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Amazon Launches a Web-Based iPad Kindle Reader
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I think many people miss the point of this rule. Apple doesn't care if people buy from Amazon or not from their IOS devices. They just want to make sure that if their competitors don't profit from the app store they support and promote with out paying their fair share. Apple offered only web apps when they released the iPhone. No one thought they were a good idea, so Apple invested a huge amount of resources in to native apps and the app store to deliver them. They are extremely popular and amazon and others have not been able to compete. These companies decided to release IOS apps they used Apples success without benefiting Apple or their platform. Its easy. You can use the store they support and market heavily which gets people to download and use apps and pay your share or offer your app and what ever you sell for free. Just like any store, if you want your product displayed next to the register you pay a price. Apple doesn't care about Amazon selling their ebooks, the web app is how they would prefer to have it anyway.
In other words, If a customer buys an app from the store, it's Apple's marketing $ at work. They deserve to be compensated for that customer's interest in that app. On the other hand if Amazon's marketing got them to do so, then they would use the web app and Apple doesn't want or ask for a share.
prob voted down by mr. gates after he realized he was wrong and voted down every comment correcting him. dont worry i up voted them to cancel out the down vote
i'm playing voting fbi so i have jurisdiction over the voting police. hope no one is playing voting cia
The issue I have with this statement is that it's truly unquantifiable. Because it's a symbiotic relationship.
The iPhone/iPad/etc would not be what it is without the apps available, nor would apps be possible/available without Apple's infrastructure.
But, for example, Apple DID benefit with having an eReader like the Kindle App available on the iPad. Because people bought the iPad knowing they could read their Amazon books on the new device. So whether they replaced their kindle with an iPad, bought one instead or whatnot - Apple got a sale.
So to say Apple doesn't benefit from free (useful) apps is probably simplifying a bit too much...
Something that's convenient to omit when making an argument against 3rd party developers.
I really don't get why the Apple community and Apple themselves are so hostile towards 3rd party developers like we see here on Macrumors. It's always "greedy little thieves profiting from Apple!"
A lot of folks complaining about the 30% cut that Apple wanted to take are missing a crucial point. Apple isn't in business to support 3rd party retailers or middlemen. In the digital age, these middlemen aren't as necessary as they are when dealing with physical media.
Apple's actions, whether intentional or not, are slowly eliminating the middlemen between the content producers and the consumer. Sitting in Stephen King's living room and listening to him read you his new story would be an example of zero middlemen. Of course, very few people would be able to enjoy this, so there has to be some additional entities involved.
With paper books, King needed a publisher, a printer, and a retailer. In the digital age, authors don't really need any of that, or at least the functions of the middlemen change. An author can self-publish a book and sell it directly to the reader using the internet. I would suspect that many authors would choose to stay with a publisher, so the publisher would do the work of digitizing and hosting the books. A printer is no longer needed. So what's next?
The retailer in the digital case is the entity that holds the consumers credit card info and handles billing and such. This is where Amazon and Apple are (but not entirely). So the retailers handle the direct interaction with the consumer.
One other thing that is present in the digital model is the device. So Apple and Amazon both sell devices that allow the reader to actually use the books that they purchase. So in the context of e-books, Apple's device is open while Amazon's device is closed. Compare that to the media itself, where Amazon's media is more open than Apple's.
So in Apple's chain, if an iOS user buys a Kindle book, they get a book that is usable on more devices, but if bought using an iOS device, there's an additional middleman involved. There's no room for two retailers in the chain. It's not a good value proposition for the consumer or the downstream retailer. (NOTE - this is true of most retail operations, with the exception being goods that are exclusive ... books are a commodity)
Anyways, getting back to my point. At some point in the future, the retailer will be the only middleman involved in the chain. The publisher will go away and the retailer will fill some of the roles that the publisher performed (e.g. promotion), but not others (e.g. editing).
When this happens, the 30% that Apple takes would be a good deal for the author ... presuming that it stays at 30%.
Apple's actions, whether intentional or not, are slowly eliminating the middlemen between the content producers and the consumer. Sitting in Stephen King's living room and listening to him read you his new story would be an example of zero middlemen. Of course, very few people would be able to enjoy this, so there has to be some additional entities involved.
With paper books, King needed a publisher, a printer, and a retailer. In the digital age, authors don't really need any of that, or at least the functions of the middlemen change. An author can self-publish a book and sell it directly to the reader using the internet. I would suspect that many authors would choose to stay with a publisher, so the publisher would do the work of digitizing and hosting the books. A printer is no longer needed. So what's next?
The retailer in the digital case is the entity that holds the consumers credit card info and handles billing and such. This is where Amazon and Apple are (but not entirely). So the retailers handle the direct interaction with the consumer.
One other thing that is present in the digital model is the device. So Apple and Amazon both sell devices that allow the reader to actually use the books that they purchase. So in the context of e-books, Apple's device is open while Amazon's device is closed. Compare that to the media itself, where Amazon's media is more open than Apple's.
