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Will Kindle make an app for iPad to compete?
- Thread starter zub3qin
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I have Kindle on my Ipod Touch. It already offers a tiny font that would look great at 2X on the iPad. Apple would look pretty boneheaded if they suddenly blocked Kindle from running on iPad. Of course Amazon will update Kindle for iPad. They are selling books not hardware. BTW, Apple is up to the same thing. At $500, I suspect Apple is making a modest profit off of iPad, probably about what they make off an iPod Shuffle. But they are banking on another $30 per user for iWork, another $100 or so per user for add-ons like the keyboard dock and usb/sd reader.
I don't think Apple will mind one bit if Kindle software runs right alongside their ibookstore. Things might get a little more dicey if the Apple bookstore starts to really take off or if you are able to open your Kindle books in Apple's reader or open your Apple books in Kindle's reader.
Well, Apple doesn't allow competing music store apps on iPhone.
Also, at the Keynote, Apple said "Almost all of your existing iPhone apps will be compatible with iPad"- perhaps an out to kill some competing apps?
On the other hand, didn't Apple announce an in-App purchase process-- which they get 30% cut of anything purchased from within an App? Amazon will not be able to undercut Apple on ebook pricing if they have to give Apple 30%. So that would mean you have to buy an ebook on Amazon online, and then when you run the app, it would sync over (like with iPhone). Something tells me Apple will ban the new Amazon app.
Kindle DO make/sell hardware!
The two are in competition, at least as far as kindle is concerned, the iPad can replace a kindle, but not the otherway round as the kindle doesn't do video/web (properly)/email etc etc.
Also, apple have said they are using the open ePub format for ebooks, amazon/kindle use a closed drm'd format, which wont work.
basically most ebook store books will be compatible with the iPad (including sony eReader books which are ePub), no kindle books are compatible with any non kindle device.
however, amazon have been smart and given up some hardware sales by allowing the kindle app on the iPhone. best of both world's, if apple don't offer it, kindle might, all available on your iPad. That's a combination not offered by anyone but apple.
I doubt they will, but I'd suggest any prospective iPad owners download the kindle app now incase apple pull it before the iPad is launched.
- Apple seems to be using their own DRM, so their books will only work in the iPad for now.
- There's a Kindle app for Windows, iPhone, and soon Mac and Blackberry.
Apple could just make your old iPhone Kindle app incompatible with iPad (ie forbid it from syncing to the device). They have said not all of your iPhone apps will work with iPad.
Anyway, how realistic would it be to read a book on a tiny iPhone screen? Even if the screen is blown up to fit the iPad in the compatibility mode, it would be real blurry.... hard to read.
But using that format means that other ePub books will work on it. Otherwise it aint an open format!
Right, and that's smart of amazon, get people invested in a book or two, then realise the only hardware that supports their existing ilbrary is Kindle.
That seems really unlikely, considering apps that have been pulled before. Apple has never stopped people who already own the app continue using it, just stop selling new copies of the app. Kindle sync's with your amazon account OTA, so once it's on there, it's on there.
The font would be rendered by the iPad, it should be fine.
I've read half a book on my iPhone before I had to stop, but it was Twilight, and I didn't want to thrown my iPhone at a wall in disgust...
I've read all my eBooks on a smaller screen on Sony's Clies. Multiple novels.
it's not a problem at all, in fact, if you like to read in bed - it rocks because you can get uber comfy and still read
(think, arms UNDER the covers to stay warm!!)I would expect the shipping version of iBooks to be at or above the kindle app in features, so that you will want to buy from Apple.
Oh and Amazon sells the kindle to sell BOOKS (in my opinion). They aren't in the "hardware business" to sell hardware, it it all about driving book sales. What was it they said the other, that if a book has a kindle version they sell 6 (or 7?) copies of it for ever 10 paper books.
Apple has stated, i believe, they do NOT make money on selling music - that the music drives the iPod sales numbers. Quite a different take on the approach, but i'm guessing the lower margins on the iPad will be changing that a bit..... content, and cuts of it will be more important.
And really, I want book rentals....
People complain that companies add DRM to ePub.
And you can read complaints from Adobe about Apple not using their DRM.
I guess we'll have to wait and see on this one.
Personally, all I want from it is to be able to import your own PDF's/docs/other ePub's into your iBooks library and sync them to the iPad. If it can do that, I'm getting one, if not, I'll get a cool-er or sony reader or something that will let me do that.
While there's a good chance you'll be able to read Adobe-DRM books on the iPad, it looks like you won't be able to read iBooks without Apple readers.
That's a good point - but Apple may also be eyeing the millions of Kindle owners and would be aware that they would really like to get those people on board so they might buy an iPad. Once they have an iPad, they might buy some books from Apple instead of Amazon. If they don't buy an iPad, they definitely won't buy eBooks from Apple. If they can't use their existing eBooks on the iPad, they are much more likely to stick with Kindle hardware I would think.
that's pretty much what I'm hoping for/expecting. But I'm not invested in any eBook format / hardware. Still watching what happens and waiting.
