I pay sales tax for kindle products or physical books. I can get books at barnes and noble for 10% off the cover price. So WHY would I pay the same price or more for a kindle?
MOST mass market paperbacks are the same price. Some of the more popular books are much more. Like the harry potter series, or the First 4 books in the Game of Thrones.
Sure, I have to pay for gas to drive to barnes and noble, except I am near there once or twice a week anyways.
(Hint: they don't seem to be O'reily, Cisco Press, Apress, SAMS, Sybex, or Microsoft Press.)
Because they aren't.
But look at any book from "the Big 6"; Hatchette Book Group, HarperCollins, macmillian, Penguin Group, Random House, Simon & Schuster. Of course all of these have subsidaries like Tor. I don't know the exact number, but these guys print the lion's share of the books out there. THEY are the ones that illegally price fixed along with Apple. They all entered into Agency pricing, and forced the ebook prices to be the same or higher than the cheapest physical book.
IF you purchase books from other publishers, chances are those prices will be less than the cheapest physical book.
I'm sure at one time the big publishing houses served a purpose. (Editing, promotion, collective use of expensive book printing/manufacture facilities)..
Publisher STILL provide a purpose. They Edit the book. They do fact checking. The market and advertise the book.
Yes, with the internet it is easier for an author to do some of the themselves. Not everyone wants to do it, or can do it. Publishers won't be going away anytime soon, if ever. I am sure as physical books start to go away, the exact job a publisher does will change a bit, but they'll still exist. They are not obsolete.
Since Amazon wants to profit as much as possible from whatever they do, they set their prices to what they think you will pay.
Actually they don't (and hence this particular lawsuit) Right now Amazon is setting the price at what the publisher tells them to set it at. I'm not sure what will happen in the coming weeks.
You're living in a fantasy world where the price of commodities is always dictated by production costs.
You are right. EXCEPT that is exactly what the publishers have been telling us. They tell us the ebook costs more to edit. But for me I don't really care. I can purchase the ebook at price x, or I can purchase the physical book for x - y....I'm going to get the physical book. Actually I'm not even doing that, I don't want to give that publisher money.
I am only willing to pay for a kindle book IF it is cheaper than the paperback. For most "books" that means something in the $5 range, as mass market paperbacks are $7-$9. And yes, I tend to wait.
Today (well last night when I checked) MOST of the ebooks I was interested in were the same price or MORE than the cheapest physical book. In a FEW cases the ebook was about 20 cents cheaper. Since I can get a physical book for %10 of the MSRP, 20 cents doesn't cut it.
This isn't about thinking ebooks should be free or dirt cheap. It is just about wanting to save money. If you, as a publisher, are willing to sell me a book for $7, why should I pay $8?
A couple of books I looked at:
Harry Potter box set. $50.85 in paperback, $57.54 kindle
Dune paperback: $9.99, Kindle $14.99
Diamond Age paperback:$10.88 Kindle 11.99
Game of Thrones 4 book bundle. mass market paperback $21.03, kindle $29.99
There are a handful that are cheaper in ebook version, but only a handful
Personally I've been reading a lot of free classics, and some indy authors.
Everyone I know other than myself bought a Kindle instead of better alternatives.
I purchased my Kindle, because it was the best product on the market (what is better?) It has a one month battery life and free (used to be) 3G.
Guess how many of these Kindle owners buy ebooks from anywhere other than Amazon?/quote>
I purchase most of my ebooks from amazon because it is easier. They'll ship it to my device for free. I do purchase from other publishers (you know the ones who don't have STUPID pricing) but it requires me to download them to my kindle via wire.
Please, how is this patent any different from real world bargaining?.
Nothing.
In real world bargaining the seller says "I'll sell this for X" and you counter with "I'll pay Y". The closest this comes is the seller sees you wearing an armani suit and offers to sell it to you for X, and then sees someone else in cuttoffs and offers to sell it for something less than X.
Can people exist in our society without the ability to read?
