Filed under: Multimedia, Odds and ends
Kindle software coming to Mac OS X
Fast Company is reporting that there is a Kindle reader application coming for the Mac. At the Windows 7 launch this week, Microsoft said there is a Windows version of the e-reader on the way, prompting a promise from Amazon that a Mac version was coming as well. Amazon hasn't released sales figures for the hardware-based Kindle reader, but under pressure from Sony and the new Barnes and Noble 'nook,' Amazon is working hard to increase the share of Kindle users. That means not restricting e-book reading to an Amazon device, but opening up the software to run on more platforms.
Kindle already has a clever e-book reader for the iPhone and iPod touch, and it allows standalone use, or synchronization with a Kindle so you can stop reading on one device and then pick up on the same page on the other.
There's no estimated shipping date for the Mac Kindle software, and we can't forget that if Apple delivers a tablet computer it could put Amazon into direct competition with Apple.
This is bound to be fun to watch.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Yoshi1080 said 4:31PM on 10-24-2009
Actually I was planning to buy a Sony eReader instead of a Kindle mainly for the reason that Kindle books can't be read on a computer. Now I guess I'll better wait and see ... and don't buy any more eBooks with Adobe DRM until I've decided. ;-)
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Thomas said 5:29PM on 10-24-2009
I still worry about e-reader books being purchased then being deleted by Amazon due to some internal mixup. If I buy a physical book it's pretty hard for Amazon to take it back. I'll stick to physical books.
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bikeham said 5:42PM on 10-24-2009
Hold of on buying a Kindle, according to David Pogue's tweet:
“I haven't seen the Nook in person, but "on paper," it sure looks like it wipes the floor with the same-priced Kindle! http://bit.ly/TMc3h”
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Yoshi1080 said 7:13PM on 10-24-2009
The Nook has a small secondary touchscreen LCD instead of a physical keyboard. That's a nice addition, but I prefer Sony's way of combining the whole eInk display with a touchscreen. I also think the backlight of the LCD would be disturbing during reading. In my opinion it's a nice variation, but not that better than the Kindle. Plus you can only use it in the USA, whereas the Kindle works in 100 countries.
Kevin said 4:12AM on 10-25-2009
Also, the nook doesn't seem to have text-to-speech capability.
Macintosh Sauce said 9:24AM on 10-25-2009
I think that Amazon wins hands down IMHO. I have a Kindle 2 and I can honestly say that I've done my research regarding prices and book availability between Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
The majority of Amazon's eBook prices are cheaper than B&N and they have a better selection too. Many books I have in the Kindle format are not even available in B&N's eBook library. This is not good for buyers of the "nook." The "nook" is intriguing but I expect Amazon to up the ante with their next round of Kindle models. If B&N makes their prices more in line with Amazon's I may take a second look later on.
The Kindle 2 does exactly what I got it for - reading many books that are way cheaper than the physical versions. So far, I have purchased 125 books for my Kindle 2. I got the Kindle because I have no more room for physical books in my computer/study room.
Misplaced Mage said 2:51AM on 10-26-2009
Given Amazon's experiences with audiobook publishers and text-to-speech in the Kindle 2, the reasons for the Nook not including the feature may be legal, not technical.
John.B said 6:19PM on 10-24-2009
So the guys at Amazon finally got to the bottom of their inbox and decided maybe to throw Mac users a bone? Like they are reading from the Google Chrome playbook?
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THJ said 10:44AM on 10-26-2009
The PC version wasn't even announced until Oct. 23rd.
GJN said 9:57PM on 10-24-2009
Interesting. So I could be reading Kindle books on an Apple tablet/eBook reader!
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rogers said 11:25PM on 10-24-2009
I tried to buy the Kindle app a while back, but of course, anything from Amazon that is software related is unavailable in Thailand. The Barnes & Noble app is. I now have that; and when their email circulations showed me a book I liked, I tried for the online version first, but ended up having the hard version shipped. Amazon (and CNN with their unavailable app) have lessons to learn.
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Kevin said 4:28AM on 10-25-2009
Amazon may not see Apple's tablet as competition (at least not in the way that the nook is).
A nook sale is a lost sale for the Kindle, because the buyer is obviously buying a reader that is not a Kindle. It's also a loss in terms of content sales, because a nook owner can't buy content from Amazon.
An Apple tablet sale is not necessarily a lost sale for the Kindle, because the buyer may be buying it primarily for other reasons. If the Kindle app runs on the tablet, the Apple tablet could mean additional sales of content.
Amazon could increase content purchases on Apple (and PC) products with the convenience of an in-app store. Apple might take a cut of the in-app purchases, but it could make it profitable for both companies.
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iMatt said 12:48PM on 10-25-2009
I agree w/ Kevin, and add that Amazon produces a free Kindle iPhone app that allows the user to read all e-books purchased on Amazon. (Although the screen is small and bright and therefore not ideal for reading, the touch interface is great for highlighting text and adding notes.) Amazon also has a link to an iPhone-optimized web page from which to buy more Kindle content.
So Amazon's play here is not mainly selling devices, but rather selling books from there online store. It's the razor blades, not the handle. This contrasts w/ Apple, which uses the lure of content (e.g., iTunes Store media) to sell more Macs, iPods, and iPhones.
Also, to respond to GJN, I'll bet that any tablet that Apple introduces would be based more on the iPhone OS than the desktop OS. (Of course, they are both OS X at heard.) I suspect that it will run iPhone apps, including the current Amazon Kindle reader app; or, alternatively, that it will allow Amazon to easily adapt the current app to the new device.
Denny said 7:43PM on 10-25-2009
Just in time for the Mac tablet? That would be great!
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Misplaced Mage said 2:36AM on 10-26-2009
I'm willing to bet that Amazon's Kindle application for the Mac is nothing more than a new version of Lexcycle's Stanza. After all, Amazon purchased Lexcycle back in April.
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Tk said 1:48PM on 10-26-2009
The biggest problem with kindle is not the readers, but the unregulated ways publishers can make ebooks without hyperlinked table of contexts or indexes. Textbooks will not thrive until navigation in thousand page books start to improve and become standardized. Also, news flash, "search" doesn't work on my 2,000 page kindle version of a medicine text.
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