application will cannibalize sales of Amazon's Kindle e-book reader. A
BusinessWeek article suggests that Amazon's no-cost app for the iPhone
and iPod Touch may give consumers one less reason to buy the pricey
Kindle 2:
"'In an economy like we have today, I don't see people shelling out
hundreds of dollars for a device which replicates something they
already have,' says Bill Mirabito, head of e-commerce researcher B2C
Partners."
But while the Kindle 2 certainly is no bargain at $359, I doubt that
Kindle for iPhone will cut into Kindle hardware sales one bit. If
anything, the app may actually spur Kindle sales by introducing
millions of iPhone/iPod Touch users to the world of e-books.
By comparison, reading an e-book with a Kindle is a pleasant
experience. With its paperback-size proportions, Amazon's reader
displays a full page at a time. Its large, ergonomic buttons make it
easy to turn the book's virtual pages, and you can tap the screen to
access certain controls. And its non-backlit e-ink display is far
easier on the eyes than the iPhone's backlit screen, particularly if
you plan to read for an hour or two.
Furthermore, Kindle for iPhone is intentionally crippled. You can't,
for instance, access Kindle's blogs, magazines or newspapers. But
since iPhone users can get most of that content via the Web anyway,
that's probably not a major shortcoming.
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