Yes, but it will be difficult.
Teach people to read and write, and they can then learn what they want to.
It is sort of like the "give someone a fish and they eat for a day, teach them to fish and they eat forever."
Does someone NEED to learn C or Java or Python? NO. Should they? NO. Can they? Sure
I don't want to stop anyone from learning programming (although it is difficult) but we shouldn't be forcing anyone. Teach them how to use the tools, not how to build the tools. Give them what they need to learn it if they want to (like reading and writing)
You don't need to know how to program to listen to music on an iPod, to watch a movie on your computer, to write a word document, to click a like button on Facebook. In short you don't need to know how to program to use a computer. It won't help you (unless you are using a poorly designed program, designed by a programmer)
Knowing how to program won't determine what you can, and can not do with the stuff you think you own.
Will knowing how to program make you a better driver? Yet there are more and more programming involved in the guts of a car.
Knowing how something is built, doesn't mean you are a better user.
I'm at the point in my life where I don't want to manage a shitload of different devices.
If you don't read books, then an ebook reader isn't for you. But if you do read books, what would you rather do? Manage a single device, or manage a shitload of different books?
A TV is fine. A monitor not so much, an ebook even worse. A TV is fine as it is generally further away and its average brightness is fairly low. But with the plethora of people who think you HAVE to have a white background, and how close one sits to a monitor, eye strain from using the computer is fairly eye. With a ebook reader, you tend to sit even closer, and concentrate harder.
I used to use a black background for ages (but had to stop due to all the idiot programmers) and my eyes felt MUCH better with the black screen than the white screen.
Get back to me after you spend most of the 8 hours of your 10 hour flight reading... and then immediately get on a train for a 10 hour train trip. How's that tablet working now?
I like eink as I don't have to stare at a light bulb to read. Plus it has about a one month battery life.
I really hate to defend the TSA but there is a legitimate infiltration vector that this does address - that employees beyond the checkpoint can being in substances and transfer them to passengers
If an employee is going to bring in explosives disguised as a bottle of water, the person who will explode the device won't be walking around the terminal drinking from said bottle of water. They will stick the bottle in their carryon and move on.
The TSA does NOTHING to stopping anyone but a layperson.
Hugo's right to distribute was grievously infringed.
Uhhhh, what?
While there might have been a breach of contract between Hugo and Ustream, UStream is under no obligation to distribute anything from anyone.
"The judge refused to give us a warrant. You can go."
So what you are saying is, the previous poster is right, you don't need papers. Just because some ahat stopped you, doesn't mean it is legal. Ohh and look a judge agreed that it wasn't legal.
In the US you are required to carry ID if you go out in public.
Citation needed
And yes, they do check people who are leaving the country now.
Its always been required to go through a checkpoint when you leave the country. You know, you are LEAVING the country and entering someone else's jurisdiction.
And American are ABSOLUTELY NOT allowed to travel anywhere they wish (try joining your European friend on his vacation in Cuba sometime if you think so).
And if you're American you are also prohibited from doing business with any country the American government doesn't like (which are usually the ones who dared overthrow one of the U.S.'s corrupt puppet regimes).
Land of the free...not so much.
I realize you are American, but I don't know if you realize that America does not encompass the entire world. Just because you are American does not mean you have free reign over the rest of the world. Yes there are some places you can't go, like Cuba (actually you can go there, it is just difficult) But you know, it is CUBA. The Cuban's decide who can enter their country.
As for trade with other countries, yeah, just because you have free speech doesn't mean you can trade with any country you want. You might want to reread your Constitution sometime.
Slashdot Mirror
I pay sales tax for kindle products or physical books. I can get books at barnes and noble for 10% off the cover price. So WHY would I pay the same price or more for a kindle?
MOST mass market paperbacks are the same price. Some of the more popular books are much more. Like the harry potter series, or the First 4 books in the Game of Thrones.
Sure, I have to pay for gas to drive to barnes and noble, except I am near there once or twice a week anyways.
