I have to do a lot of thinking: Is is good enough I'll want to lend it? Will I need to travel with it? Is it worth getting rid of some other book on my bookshelf to make room for it? Am I going to refer to it? If so, will it be just the occasional text search, or do I need the random access of a physical book? There is often no good answer.

This actually results in me buying fewer books. A number of times I have waffled on this and then just never bought the book. It also increases resentment toward Amazon: when I buy a book and then have to re-buy it in the other format, it's really annoying.

In addition to this, I want them to add the other direction: if I buy the Kindle book, can I upgrade to a physical edition for the price difference (plus, optionally, a modest fee)?

Re: Kindle MatchBook

#86

Post by tdwiegand »

ScottWhigham wrote: post #40
lukev wrote: post #10

This is a phenomenally important move; now, being an "ebook reader" or a "traditional reader" doesn't have to be an either/or proposition.

I think it's an interesting move, but not a "phenomenally important move". If I like print books but not ebooks, how does this affect me? It doesn't - not in the least. If I like both, I'm sort of happy - "Uh, I guess that's cool." I'm struggling to think of the person who needs both a printed copy of a book and an ebook version. The only person I can think of is someone with a textbook/learning book - you read the p…

If offered at the time of purchase I'm inclined to use this for gifts. I personally want the ebook version, but if this enables me to get a print copy for only slightly more I'll pick it up and worry about who to gift it to later.

Re: Kindle MatchBook

#87

Post by heartbreak »

nostromo wrote: post #35
toddmorey wrote: post #9

That's one of the best product names I've come across in a long while.

I was thinking the opposite. They've taken the analogy too far (Kindle, Kindle Fire, Matchbook). With the historical associations that come with "burning" and "books", I've always found the analogy awkward.

I'm pretty sure that the name "Kindle" and all of the following fire-related names are intentionally referencing book-burning.

Re: Kindle MatchBook

#88

Post by josephjrobison »

cbr wrote: post #74
AceJohnny2 wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think Charles Stross writings on ebooks is interesting and insightful. He should know: he's a tech-savvy best-selling author. (He hangs around here too: [1]) He wrote a couple of posts a year and a half ago, they still apply. In them, he explains how Amazon is making itself a monopoly, and that isn't good for anyone but them. What's been most informative to me is how tiny publishers actually are, and how little mon…

I buy my books hardcover now: more cash for the author. Or you could buy what's cheapest and send the difference directly to the author. (This doesn't make sense to do because there's too much friction. One way to deal with that would be to pick a random number between 0 and N and if you get 0 then send them N times that much money otherwise nothing.)

Would it make sense to have the normal Amazon price for Kindles books as they are now but then have an optional button to donate more that goes directly into the author's pocket and nobody else's? Of course only a small percentage would donate anything extra, but it's better than not having the option, and this can reduce a bit of the friction because it's two extra clicks at checkout.

I know this has worked in some cases such as for self-published ebooks or indie games, so this could potentially work if the most hardcore fans want to directly support the author. I know for authors or musicians I really love I would want to pay more if the money went directly into their pockets.

Re: Kindle MatchBook

#89

Post by ctdonath »

lukev wrote: post #66
ScottWhigham wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it's an interesting move, but not a "phenomenally important move". If I like print books but not ebooks, how does this affect me? It doesn't - not in the least. If I like both, I'm sort of happy - "Uh, I guess that's cool." I'm struggling to think of the person who needs both a printed copy of a book and an ebook version. The only person I can think of is someone with a textbook/learning book - you read the p…

The value proposition of an ebook is that (on average) it's a better reading experience. More portable, more comfortable, instantly accessible. The value proposition of a physical book is that is a physical artifact with concrete ownership; you can sell it, lend it, put it on a shelf for guests to see, forget it and rediscover it a decade later, or have your grandchildren find it in your attic in 80 years. These two…

The value proposition of a physical book is that is a physical artifact with concrete ownership; you can sell it, lend it, put it on a shelf for guests to see, forget it and rediscover it a decade later, or have your grandchildren find it in your attic in 80 years.

This. I have a bookcase filled with "me". Those books constitute what molded me, and (if unread) what I hoped would. My longevity being in some doubt, my kids being very young, and my ability to tell them what's in my head limited, in large part I keep that bookcase filled and arranged in hopes that someday they will discover it, read the contents, and so absorb much of what their father is (or, at that future date, was).

E-books, while convenient, can be lost en masse in an instant. Heck, a bunch vanished last week from my tablet when I upgraded the operating system (most were recovered, but not all). My wife may be irritated at the space occupied by my paper books, yet therein is the point: they're not going away any time soon without real effort. Atoms persist; bits are fleeting.

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