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U.S. Sues Apple & Publishers

hank
edited April 2012 in Off-Topic
I think this is good news for all of us if it fosters more competition and fairer pricing of e-books. There's no reason in *#!*# why a e-book download should cost anywhere near what a hard copy delivered to your home costs. I recently had an inkling to re-read Norman Vincent Peale 's "The Power of Positive Thining" - remembering only that it left quite an impression on me in 1970. Yikes - $11.99 at Amazon's Kindle store! No way I'd pay that much to download a book first published in 1952.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/11/us-apple-ebooks-idUSBRE8391JW20120411


Comments

  • Flack
    What has the original publishing date have to do with it?
    Maybe some positive thinking is more important than the price comparison.
    BTW, how much did the Kindle cost?
  • hank
    edited April 2012
    If same amount of positive thinking could be gleaned today as when I was 23 ... guess it would be worth it. Am highly dubious of that. "Kindle Keyboard with 3G" sells for $189.00.
  • MikeMMikeM
    Hi Hank. fwiw, my wife uses Amazon.com to buy and sell a lot of used books. I noticed the book you want can be had 'used' for ~$3. Problem is they'll charge you $4 for shipping. Still cheaper then their download though.

    Here's the link to that book.

    http://www.amazon.com/gp/search/ref=sr_adv_b/?search-alias=stripbooks&unfiltered=1&field-keywords=&field-author=Norman+Vincent+Peale&field-title=&field-isbn=&field-publisher=&node=&field-p_n_condition-type=&field-feature_browse-bin=&field-subject=&field-language=&field-dateop=&field-datemod=&field-dateyear=&sort=relevanceexprank&Adv-Srch-Books-Submit.x=27&Adv-Srch-Books-Submit.y=13
  • MarkMark
    While believing that the cost of both hardcover and paperback books have gotten way out of line I fail to see why the e-book version of the same should cost a whole lot less. The author, editor, publisher etc still deserve the same amount of pay for their efforts regardless of how the product was delivered.

    Despite having an i-Pad I still prefer to read my books, magazines and newspapers by holding the wood fibers in my hand.
  • hank
    edited April 2012
    Some additional ramblings: Per Flack - Inspiration from Peale's book:
    - The tests of life are not meant to break you, but to make you.
    - Live your life and forget your age.
    - If there is no fun in it, something is wrong with all you are doing.
    - Empty pockets never held anyone back. Only empty heads and empty hearts can do that...

    Per MikeM - Thanks for the find. Further digging shows "new" for around $10 including shipping with Prime membership which we have...

    Per Mark - Agree with you re IPad which we use mainly for net access. We find dedicated reading much better on the Kindle. Screen so resembles real paper & ink some actually attempt to remove it after unpacking a Kindle - thinking it to be a paper facsimile. Biggest drag to paper books is carrying a bunch along on a plane or to the beach, etc. Kindle will store hundreds of different books. With 3G one can receive daily newspapers as soon as they go to print and from literally anywhere in the world. One example - full Reuters newspaper costs $10 per month & publishes 7 days a week. E-delivery free. Battery charge lasts many days even under heavy use.

    Linked Article - "Why Are E-Books So Expensive?"
    http://www.moneytalksnews.com/2011/12/13/ask-stacy-why-are-e-books-so-expensive/




  • MarkMark
    Reply to @hank: Yeah I know what you're saying, convenience included. However, and this is just MHO, like having all of my financial accounts online I just can't come to grips with the possibilities of temper tantrums from my electronic devices.

    And last but not least, and again just MHO, the last thing I think about taking to the beach is my iPad or iPhone. I leave them at home.
  • hank
    edited April 2012
    Reply to @Mark: Ya - Saw a fella looking all over the beach for a lost phone not long ago ... With the price-point for Kindle, ours sees considerable beach. (Just blow the sand off occasionally:-) Thanks for the thoughts Mark.
  • chipchip
    Reply to @Mark:
    If I purchase a paperback novel, I can read it and pass it on to a friend. They can do the same, and so on. At some point, it can be exchanged at a used book store or donated to a local library. I can't say the same for the e-book version. As far as I'm concerned you can get a lot more reading out of a physical book, hence it has more value.
  • Flack
    Hank,

    Re: power of positive thinking...
    Have you ever read any of Larry Winget's work?
    His stuff is so simple, so clear, and also so right in your face.
    I find his style crude but refreshing.

    Example -
    http://larrywinget.net/blog/?p=560

    Flack

  • hank
    edited April 2012
    Reply to @Flack: Thanks - Haven't read Peale in some 42 years & hadn't heard of Winget. From the Wikipedia excerpts I put up, am thinking they're similar re looking within for causes & solutions. Winget more in-the-face for sure. (BTW: I believe that as a species we're hard-wired to look everywhere else - except within - in assigning cause.) Here's a link to used copies of Winget's "Shut Up, Stop Whining, and Get a Life: A Kick-Butt Approach to a Better Life" (Hardcover) currently selling for one-cent at Amazon (-:

    http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0471654655/ref=sr_1_cc_1_olp?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1334503641&sr=1-1-catcorr&condition=used


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