You're talking about Google, who is interested in ad revenue. They want to keep the user base! Where as hardware companies like Apple, Microsoft, and Samsung want you to keep buying more of their products. Google makes what, 1 physical product? The Pixel. Soon to be 2 (Glass).
Phones too if you consider they now own Motorola.... just seems they make less of those since Google bought them.
iBooks is useless to me until they can be read on other devices (mac!?).
Agreed... why you can't read on your mac is beyond me. Not e-ink option is also a killer for me. It's also not as nice to search for books.
Once again Apple loses a good deal due to poor negotiation tactics. So sad.
When Steve Jobs wanted something, he just took it. He didn't dick around like Apple does now. But not all companies are worth buying. iBooks isn't exactly a smashing success and doesn't command the sales/audience of iTunes or even movie rentals/sales. Most hardcore readers don't want to read on an lcd panel because it's not a great experience if reading for more than a short period (30-60 minutes) of time, and some people even less. I have a tablet, and an e-reader device. For Apple, this purchase would not make sense. For Amazon, they not only sell e-books, but paper books too. Books for Amazon, unlike Apple, is a huge chunk of their revenue stream and anything that drives more traffic or improves the buying process for them is much more savvy than for Apple.
That's amazing. How does a website become so expensive. They produce no technology, no innovation, no patents, but they're worth that much? It's basically a message board. That's like saying MRs is worth $200 million.
Goodreads makes a commission when you link to online stores to buy a book. They do very well with this. If you're reading reviews and decide to buy, that link it right in your face. Also ad revenue. Paid features for authors, etc.
I would expect in the future that links to B&N and other outlets will go **poof** and Amazon will be the only option.... or as it currently is, B&N has it's own button, with another button that lists other options. B&N pays to have that button prominently displayed. When that contract is up, you know where that button is going to go.
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Right, which is exactly why Apple wanted to do a partnership w/ them... because they understand iBooks is fine in its own vacuum.
The # of heads in sand around here is astonishing. No company, no product survives resting on its own laurels. In this case even the #1 digital bookseller thought Goodreads was important enough to just buy the entire company. But, right, iBooks is fine doing nothing to expand interest in the face of stiff competition from Amazon and Google.
I'm sure that price fixing scandal isn't helping too... Apple has become, and rightfully so, evil concerning books and book prices.
It's funny how everyone wants Amazon to be the evil empire of books.... oh wait, only their competitors.... because Amazon has sales and discounts and promotions.... yeah, they are sure evil for offering consumers value instead of fixing prices.