(Hint: they don't seem to be O'reily, Cisco Press, Apress, SAMS, Sybex, or Microsoft Press.)
Because they aren't.
But look at any book from "the Big 6"; Hatchette Book Group, HarperCollins, macmillian, Penguin Group, Random House, Simon & Schuster. Of course all of these have subsidaries like Tor. I don't know the exact number, but these guys print the lion's share of the books out there. THEY are the ones that illegally price fixed along with Apple. They all entered into Agency pricing, and forced the ebook prices to be the same or higher than the cheapest physical book.
IF you purchase books from other publishers, chances are those prices will be less than the cheapest physical book.
For the same reason I want to go to kayak or orbitz to by a plane ticket. As opposed to going to each and every airline.
I'm sure at one time the big publishing houses served a purpose. (Editing, promotion, collective use of expensive book printing/manufacture facilities)..
Publisher STILL provide a purpose. They Edit the book. They do fact checking. The market and advertise the book.
Yes, with the internet it is easier for an author to do some of the themselves. Not everyone wants to do it, or can do it. Publishers won't be going away anytime soon, if ever. I am sure as physical books start to go away, the exact job a publisher does will change a bit, but they'll still exist. They are not obsolete.
Since Amazon wants to profit as much as possible from whatever they do, they set their prices to what they think you will pay.
Actually they don't (and hence this particular lawsuit) Right now Amazon is setting the price at what the publisher tells them to set it at. I'm not sure what will happen in the coming weeks.
Why is the paperback priced lower than the Kindle?
Because the ebook is delivered instantly (less than a minute) whereas the paperback shipping maxes out at next day.
What does that have to do with anything? When I am in the bookstore I pick the book up instantly. So it should be much more expensive?
I'm getting tired of this argument.
You're living in a fantasy world where the price of commodities is always dictated by production costs.
You are right. EXCEPT that is exactly what the publishers have been telling us. They tell us the ebook costs more to edit. But for me I don't really care. I can purchase the ebook at price x, or I can purchase the physical book for x - y... .I'm going to get the physical book. Actually I'm not even doing that, I don't want to give that publisher money.
What are you willing to pay?
I am only willing to pay for a kindle book IF it is cheaper than the paperback. For most "books" that means something in the $5 range, as mass market paperbacks are $7-$9. And yes, I tend to wait.
Today (well last night when I checked) MOST of the ebooks I was interested in were the same price or MORE than the cheapest physical book. In a FEW cases the ebook was about 20 cents cheaper. Since I can get a physical book for %10 of the MSRP, 20 cents doesn't cut it.
This isn't about thinking ebooks should be free or dirt cheap. It is just about wanting to save money. If you, as a publisher, are willing to sell me a book for $7, why should I pay $8?
A couple of books I looked at:
There are a handful that are cheaper in ebook version, but only a handful
Personally I've been reading a lot of free classics, and some indy authors.
Everyone I know other than myself bought a Kindle instead of better alternatives.
I purchased my Kindle, because it was the best product on the market (what is better?) It has a one month battery life and free (used to be) 3G.
Guess how many of these Kindle owners buy ebooks from anywhere other than Amazon?/quote> I purchase most of my ebooks from amazon because it is easier. They'll ship it to my device for free. I do purchase from other publishers (you know the ones who don't have STUPID pricing) but it requires me to download them to my kindle via wire.
Please, how is this patent any different from real world bargaining? .
Nothing.
In real world bargaining the seller says "I'll sell this for X" and you counter with "I'll pay Y". The closest this comes is the seller sees you wearing an armani suit and offers to sell it to you for X, and then sees someone else in cuttoffs and offers to sell it for something less than X.
Can people exist in our society without the ability to read?
Yes, but it will be difficult.
Teach people to read and write, and they can then learn what they want to.
It is sort of like the "give someone a fish and they eat for a day, teach them to fish and they eat forever."
