Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, iPhone
Kindle + iPhone = Opportunities?
Buried in the announcement of the Kindle 2, Amazon also released a small nugget of information that had been flying around the Web for the past few days - that Kindle content will eventually come to cell phones.
So, how would that work? According to the announcement, the new Whispersync technology would allow readers to pause in reading a book on the Kindle and pick it back up on either another Kindle or eventually a cell phone. Not much detail was provided, though Gizmodo did confirm with Amazon's Ian Freed that Kindle content is on the way. Whether it's for the iPhone or Google's Android phone or the Blackberry, we don't know.
On one hand, the announcement is a victory for those advocating that digital content be available on more than one device. Amazon's already broken ground with music, and now wants to spread that to books. With more than 230,000 books currently available in the Kindle format, it's an impressive library to suddenly have at your fingertips.
On the other hand, Apple could see this as Amazon infringing on a potential product that could be sold and keep Kindle content off the iPhone. Yes, there is the Stanza store, but Amazon is by far a more visible and well-known competitor. I hope that this won't happen, as it'll just erode good will toward Apple, but it's by far not the first poor decision that Apple has made regarding what they feel belongs on the iPhone or not.
Personally, I'm actually of a mixed mind on the issue. I've been lusting after a Kindle for months, as my poor fiancé who hears those muttered longings will tell you, but haven't wanted to part with $359 for the device that definitely needed bugs ironed out in its first incarnation. I definitely see the advantages of being able to swap between Kindle and iPhone or just download straight to the iPhone.
But as I've bonded with my iPhone over the past 15 months, I've found that reading books on it wasn't a priority. I tried Stanza as soon as the App Store opened, but wasn't too thrilled with the interface. I settled on Classics, which I absolutely adore, but has a limited library. I tried standalone books available through the App Store and got mixed results.
The biggest problem I have with the iPhone is that the screen is just too small for reading novels. While writing this article, I pulled several books off my shelf - A Japanese light novel, its English-translated counterpart (which is the size of most manga currently available in the U.S.) and a traditional paperback, then set the iPhone next to them. The iPhone is less than half the size of the Japanese light novel, and those are pretty small! As seen earlier in the article, an iPhone is tiny next to a Kindle itself. I find myself reading a couple of pages, but then quickly abandoning the book. I spend more time flipping pages on an iPhone than actually reading the text.
We wouldn't have the Kindle without iPod or the iPhone, that much I'm sure of. I love my iPhone and will advocate it for most of my digital needs - except for books. In this case, I'll take a Kindle.
What do you think about Kindle content possibly coming to the iPhone, or the iPhone as a device for reading books? How would you handle the reading experience on an iPhone? Let us know in the comments!
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
mex said 7:38AM on 2-10-2009
I tryed Stanza... and frankly is not that easy read a book on iPhone screen... the e-paper is far better...
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Andy Miller said 8:22AM on 2-10-2009
Amazon's Kindle uses a version of Mobipocket (which Amazon acquired some time ago). I'm not sure what you'd call a proprietary version of something that's already proprietary but that's what Kindle is. Amazon only supports DRM-free when it can get some competitive advantage.
The Mobipocket reader is already available on a number of mobiles as well as Windows Media. So sorry no news here. And last time I looked Mobipocket had no intention of supporting either OS Xor Linux - but of course that could change.
The future is .epub not Kindle.
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chefgon_ign said 9:00AM on 2-10-2009
All of that seems totally irrelevant when Amazon is sitting on the only remotely successful implementation of e-books that the market has ever seen. The iPhone is proprietary everything and nobody's sitting around saying it's going to be a failure because of it.
EJ said 9:15AM on 2-10-2009
The news is not that Amazon is making Kindle books available on cell-phones - the news is that Amazon is creating a way for users to read a given book across several devices, depending on what's at hand. That's indeed news.
milkmage said 11:47AM on 2-10-2009
"Amazon only supports DRM-free when it can get some competitive advantage."
..not quite. check the wikipedia page for the kindle (not updated for kindle 2 yet). you can read non-drm'd txt and pdf files if you sync the files over (and convert the pdf's). you can also email your unprotected files to amazon and they'll send the .azw version back to you. there's quite a few links at the bottom of the page for content providers, and with the announcement of books@google earlier this month, the unofficial catalog of unprotected content for Kindle got bigger.
i think amazon should license their drm (which would include access to whispernet for bookmarking and downloads) and let the dev communities for your platform of choice handle the rest. you'd literally have tens of millions of potential customers over night. the article doesn't make it clear: do you have to own a kindle to get the cellular benefit?
i don't know what the economics of kindle are (is amazon absorbing some of the cost of the hardware and airtime?) but it seems like content is where the money is. license the DRM and .azw becomes the defacto standard for books in electronic format. publishers will line up to get their works online.
Yoshi1080 said 9:33AM on 2-10-2009
Actually, you can buy and download books with Stanza directly on your iPhone just fine. I did it only once, though, but it worked flawlessly without a computer.
