With the Kindle being the most recognizable success in the still-fledgling ebook-reader market, it isn’t surprising that it’s ending up the butt of rumbling. As Amazon looks poised to take over the market the same way Apple has grabbed a hold of music downloads via iTunes, it leaves publishers worried.
“The industry as a whole is a bit nervous about the Kindle and the possibility that Amazon will really lock up the e-book market,” the executive director of the Author’s Guild has been quoted as saying. That’s because Amazon gaining a stranglehold of the medium means they can dictate price exactly the same way Apple has been doing with record labels who want their songs available from iTunes.
Being the frontrunner in a new market, of course, is hugely different than gaining a foothold of it. As of now, the Kindle has established itself as the single most recognizable ebook reader in the world. However, it’s a long ways – several years, at least – in terms of actually entrenching itself as a standard the way the iPod has successfully done for Apple.
What may change all of this for Amazon, of course, is if they do push through with Jeff Bezo’s earlier (surprise) announcement that they’re opening up the Kindle store to more than just their proprietary platforms (which, as of now, consists of the Kindle reader and the iPhone app). If that does happen and other devices decide to embrace Kindle’s content, publisher’s worries might indeed be realized.
If you would like to make a comment, please fill out the form below.
