Comments on: Kindle might be open to non-Amazon apps someday, says Kindle VP http://www.teleread.org/2008/11/14/kindle-might-be-open-to-non-amazon-apps-someday-says-amazon-kindle-vp/ News & views on e-books, libraries, publishing and related topics Sun, 22 Nov 2009 03:18:54 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: David Rothman http://www.teleread.org/2008/11/14/kindle-might-be-open-to-non-amazon-apps-someday-says-amazon-kindle-vp/comment-page-1/#comment-954255 David Rothman Fri, 14 Nov 2008 17:38:06 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/11/14/kindle-might-be-open-to-non-amazon-apps-someday-says-amazon-kindle-vp/#comment-954255 Thanks for your thoughts, but I'd still disagree. At least iPhone/Touch lets third-party e-book apps run---such as Stanza, which can even read ePub, the IDPF standard. We're talking about hundreds and maybe thousand of indie apps. Yep: "the software is not theirs" in such cases. But, hey, I totally agree with your concerns about Apple, too. Look what Apple did to a podcast app that didn't use the blessed iTunes store. Let's hope that third-party apps such as Stanza can continue to thrive on the iPhone. Meanwhile with the iPhone/Stanza combo out there, Amazon can't control our reading quite as much as it would otherwise. It'll be interesting to see what happens if Stanza gets DRM or, <em>much</em> better, can develop a DRMless distribution system for commercial publishers. I wouldn't count eReader out, either: it already has DRM. And Amazon-owned Mobi is supposed to show up on the iPhone in the near future. Thanks, David (agian, emphasizing his preference for DRMless approaches!) Thanks for your thoughts, but I’d still disagree. At least iPhone/Touch lets third-party e-book apps run—such as Stanza, which can even read ePub, the IDPF standard. We’re talking about hundreds and maybe thousand of indie apps. Yep: “the software is not theirs” in such cases.

But, hey, I totally agree with your concerns about Apple, too. Look what Apple did to a podcast app that didn’t use the blessed iTunes store. Let’s hope that third-party apps such as Stanza can continue to thrive on the iPhone.

Meanwhile with the iPhone/Stanza combo out there, Amazon can’t control our reading quite as much as it would otherwise. It’ll be interesting to see what happens if Stanza gets DRM or, much better, can develop a DRMless distribution system for commercial publishers. I wouldn’t count eReader out, either: it already has DRM. And Amazon-owned Mobi is supposed to show up on the iPhone in the near future.

Thanks,
David
(agian, emphasizing his preference for DRMless approaches!)

]]> By: bwaldron http://www.teleread.org/2008/11/14/kindle-might-be-open-to-non-amazon-apps-someday-says-amazon-kindle-vp/comment-page-1/#comment-954016 bwaldron Fri, 14 Nov 2008 16:23:41 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/11/14/kindle-might-be-open-to-non-amazon-apps-someday-says-amazon-kindle-vp/#comment-954016 I don't see how feeding Apple for an iPhone/Touch would be better for those who fear Amazon's market power. I find Apple's business practices even more odious than Amazon (Yes, I know that the software is not theirs). But yes, we need to do away with DRM schemes. I don’t see how feeding Apple for an iPhone/Touch would be better for those who fear Amazon’s market power. I find Apple’s business practices even more odious than Amazon (Yes, I know that the software is not theirs).

But yes, we need to do away with DRM schemes.

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