So in Apple's chain, if an iOS user buys a Kindle book, they get a book that is usable on more devices, but if bought using an iOS device, there's an additional middleman involved. There's no room for two retailers in the chain. It's not a good value proposition for the consumer or the downstream retailer. (NOTE - this is true of most retail operations, with the exception being goods that are exclusive ... books are a commodity)
Anyways, getting back to my point. At some point in the future, the retailer will be the only middleman involved in the chain. The publisher will go away and the retailer will fill some of the roles that the publisher performed (e.g. promotion), but not others (e.g. editing).
When this happens, the 30% that Apple takes would be a good deal for the author ... presuming that it stays at 30%.
That's the point, but the author currently has already an arguably good 30% deal, only with Amazon, not Apple. Apple wants to have that 30% too, which means either to have it on top to Amazon's deal (unrealistic) or to replace Amazon entirely (most likely the long term goal).
Yup. Nice job by Amazon.
Although I mainly use ibooks for my books (since amazon didn't have the ebooks I was looking for), I like amazon and my dad loves his kindle
Was a security issue. Since fixed.
Not a conspiracy.
Still, that tinfoil hat looks dashing.
C.
This was the way I got some books from Amazon.
FMPOV looks like those readers aren't flying out like the used to... three different strategies, Apps (SW), readers(HW), now Appless (SW). I bet they are feeling the squeeze.
For me, I sync all my kindle books on both my iPad and reader, I use the reader more just because the reading experience is better outdoor, but the App is just the ticket when traveling.
Fun to see how this all works out...could just buy Amazon one of these days with ALL THAT CASH they have laying around.
iAmatune anyone?
There was a link in the app that took you to a web page, but there was never in-app purchasing in the Kindle App. Think about it, if you purchased a kindle book, did it show up on your iTunes receipt?
indeed! - have you seen the financial times (ft) web app?
it's awesome - better than the 'actual' app ever was
The 30% deal in place with Amazon and Apple are with the publishers. Well, at least with most authors, since they're still using publishers.
Anyways, with iOS devices, it doesn't make sense for two retailers to be involved. By allowing Amazon to sell books through an iOS app, you've involved two retailers into the chain. It doesn't work, unless both retailers are providing a value. What has Amazon provided in this chain, other than a more open media file? Apple is providing access to a customer in this case.
This would be like Acme selling Doritos at a Superfresh, who also sells Doritos. It doesn't make sense in the physical world and it doesn't make sense in the digital world either.
Right now, the best way to go at it would be for Amazon to do the web-app. It doesn't make sense for them to do a native app with in-app purchasing since they'd lose their 30%.
ft
This would be a valid point if other companies were allowed to have competing iOS app stores like Amazon does for Android.
Never going to happen, its a mess on Android. Why would an user want to search serval app stores for something...
agreed.
this is valuable when you dont want to download the app or the content to a device that may not be yours or be restricted by an employer, etc.
bravo amazon.
Next move by Apple
Watch for Apple to cripple html 5 in the browser for ios. This in an aberration and they will not let it stand.
All roads must lead to the Apple store!
Watch for Apple to cripple html 5 in the browser for ios. This in an aberration and they will not let it stand.
All roads must lead to the Apple store!
I don't think anyone expects Apple to do that. They have a very good mobile web browser in iOS.
Consider the number of apps and the number of books, you really don't get any kind of real exposure in the deal with Apple. Unless you're already well known or you actually are among the few that actually get an original idea, no one is going to see, buy or use your app.
There's a reason why Apple never is going to give us median numbers for sales in the AppStore.
For the record, I like Amazon. I buy lots of stuff from them. However, I will point out that their strategy doesn't benefit anyone but themselves.
The Kindle is a closed hardware platform, but their books are open. Nothing wrong with this strategy from a financial or ethical point of view. To their credit, I don't think Amazon complained about Apple's 30% policy (other than Apple legitimizing the Agency model vs. the Discount model). They just took the link off of the app and made a web-app as well. Good deal.
At least in regards to eBooks, I think Amazon is developing their platform much in the same way that Apple does. Pretty soon, we'll see the disappearance of traditional publishers and the Amazons and Apples will perform some of the functions of the publishers. Authors will deal directly with Apple/Amazon/B+N/etc. Perhaps, some of the bigtime publishers will cut out the retailers and do their own web-apps, thus keeping all of the revenue for themselves (minus the expenses for items such as editors, webhosting, etc).
My comments were written in the context of Amazon selling books within Apple's ecosystem. It really has nothing to do with exposure within a larger store. Actually, the Kindle store has more titles, so it would be harder for an individual author to stand out in the Kindle store than in iBooks.
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The Cloud Reader is nice...although since I always buy Amazon books from the website, I'm not sure that fills a burning need. But it is nice to have as a backup - and in case Apple returned to its earlier idea of requiring in-app purchases if you permitted out of app purchases.
But what I would really like would be a web app version of Amazon's Video On Demand. I don't know how feasible that is, but it would add some additional options in the iPad video space.
But what I would really like would be a web app version of Amazon's Video On Demand. I don't know how feasible that is, but it would add some additional options in the iPad video space.
How does it?
The notion of a web page displaying book content is hardly revolutionary. Many companies have had online reading applications for years.
The post is just an advert for their site and barely relevant to the thread - I'm sure that's why it's got negative votes.
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