ENTRIES TAGGED "kindle fire"
Barnes and Noble, what’s the game plan?
Amazon's launch, Judge Cote's decision and an uninspired B&N add up a one-horse race
Do you suppose that trademark grin on the side of every Amazon box will get a little bigger now, maybe even showing some teeth?
The countdown has begun. Two noteworthy things happened yesterday. First, Amazon introduced a slew of new Kindle devices. Nothing revolutionary but some nice new features nonetheless. Second, and more importantly, Judge Cote approved the ebook settlement. I tend to think Amazon is probably more psyched about the latter than the former. After all, this means they can use their deep pockets to sell ebooks at a loss (OK, make one dollar of profit for each imprint) and drive the competition out of business.
It’s a victory for consumers, or so we’re being told. So what’s B&N, the #2 player, going to do now? Can they really match Amazon on pricing for very long? I don’t see how. And what’s the “why-to-buy” for a Nook anyway? I bought my Nook with GlowLight because I wanted to support the underdog. I’m in the minority though and I’m pretty sure yesterday’s developments will make it even harder for B&N to win over more new ebook/device customers.
Since there’s not a lot of innovation happening with these devices and platforms I figure B&N only has one option left. It’s the step some of us thought Amazon would take yesterday but they didn’t: Take a page out of the cell phone business and offer a low-end device for free that comes with a longer-term revenue commitment.
Remember this old line?: “Nobody ever gets fired for buying IBM.” There’s a similar belief that’s rapidly growing in the consumer space: “Nobody ever regrets buying Amazon/Kindle.” After all, you can get plugged into the $79/year Prime membership program and buy just about anything effortlessly, you get access to all those free ebooks, video, etc. Why wouldn’t someone buy a Kindle device?
The bigger question B&N has to answer is: “Why would someone want to buy a Nook over a Kindle?” If B&N doesn’t act quickly and with a really agressive campaign it’s clear their ebook market share will decline.
What do you think? Is the door rapidly closing on B&N’s opportunity to be a leader in the ebook space?
P.S. — Maybe the ideas I suggested in this earlier post aren’t so crazy after all.
B&N’s Results Point to Larger Industry Concerns
What's next if device sales from the two market leaders have plateaued?
I was disappointed to read that B&N’s Nook business was basically flat year-over-year. How could that be in such a red hot market? Ebook sales are skyrocketing and everyone seems to be buying new devices.
The more I think about it though the more I realize that B&N’s results are consistent with other data points we’ve seen this year and part of a broader industry trend.
Amazon Prime Time
What's the next step for the Kindle Fire tablet?
Like most technology products, each new version of Amazon’s Kindle eInk reader is lower-priced than the last one. There’s been speculation that the price will eventually go to zero, perhaps taking a page out of the cell phone model where the consumer commits to a long-term plan. There’s no monthly service plan for a Kindle so I always figured Amazon would require consumers to purchase a minimum number of ebooks over a 1- or 2-year period instead.
That makes sense, but there’s a bigger play Amazon probably has in mind and I’ll bet it will eventually feature their tablet, the Kindle Fire.
O'Reilly ebooks now optimized for Kindle Fire
O'Reilly Mobi files have been upgraded to meet the specs of Amazon's KF8 format.
If your O'Reilly ebook bundle includes a Mobi file, you can now download a KF8-compliant file. These updated files take advantage of the Kindle Fire's functionality.
Kindle Fire: Three pros, five cons
The good: Form factor and content. The bad: Lock in, auto updates and the Silk browser.
Joe Wikert says the Kindle Fire gets good marks for form factor and meeting basic consumer needs, but its lock in, auto updates and lack of a killer app are detriments.
Tools of Change for Publishing Newsletter: January 17, 2012
Publishing's big topics for 2012. The Kindle Fire's pros and cons.
Highlights from the 1/17/12 edition of the TOC newsletter include: TOC chairs Kat Meyer and Joe Wikert predict the important publishing trends of 2012.
Publishing News: "Hating Amazon is not a strategy"
Pragmatic responses to Amazon's Price Check, Consumer Reports hits the digital sweet spot and the Kindle Fire can be shelved.
Cooler heads respond to Amazon's latest move, Consumer Reports becomes the envy of news orgs everywhere and Peter Meyers chimes in for a New York Times Kindle Fire evaluation.
Tools of Change for Publishing Newsletter: November 23, 2011
Kindle Fire, common ground between books and music, and why your book is a startup.
Highlights from the 11/23/11 edition of the TOC newsletter include: A new wave of lower-priced tablets arrives, check out an excerpt from Todd Sattersten's "Every Book Is a Startup," and our editors guide the way to top pub news and analysis.
Publishing News: The news is free but the API will cost you
New revenue streams for news orgs, Amazon gnaws away at the publishing industry, and Kobo launches Vox.
News organizations look to commercial endeavors for unorthodox revenue. Also, Amazon continues to extend its reach into publishing and Kobo jumps on the tablet bandwagon.
iPad vs. Kindle Fire: Early impressions and a few predictions
Pete Meyers examines his iPad usage and sees how (and if) the Fire could fit in.
Few have actually held the Kindle Fire, let alone put it through its paces, so Pete Meyers chose a novel analytical approach: Examine his own iPad habits and look for spots where the Fire can find a foothold.