For all the advantages of the iPad, dedicated eBook readers like the Kindle will still survive. Look at the iPod lineup. The classic, hard drive-based iPod is still there, even though the nano and the touch have been getting all the development attention recently. Some niche technology just persists.
Furthermore, Amazon is not a hardware company in the sense Apple is. Amazon got into hardware to guarantee itself a share of the emerging eBook sales market. Sony was the only other competator, and frankly they were in a weak position. If you have any doubt about Amazon's "content first" strategy, look at the iPhone, Mac, PC, Blackberry applications. There is absolutely nothing to suggest that Amazon wouldn't be just as happy to have thier eBooks on the iPad as well.
Furthermore, Amazon is not a hardware company in the sense Apple is. Amazon got into hardware to guarantee itself a share of the emerging eBook sales market. Sony was the only other competator, and frankly they were in a weak position. If you have any doubt about Amazon's "content first" strategy, look at the iPhone, Mac, PC, Blackberry applications. There is absolutely nothing to suggest that Amazon wouldn't be just as happy to have thier eBooks on the iPad as well.
I think Apple is convinced their iBook app is "standing on the shoulders of the Kindle", and won't kill an iPad sized Kindle app as it would be like killing your father. Amazon already has a full-sized Kindle and it's code available that should port relatively easy to the ipad. They'll have it ready and even throw in a few new tricks by the time you can buy the new ipad. JMHO.
I hope you're right - I'm in the market for an eBook reader and currently undecided which way to go. I don't like the idea of being locked into Apple eBooks any more than Kindle eBooks, but if you could have both on the iPad, I might consider it. If you get locked into one seller because of a hardware choice, the chances are there will be times when some book you want is not available, but is available from other sellers. Also, until the eBooks part of iTunes goes live, no-one will know for sure if the prices are good, or the availability of a wide range of titles and publishers. Not to mention the differences between what you can buy outside the US. Right now, Amazon has a massive head start.
We were discussing this here https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/855026/ the other day.
We won't know til it's launched, but in that thread we kinda came to the conclusion that apple wouldn't really be able to stop the Kindle for iPhone App being available on the iPad. It was originally allowed, if it was then disallowed it would open Apple up to Anti-competition lawsuits! I also think it would be appropriate to keep it available to allow those not in the US. iBooks will not be available internationally immediately, however Kindle already has an International store and would keep people happy until Apple's International iBook store opens
It's all guesswork for now though....
We won't know til it's launched, but in that thread we kinda came to the conclusion that apple wouldn't really be able to stop the Kindle for iPhone App being available on the iPad. It was originally allowed, if it was then disallowed it would open Apple up to Anti-competition lawsuits! I also think it would be appropriate to keep it available to allow those not in the US. iBooks will not be available internationally immediately, however Kindle already has an International store and would keep people happy until Apple's International iBook store opens
It's all guesswork for now though....
Not sure how important this is, but thought it was interesting - I was also wondering whether or not the iPad would support the current Kindle app. So, I googled "Kindle iPad app," (link below), and one of the first results I got was a link to the new iTunes store web interface. However, the Google link says in its headline, "Kindle for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad on the iTunes App Store." Interesting that they included all three devices in the description. But then, when you open the link itself, the system requirements say nothing about the iPad - although I guess that's not surprising since it's so new and nobody owns an iPad yet. Could this be a clue that it will indeed work on the iPad??
http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=kindle+ipad+app&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8
http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=kindle+ipad+app&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8
There will be Kindle app for iPad
Amazon.com announced that it WOULD have an app for the ipad when it released the Blackberry Kindle app last week.
" Amazon also plans to release applications for the Mac and Apple iPad, a tablet computer set to be released at the end of March."
http://www.informationweek.com/news/software/enterpriseapps/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=223000187&subSection=Enterprise+Applications
Amazon.com announced that it WOULD have an app for the ipad when it released the Blackberry Kindle app last week.
" Amazon also plans to release applications for the Mac and Apple iPad, a tablet computer set to be released at the end of March."
http://www.informationweek.com/news/software/enterpriseapps/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=223000187&subSection=Enterprise+Applications
I don't understand how hard it is to grasp the concept that Apple is at heart a hardware vendor who's task is really to design and sell hardwares, the majority of their profits.
Apple has the iTunes, App Store and iBook store to create a purpose for the device, something to make the device 'just work' in the ideology that you can get everything you need on the device.
They are selling contents in order to sell a device - the more content, the happier they are. They have no stopped Kindle before, they won't stop it this time around.
Apple has the iTunes, App Store and iBook store to create a purpose for the device, something to make the device 'just work' in the ideology that you can get everything you need on the device.
They are selling contents in order to sell a device - the more content, the happier they are. They have no stopped Kindle before, they won't stop it this time around.
I do it all of the time. It's quite nice, actually.
And as of a month ago, I rarely heard the iPhone screen being referred to as "tiny" and hard to read on. Amazing what marketing will do to people's opinions.