Why oh why does Apple not bring out a competitor to the Kindle

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bulldoze

macrumors regular
Original poster
Mar 15, 2011
215
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If I read a book I want to read it on my Kindle not my iPad, to me, they are not really the same market at all, you only have to try and read an iPad for long periods or outdoors to realise it is just not suitable. A lot of people I know and myself included NEED a tablet that can be read in sunlight and unless new technology comes to the fore, LCD panels just don't cut it - also the iPad is just too darn big and heavy.

Kindles are huge at the moment, its a big market, but the device (and all the other e-ink readers I have seen) are poorly designed and ugly. Apple could own this market, a beautiful e-ink reader that just does books and nothing else - they could charge a premium over the Kindle and it would sell by the truck load.

Apple make cheap and minimal music players - shuffle, nano etc why not an e-ink reader?
 
jav6454

jav6454

macrumors P6
Nov 14, 2007
16,871
1,492
1 Geostationary Tower Plaza
Because the iPad is not marketed as an eBook reader. Nor is it intended to compete directly against one.

The iPad is a multifunctional device that serves as bridge between a Mac and an iPhone/iPod Touch. It has eBook reader functionality, but this is not its main focus. Apple doesn't need to compete heavily here, just enough to drive sales and make some money.
 
ChristianVirtual

ChristianVirtual

macrumors 601
May 10, 2010
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I'm perfectly fine with the iPad3-Kindle. I hardly ever read outside so that is not a problem. While in bed, on toilet, in bus or train, in office ... Everywhere I love to read with the Kindle app. I don't buy books in paper anymore. Save lots space in the house and reduce waste.
 
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jabingla2810

macrumors 68020
Oct 15, 2008
2,271
936
irDigital0l said:
1. ebook reader market to small
2. apple doesn't need to because they have the ipad
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The ebook reader market is small?

The Kindle is has sold millions and millions and in the last quarter, Amazon sold more ebooks than physical books.

The ebook market is HUGE, and as more and more people convert to devices like the Kindle it will get bigger and bigger.

Apple getting in there with a good competitive reading device could be a very profitable buisness.

The iPad 3 is great for reading books, i've done it myself, but there is a big difference when out and about to carrying a £500 heavy tablet, or carrying a £70 e-reader that weighs nothing!
 
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donnaw

macrumors 65816
Apr 19, 2011
1,134
6
Austin TX
I do agree that I love my Kindle. I just can't read on the iPad because it's too big and heavy to read for any length of time. If Apple come out with a mini I will take a serious look at it. If it has LTE I most probably will buy one.
 
thewitt

thewitt

macrumors 68020
Sep 13, 2011
2,102
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Apple doesn't need an entry level eBook device like the Kindle, and the Fire died because it was too expensive for the capability delivered, even selling at a loss.

Amazon sells Kindles at cost because they make their money selling eBooks.

It's not a marketing model that Apple has ever used, and I don't expect them to do so now.

Would you buy a Kindke-like device from Apple for $100 more than a Kindle? Neither would anyone else.
 
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theluggage

macrumors 601
Jul 29, 2011
4,244
2,965
thewitt said:
Would you buy a Kindke-like device from Apple for $100 more than a Kindle? Neither would anyone else.
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More to the point, why does anybody buy iBooks, that will only work on iOS, when you can buy Kindle books and read them on Kindle, iOS, Android, Mac OS or Windows?

Plus, iOS just plain wouldn't work on a slow, eInk display - it relies too much on smooth, responsive animations. There is a reason why the GUI on Kindles is a bit 1980s. Maybe, someday, there will be a display that combines the readibility and low power consumption of eInk with the speed and colour of LCD.

I'm another one who has an iPad for doing what an iPad is good at, but prefers a Kindle for straight reading.
 
Pressure

Pressure

macrumors 68040
May 30, 2006
3,990
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Denmark
I'd wish Apple also made kitchen appliances and cars :p

But seriously, there would be no reason at all to "compete" with the Kindle.
 
greygray

greygray

macrumors 68000
Oct 22, 2009
1,848
1
Ermmm do we really need so many iDevices just to compete with the market? I think the iPad is a good enough, if not better competitor to the Kindle.
 
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poloponies

Suspended
May 3, 2010
2,661
1,360
bulldoze said:
Kindles are huge at the moment, its a big market, but the device (and all the other e-ink readers I have seen) are poorly designed and ugly. Apple could own this market, a beautiful e-ink reader that just does books and nothing else - they could charge a premium over the Kindle and it would sell by the truck load.
Click to expand...
Really? Kindles are ugly and the world is demanding a beautiful e-ink reader?

This is not a market Apple needs to enter.
 
MisterMe

MisterMe

macrumors G4
Jul 17, 2002
10,650
28
USA
jabingla2810 said:
The ebook reader market is small?

The Kindle is has sold millions and millions and in the last quarter, Amazon sold more ebooks than physical books.

The ebook market is HUGE, and as more and more people convert to devices like the Kindle it will get bigger and bigger.

...
Click to expand...
Kindle sales figures are in the same league as Romney income taxes as a closely held secret. Would you care to give us a link to these sales figures?
 
J

jabingla2810

macrumors 68020
Oct 15, 2008
2,271
936
MisterMe said:
Kindle sales figures are in the same league as Romney income taxes as a closely held secret. Would you care to give us a link to these sales figures?
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I never said I had the sales figures.

I said they have sold millions of Kindles, and that they sell more ebooks than physical books.
 
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jabingla2810

macrumors 68020
Oct 15, 2008
2,271
936
BFizzzle said:
oh okay. i see it saying it has sold millions of books, i dont see anything about it saying millions of kindle units sold?
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Jesus, why would I be making up that the kindle has sold millions of units?