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dan said 8:47AM on 2-10-2009
"Yes, there is the Stanza store, but Amazon is by far a more visible and well-known competitor. And with Stanza, you still download the books to the computer before transferring them to the iPhone."
Respectfully that is dead wrong with regard to both Stanza AND eReader.
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kompakter said 8:58AM on 2-10-2009
I'd love to at least try an Amazon "new release" book on my iPhone to see whether it would be worth it. I really want to read more, but $360 for a Kindle is just way too much if I can be comfortable reading a book on the iPhone.
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EJ said 9:12AM on 2-10-2009
As someone who's a little too in love with both my Kindle and iPhone, I think it sounds like a great marriage. I read some fairly long news articles on the iPhone every day, so being able to catch a chapter or two in the doctor's office without dragging my Kindle with me everywhere sounds more than doable.
What would really catch my attention would be if Amazon brought their text-to-speech technology to the iPhone - I'd certainly buy more books if I knew I could easily alternate between reading (at home) and listening (on the way to work or out on a bike ride).
Now I just hope Whispersync is Kindle 1 compatible. It seems to be more of a cloud/network technology than a device/hardware technology, so I'm optimistic.
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Mr. H said 9:25AM on 2-10-2009
I think you need to give Stanza another try. A lot has happened since its initial release and by adjusting the colors, you can create quite a nice reader. It's not like epaper but a kindle can't play music, make calls and play wurdle... For me it's all about one device that does things well and I, personally think Stanza is amazing.
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vandil said 9:35AM on 2-10-2009
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to find PDFs of your favorite non-free books online (That's just how the world is now), so I won't get into online book sales.
The problem is displaying them on an iPhone. PDFs and LITs look butt-ugly on Stanza, even if you convert them to epub format. Stanza likes to ignore carriage returns, ALL CAPS, indented passages, and other structures. Of course the books in the Stanza store look great.
When viewing a PDF via Air Sharing, the PDF is displayed with all the original structure, but it is microscopic and zooming the text means you can read like 3 sentences before needing to scroll.
To me, the iPhone biggest problem for eBook reading is its screen.
Keep an eye on those "Book" Apps in the App store -- the ones where its just one book encapsulated in an App. If those sell well, I expect a real book store to be opening within iTunes, selling each book as an App, or better, incorporating that reader into a future iPhone/Touch OS with a larger screen (or a tablet Mac!).
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David Eckert said 9:41AM on 2-10-2009
iPhone, Android, or Blackberry? Forgetting someone? I'll put money down now that it's coming to Windows Mobile first. Just easier to program for, especially companies that make a lot of Windows software already. Plus, I'll love reading books on my Diamond (640x480, which of those phones above had that high of a resolution again?).
TUAW and Engadget may hate WM phones, but they really do more. In the past they haven't been as sexy, and that's the only reason they got a bad rap now.
/rant off
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Quinn Taylor said 10:46AM on 2-10-2009
I think you're barking up the wrong tree. The success or failure of eBooks has almost nothing to do with ease of programming on a given platform. It has much more to do with the user experience — how easy and pleasant it is to obtain and read books on a given device.
Also, claiming that Windows Mobile is "just easier to program for" is a false over-generalization. Sure, for people and companies that "make a lot of Windows software already", it's easier to stick with what you know. (Even then, there's still a learning curve when moving to Windows Mobile.) However, you can't argue the fact that the ease of programming for the iPhone has sort of sucked the wind out of WM's sails.
Programming aside, Apple also has a nifty app distribution model you might have heard of, while Microsoft is still playing catch-up. Unless you can get an app on every WM device in the world, the competitive advantage is more imagined than real... If content owners are smart, they'll choose a platform where they know they'll meet with success, not just pander to a fading mobile phone monopoly of yesteryear.
David Eckert said 10:53AM on 2-10-2009
Easy distribution? Yes, I do suppose monopolies do make it relatively easy to get their services. I hope you really like the App store, because that's the only way you can get programs on your phone (unless you jailbreak it, which doesn't count for this argument, since we're talking about intended function). You don't need an app store or iTunes or any bull to get a program onto a WM device. Just program it and run the cab file on your device (oh right, you can't browse files on the iPhone...). You can use a desktop installer if you need to; you have the option to do it either way. You can even copy-paste the file....wait, I don't want to bring up a sore point here.
The point is, the article just ignored WM devices, and I'm bringing up the point they are more versatile than all of the devices that were listed, and I'm saying Kindle ebook support will be on WM before it hits the iPhone.
Quinn Taylor said 11:13AM on 2-10-2009
(Disclaimer: I don't even own a cell phone, iPhone or otherwise.)
Once again you miss the point. I'm not talking about a monopoly on distribution (which the App Store is, I'll give you that). I'm talking about *ease* of distribution. On the iPhone / iPod Touch, you don't *have* to run a cab file or a desktop installer, or even have it linked with your computer — you just tap to download and install. If you don't want to bother with the App Store, it's easy enough to write your own software and deploy it right to the device (for personal use) from inside Xcode.