Does someone NEED to learn C or Java or Python? NO. Should they? NO. Can they? Sure
I don't want to stop anyone from learning programming (although it is difficult) but we shouldn't be forcing anyone. Teach them how to use the tools, not how to build the tools. Give them what they need to learn it if they want to (like reading and writing)
You don't need to know how to program to listen to music on an iPod, to watch a movie on your computer, to write a word document, to click a like button on Facebook. In short you don't need to know how to program to use a computer. It won't help you (unless you are using a poorly designed program, designed by a programmer)
Knowing how to program won't determine what you can, and can not do with the stuff you think you own.
Will knowing how to program make you a better driver? Yet there are more and more programming involved in the guts of a car.
Knowing how something is built, doesn't mean you are a better user.
I'm at the point in my life where I don't want to manage a shitload of different devices.
If you don't read books, then an ebook reader isn't for you. But if you do read books, what would you rather do? Manage a single device, or manage a shitload of different books?
A TV is fine. A monitor not so much, an ebook even worse. A TV is fine as it is generally further away and its average brightness is fairly low. But with the plethora of people who think you HAVE to have a white background, and how close one sits to a monitor, eye strain from using the computer is fairly eye. With a ebook reader, you tend to sit even closer, and concentrate harder.
I used to use a black background for ages (but had to stop due to all the idiot programmers) and my eyes felt MUCH better with the black screen than the white screen.
Get back to me after you spend most of the 8 hours of your 10 hour flight reading... and then immediately get on a train for a 10 hour train trip. How's that tablet working now?
I like eink as I don't have to stare at a light bulb to read. Plus it has about a one month battery life.
Can we sue the TSA for putting us in harms way? I am sick and tired of them making me stand in line, next to a barrel full of suspected explosives.
Because some nerds travel, and care about this.
I really hate to defend the TSA but there is a legitimate infiltration vector that this does address - that employees beyond the checkpoint can being in substances and transfer them to passengers
If an employee is going to bring in explosives disguised as a bottle of water, the person who will explode the device won't be walking around the terminal drinking from said bottle of water. They will stick the bottle in their carryon and move on.
The TSA does NOTHING to stopping anyone but a layperson.
Hugo's right to distribute was grievously infringed.
Uhhhh, what?
While there might have been a breach of contract between Hugo and Ustream, UStream is under no obligation to distribute anything from anyone.
'wait, a jury member with actual knowledge of a field? that is almost like a peer!'.
Except he doesn't really have knowledge of the field (as was shown.) Just because he owns a patent, doesn't mean he knows anything about the field.
"The judge refused to give us a warrant. You can go."
So what you are saying is, the previous poster is right, you don't need papers. Just because some ahat stopped you, doesn't mean it is legal. Ohh and look a judge agreed that it wasn't legal.
In the US you are required to carry ID if you go out in public.
Citation needed
And yes, they do check people who are leaving the country now.
Its always been required to go through a checkpoint when you leave the country. You know, you are LEAVING the country and entering someone else's jurisdiction.
And American are ABSOLUTELY NOT allowed to travel anywhere they wish (try joining your European friend on his vacation in Cuba sometime if you think so).
And if you're American you are also prohibited from doing business with any country the American government doesn't like (which are usually the ones who dared overthrow one of the U.S.'s corrupt puppet regimes).
Land of the free...not so much.
I realize you are American, but I don't know if you realize that America does not encompass the entire world. Just because you are American does not mean you have free reign over the rest of the world. Yes there are some places you can't go, like Cuba (actually you can go there, it is just difficult) But you know, it is CUBA. The Cuban's decide who can enter their country. As for trade with other countries, yeah, just because you have free speech doesn't mean you can trade with any country you want. You might want to reread your Constitution sometime.
Consider Adding Physicality and Realism
So yes it is relevant
Apple is progressively moving towards fewer and fewer button.
While Apple suggests using fewer buttons, they also recommend:
Consider Adding Physicality and Realism
Which is basically the definition of "skeumorph"