This is a great example of companies “getting it” — the Kindle for iPhone app (see Obsessable’s review) is a taste of a more premium experience one can get with the full Kindle reader. The text-to-speech functionality could have been the same thing to audiobooks if the Author’s Guild hadn’t freaked out — and still could be to those publishers and authors smart enough not to opt out.
Baker believes Amazon.com got more than it gave. “The iPhone becomes a seeding platform for e-book distribution,” he said, and an upsell opportunity for Amazon.com. “At a minimum, I think a lot of people with iPhones are going to try [the Kindle reader]. When they do, some will say, ‘I’d like to download directly, and I want a bigger screen, so maybe I should buy a Kindle.’ “
#1 by StephanieInCA - March 6th, 2009 at 11:07
My biggest concern about the Kindle, aside from it’s weird, book-buring-esque name, is that it compromises the integrity of the written word. A printed book may be unwieldy, but you know that once it’s on your shelf, not one letter is going to change. Can’t say the same for the Kindle.
Also, when I spill coffee all over a book, I’ve only ruined that particular book