KenC

The Palm Pre's Coming Out Party

Web apps have their place, and dedicated apps have theirs. Pre putting all of their eggs in web apps is only giving the user half of the benefits. Remember how developers and analysts kicked and screamed when Apple only offered web apps initially?

A lady phone is not going to appeal to guys.

Amazon's New Kindle-DX: $489 for an E-Reader?

Dear Virginia, the difference between a Kindle and an iPod, is that while the iPod was not inexpensive, the media was. I'm an avid reader. I visit B&N several times a week to look for new books. I'm exactly like the person the Kindle would seem ideal for; and yet, it's not for me. It's too fragile, too single-purpose, and too expensive, with expensive subscriptions to boot. I find the prices of books to be outrageous for e-media. The books I like are hardcover with pseudo-cut, creamy heavy paper and a nice font. I don't like cheap quality books, but if I'm not getting a quality book experience, then I am not going to pay an arm and a leg. The bottom line is that the Kindle is too expensive for what it is. The early adopters can pay, that's fine, but it won't get mass market penetration like an iPod, until they hit the pricing sweetspot. For me, that'd be around $100. Fine, make it a Book-a-month for 2 years, to subsidize the price, but the initial cost has to be lower, much lower. Or, keep the price where it is, but lower the cost of the e-books, which after all, have virtually no cost to the manufacturer. They have no inventory. They have no costly returns. The pricing is OUTRAGEOUS!

Why Amazon's Kindle May Be Paying for Itself

I doubt Amazon makes a cent from Kindle sales. The profit is in the e-books, so maximizing profit means getting as many Kindles in hands as possible, and that means selling them at cost.

Betting Apple's New Netbook Is a Big iPhone

The same reasons why flash and java are not on the iPhone apply to why they won't be on this new device.

Amazon Gaining Share on iTunes

Wow, weird, that was just weird. I clicked your link to Apple's "complain[ing] bitterly" story, and instead I get another one of your blogposts. Nowhere did I see Apple's "complain[ing] bitterly".

Is this just in your mind? Where is the info on Amazon "gaining share" on iTunes. Are you gonna blame the copy editor?

The obvious place to show Amazon "gaining share" is when you cite the NPD stats for 2008, where Apple has 87%, and Amazon 16%. What was it in 2007? Duh! Make a logical argument PLEASE!

Apple and Amazon's Open Embrace

I also thought about buying a Kindle, but realized that my iPhone had approximately the same page width. How?

Kindle 6" screen can be used in portrait, 600 pixels wide. Only 520 pixels are used for text, at 167ppi, that's 3.1 inches of text width.

iPhone or iPod touch 3.5" screen can be used in landscape, 480 pixels wide. All 480 pixels can be used for text, at 163ppi, that's 3 inches of text width.

The fact is, the iPhone and touch are only 8% narrower in width, when used in landscape. In various readers like Stanza and eReader, etc., you can choose font, font size, margin, line spacing, text color, page color, etc. It's all adjustable.

While I considered a Kindle, there wasn't enough of a difference to get me to fork $360 over for a 1-trick pony, whose trick needs another revision or two.

How Will Apple - Amazon Partnership Change the e-Book Industry?

First, there were 17M iPhone owners as of Xmas. There have probably been 2+M more in Jan and Feb for a total of 19+M. There are also more than 4M iPod touch owners, for a total audience of 23+M iPhone and touch users that can use the Kindle app.

Second, noone's eyes need suffer. The Kindle has only 600 pixels of width, with only 520 of those used for text. The iPhone has 480 pixels of width, or just 8% less, in landscape mode. Both have roughly the same pixel density of 163 to 167 ppi. And, they have adjustable font sizes. There is no more squinting on the iPhone than there is on a Kindle. The line length is virtually the same.

Third, e-books are too expensive. They need to be priced far less than a paperback. $5 to $7 is about right.

Fourth, publishers are still in trouble. Why? Authors would be smart to keep their digital publishing rights and self-publish to the iTunes App Store. Why? Amazon currently keeps over 50% of a $10 e-book. The publisher gets the bulk of the remainder. The author gets a fraction. This sounds vaguely familiar to what musicians get for their work. If an author self-published, they could price their work for $5, which would sell far more copies, and keep 70% or that, or $3.50, far more than what they currently get with the old model of publisher and distributor. Why not cut out the Middlebronfman, to use a term often applied to Universal Music's Edgar Bronfman. Why not?

Rate of Consumer Spending Decline Stabilizes - Overall Outlook Remains Grim

Uhm, someone tell those people still shopping at Linens n Things that it's gonna be closed forever in less than a week.

Just look at your first chart, I mean without October, you might have seen the leveling off in November, right? What if October said 58% expect to spend less? You could have totally missed it, but we'll never know since you either didn't do a monthly survey, or are choosing to ignore showing it.

Paul, trying getting with the new Millenium and use a modern charting app. The 80s are calling back for their copy of MS Excel.

Amazing how such a HUGE change in consumer sentiment, results in only a tiny percentage change in actual spending.

Rate of Consumer Spending Decline Stabilizes - Overall Outlook Remains Grim

These surveys by Changewave will always be suspect as long as the charts are misleading by using an X-axis that is not consistent from one date to the next. How can one do any trend analysis when surveys are sometimes one month apart and then 3 months apart. It's nonsense.

Rate of Consumer Spending Decline Stabilizes - Overall Outlook Remains Grim

These surveys by Changewave will always be suspect as long as the charts are misleading by using an X-axis that is not consistent from one date to the next. How can one do any trend analysis when surveys are sometimes one month apart and then 3 months apart. It's nonsense.

No New Kindles for 2008; Upcoming Models May Have Better Screens

The right formfactor is critical for mass acceptance. It's too clunky, and fragile as it is. It needs color if it's to replace school textbooks. AND, the price needs to be subsidized. Something like $99 if you buy 12 books and free if you buy 24. Something along those lines.