You only have to have a general interest in tech to realise the success of the device. My grandmother knows what a kindle is, so it's had major penetration.

But if you want more evidence:

http://techcrunch.com/2011/12/29/amazon-we-sold-over-4-million-kindle-devices-this-month-gifting-of-e-books-up-175-percent/

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/jacketcopy/2011/12/amazon-announces-millions-of-kindle-sales-how-many.html

http://www.pcworld.com/article/246308/actual_kindle_sales_figures_more_than_3_million_sold_so_far.html

http://money.cnn.com/2011/12/15/technology/amazon_kindle_sales/index.htm

http://www.newser.com/story/135620/guess-how-many-kindles-were-buying-a-week.html
 
BFizzzle

BFizzzle

macrumors 68020
May 31, 2010
2,443
0
Austin TX
jabingla2810 said:
Jesus, why would I be making up that the kindle has sold millions of units?

You only have to have a general interest in tech to realise the success of the device. My grandmother knows what a kindle is, so it's had major penetration.

But if you want more evidence:

http://techcrunch.com/2011/12/29/amazon-we-sold-over-4-million-kindle-devices-this-month-gifting-of-e-books-up-175-percent/

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/jacketcopy/2011/12/amazon-announces-millions-of-kindle-sales-how-many.html

http://www.pcworld.com/article/246308/actual_kindle_sales_figures_more_than_3_million_sold_so_far.html

http://money.cnn.com/2011/12/15/technology/amazon_kindle_sales/index.htm

http://www.newser.com/story/135620/guess-how-many-kindles-were-buying-a-week.html
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jesus you said it sold millions LAST QUARTER,

every article you sent is from December 2011
excuse me for trying to clarify what you meant.

no one said you made it up.
i had no idea it was that good of a success, the first link you posted was was about EBOOKS sold.

http://seekingalpha.com/article/557151-kindle-sales-plunge-made-amazon-com-s-gross-margin-look-better

the eink market has gone down 65% since those articles you have posted. It looks like the eink market is declining.. not exactly selling millions like you said. Yes maybe it was selling millions 10 months ago
 
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UKBeast

macrumors 6502a
Jan 21, 2010
542
26
Turkey
I have an ipad 3 and a kindle keyboard.

I use kindle keyboard for reading novels.

I use ipad for all other things except reading novels.

ipad is heavy and big as so not comfortable to hold on your hand long hours, in addition it has an lcd screen which is blurring and itching my eyes after 40-45 minutes of continuous reading. While kindle has an e-ink screen which is closest screen type to paper and it is even lighter than most of the books you can ever have. When i am reading on kindle i do not feel like i am reading on an electronic device instead it just feels like a paper, maybe even better than paper.

To come to your question,

The matter is not the device, Apple can make the device if they want but the matter is the content.

Clearly the content is the selling point of the device, and amazon is close to perfect on this field. If apple makes an ebook reader then they have to feed it with a book store like amazon has and that would not be easy. Amazon is nearly perfect and for apple competing with amazon on this field would not be cost-effective. Market is already grown up.

Basically, this is amazon's playground.
 
notjustjay

notjustjay

macrumors 603
Sep 19, 2003
6,044
116
Canada, eh?
How exactly would an Apple e-reader differ from a Kindle?

e-ink technology dictates a lot of the interface. The screens are monochrome so your lovely iOS interface would have to be dumbed down to plain black and white or greyscale. The screens are slow to refresh so you'd have to greatly simplify a lot of the animations, and you wouldn't be able to do multitouch.

So take an iPad and reduce it to a monochrome e-ink display with simplified non-multitouch interface and...

... you have the same ebook reader that everyone else already sells.

Why would I choose an Apple device over a Kindle? Because of iBooks? Because it'd be cheaper?

Pshaw.

I have a Kindle (3G+Keyboard). I love it. Battery lasts for weeks and weeks and it's surprisingly pleasant to be reading by the light of my night table while lying in bed. Plus as a nice bonus feature I get free basic 3G access all over the world. I've used it in the US, Canada, Singapore, Hong Kong -- great for when you just need to check something quick and there's no wifi.
 
J

jabingla2810

macrumors 68020
Oct 15, 2008
2,271
936
BFizzzle said:
jesus you said it sold millions LAST QUARTER,

every article you sent is from December 2011
excuse me for trying to clarify what you meant.

no one said you made it up
i had no idea it was that good of a success, the first link you posted was was about EBOOKS sold.

http://seekingalpha.com/article/557151-kindle-sales-plunge-made-amazon-com-s-gross-margin-look-better

the eink market has gone down 65% since those articles you have posted. It looks like the eink market is declining.. not exactly selling millions like you said. Yes maybe it was selling millions 10 months ago
Click to expand...
Apologies for sounding annoyed, thats my general attitude when i'm at work.

Obviously not working hard, haha, but at work non the less.

I didn't say the Kindle sold millions last quarter.

I said "The Kindle is has sold millions and millions and in the last quarter, Amazon sold more ebooks than physical books."

So in a way we're both winners, I just wasn't being clear.
 
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BFizzzle

BFizzzle

macrumors 68020
May 31, 2010
2,443
0
Austin TX
jabingla2810 said:
Apologies for sounding annoyed, thats my general attitude when i'm at work.

Obviously not working hard, haha, but at work non the less.

I didn't say the Kindle sold millions last quarter.

I said "The Kindle is has sold millions and millions and in the last quarter, Amazon sold more ebooks than physical books."

So in a way we're both winners, I just wasn't being clear.
Click to expand...
hahah sorry i did misread that a bit. i'm at work too lol so i tend to skim through. The comma being after is what threw me off i guess
 
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