What iPhone Kindle means to Apple and Amazon
The release of the Kindle app for the iPhone has created a firestorm of controversy and speculation over what this new software will mean for both Amazon and Apple. Here is some more.
The release of the new Kindle app for the iPhone is a watershed event in some corners of the electronic and publishing worlds. It is the first time that the world of readers has ever been presented with two essential ingredients at the same time:
- A really large number of popular and new books available in the same electronic format from the same source. That would be the Amazon Kindle library.
- A truly popular, affordable device on which those books can be read. That would be the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch.
By all accounts, the Kindle 2 is a decent e-book reader. It probably costs too much, and it probably still has some aesthetics shortfalls, but Amazon got a lot of it right this time. Still, they have had a hard time supplying enough to meet demand, even at those prices. And they are having a hard time finding a large number of people willing to spend that much money.
But boy does Amazon have the electronic books! They are such a force in the publishing marketplace that they have been able to sign deals with almost all of the important publishers. Amazon has almost a quarter of a million books available in Kindle format. And these are not the classics. These are the books that people want to buy, the new and popular books.
Apple has a couple of truly popular mobile devices, the iPhone and the iPod Touch. Both of these devices were already capable of doing many things well, from cell phone to music player, plus all of the myriad things for which apps are available in the Apple App Store. These devices have true value to the consumer, even without a shot in the arm from Amazon. There are literally millions of them in use, with more being sold every day.
Finally, when introduce the Kindle app for the iphone, you have done a lot more than make one more mobile app available. You have made available a quarter million popular books to the millions of people that already carry an iPhone or a Touch. You have ignited the e-book business, once and for all.
The combination of the iPhone and Kindle-format e-books legitimizes the concept of the e-book reader in a way that neither Amazon or Apple could have done alone. They have given additional millions of people a reason to do two things: purchase e-books from Amazon and purchase mobile devices from Apple. The day that Kindle for the iPhone was released is the day that the e-book became real.
Amazon will sell more e-books, and that will make them happy. Apple will sell more iPhones and Touches, and that will make them happy. Readers will have better access to more books at lower prices, and that will make them happy. With the single exception of aesthetics, I cannot see where anyone in this equation comes out a loser.
I know, a lot of people want to hold a real book, and therefore are resisting the e-book with all their might. But this is a case where resistance is futile. I love the feel of books, but I hate the thought of cutting down entire forests so that we can all have a lot of them. I dislike the constantly rising price of physical books, and therefore truly appreciate the lower cost of the Kindle editions. I’m tired of moving 5,000 books wherever I go.
I know it is not as “natural†or as “organic†to read an e-book. It’s just that I’m not sure I care any more. At the rate electronic devices are getting smaller and more powerful, I look forward to the day that I will have the Library of Congress in my pocket. Then, when I have to wait for my dentist to finally getting around to seeing me, I will not be bored.
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