My goal wasn't to defend the article leaving out Windows Mobile, it was to debunk myths and FUD. Arguing that Windows / Windows Mobile will ever be first and best because "companies ... make a lot of Windows software already" doesn't really hold water anymore. (People have dogmatically argued this for years, but it hasn't kept Apple from unarguable success.) That's not to say you're necessarily wrong, but this is not your most convincing argument.
Sorry for feeding the troll.
Cory McCarty said 11:06AM on 2-10-2009
I read books on my Palm Treo and on my Blackberry Pearl. I think if the screens on those devices can support it, then so can the iPhone.
With that said, I own a Kindle and have preordered a Kindle 2 (I have no willpower). I love the current Kindle. Given the choice between reading on a Kindle and reading on anything with an LCD-type screen, I'll take the Kindle every time. I actually prefer to read anything but technical books on the Kindle over the paper variety. The Kindle made reading on a gadget the PREFERRED way of reading rather than just an option for when I don't have a paper book on hand.
I am very much hoping that Amazon will release a Kindle app for the iPhone. I'll still read on my Kindle when I can, but I don't have the Kindle with me 100% of the time. I do have my iPhone nearly 100% of the time. And if they can sync the current reading location, then being able to read my Kindle books even when I don't have my Kindle will be awesome. In fact, I could easily see that becoming one of my favorite 3rd party iPhone apps.
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Sam said 11:33AM on 2-10-2009
I'm really hoping this is more than just FUD. I've been reading ebooks on my palm/treo for years, and now use Stanza on my iphone. It might not be for everyone, but the convenience of being able to carry a library in my pocket, and have my books on a device I always have with me....no dedicated ebook reader is going to work as well for me personally. It'd be really nice to have access to all the books Amazon has made available for the Kindle...
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Quinn Taylor said 1:14PM on 2-10-2009
Sorry, I didn't mean that this article was FUD. I was referring to those who continue to preach that Platform X will dominate because it's easier to program for, or because it has such a large user base. Even more so, those who surmise that Apple is therefore condemned to obscurity and failure.
I suggest reading the recent (lengthy) article on eBooks over at Art Technica (http://arstechnica.com/features/2009/02/the-once-and-future-e-book.ars) for background on what has happened and the forces at work that influence what is likely to happen. In the book market, it's never just as easy as "if you build it, they will come".
Ease of programming is generally the least of impeding factors. We can only hope that content owners continue on recent, more reasonable trends with respect to availability, DRM, distribution, etc.
Charles Hoard said 2:38PM on 2-10-2009
I have a Sony reader and an iPhone. For long train/plane travel, you can not beat the Sony (yes, I cheat and recharge it off my PSP AC adapter, but that's for another blog) for reading pleasure. But I have to know and plan in advance to have it around; it is hardly easy to carry as an afterthought.
I always have my phone on me however, and in my opinion the free Stanza software in the App store was my best find of the month. I already use Fictionwise.com as my main book supplier, and when I installed the software on my phone and those books from my Fictionwise bookshelf popped up, with color covers, I am sure i looked my like 8 year old on Christmas.
Which platform you use is a balance of time and convenience, like everything in life, but I strongly agree that multiple platforms is a necessity with any purchase. These guys have a bad habit of trying to protect themselves into the poor house.
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Rob E. said 3:35PM on 2-10-2009
I love Stanza. Since I got my first iPod, between the availability of podcasts, audio books, and, of course, all of my music, I had taken a break from reading actual print books unless I was planted at home or on vacation for a good amount of time. The iPod provided me with enough entertainment that I let go of my habit of always taking at least one book with me out of the house. Thanks to Stanza and my iPod touch, I can have it all. I don't read for long periods of time on my iPod, but I do dip into Stanza for a couple of hours a week generally. I've tweaked the display settings to make them more comfortable to read and also dark enough to not add too much light to the bedroom when I'm reading after my wife has gone to sleep.
But.
I've played with a Kindle. I've read on it and poked around the interface, and while it's not perfect, I like it a lot, and the reading experience beats the iPod hands down (and, as Cory says, has a leg up on an actual book, as well). I want to buy one, especially now that 2.0 is almost here, but one of my issues is that the Kindle is still not something I'm likely to leave the house with regularly. It's just as portable as a book, but much more fragile, and the financial consequences of breaking it are much more severe than those of tearing a page from my paperback. I could see taking it along when I intended to read, but, unlike my iPod, I don't see it as being always present for those occasions when I happen to find myself with a few minutes to read. That is why Kindle books on the iPhone sound so exciting. I could easily see reading a book on the Kindle at home, reading a chapter or two at lunch or on the bus using my iPod, and then picking up on the Kindle later on. The new design of the Kindle had me about convinced that it's time to start saving my pennies for one. If I can sync books between the Kindle and the iPod, that's pretty much all the convincing I need.
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