Just a couple of days ago, people were talking about how Nook allows you to sync your device with your other gadgets and even with your PC and Kindle doesn’t. Amazon didn’t take long to address the situation. Amazon Kindle for PC will allow you to buy books from Amazon and read them on your personal computer without having to jump through hoops. As I mentioned earlier this week, Amazon did probably drop the ball and sat too comfortably on its lead in the e-book market. Both Sony Reader and Nook offer the same functionality, so instead of taking the lead, Amazon is playing catch up in this area.
Amazon Kindle for PC is expected to be released as a free download and will work on Windows XP, Vista, and Windows 7. No word on whether Amazon is planning a Mac client, but there is no reason not to. The move does make netbooks a major competitor to e-book readers. Netbooks may not be equipped with E-ink technology, but they are very popular these days. If you don’t have a problem carrying multiple gadgets with you on the go, then you can take both your netbook and Kindle with you. But if you have take one, you can take your netbook knowing that you can continue reading your Kindle books on it.
People have talked about how Nook poses the biggest threat to Amazon Kindle. Nook is a threat but not as big a threat as multi-dimensional products such as netbooks. And now thanks to Amazon Kindle for PC, your netbook can do almost everything your Kindle can. Your netbook won’t probably be as convenient to read your e-books on, but it’s cheap, portable, and a capable portable personal computer.
With Apple and Microsoft planning their own multi-purpose tablets, e-book readers will face more serious challenges in the near future. Nevertheless, it’s nice to see Amazon finally giving its customers what they have wanted for a long time.
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0 comments
#1JohnOctober 24, 2009, 12:26 pm
The biggest issue, for me, is lending ebooks. The Nook allows it and my Kindle does not. I’m seriously considering dumping my Kindle and buying a Nook simply for the LendMe feature.
Reading on a PC is not really what I want. The screens are not easy on the eyes (I love e-ink).
I don’t see Amazon saying that I can read the books from my Kindle on my PC. If I could do that, it would be a start but what I really want is to be able to share my ebooks as I can with my paper books.
Amazon better be paying attention or they’ll become the next used-to-be.
#2P. RadOctober 24, 2009, 1:04 pm
We haven’t yet seen how Nook’s lending works. I completely agree with you that e-book manufacturers need to focus on that issue. But how does it affect sales, and what will be the limitations of books when you lend them to others. Let’s not forget that Zune had something similiar, and it didn’t catch fire.
#3cameronOctober 25, 2009, 3:14 am
Personally i can’t wait for Kindle for PC (well Kindle for mac is what i am waiting for, but whatever).
I am honestly i little shocked that i can’t read my Kindle books on my PC. I like being able to highlight and write notes into the books I read. The Kindle does an ok job of this, but it is so much easier on my laptop.
What i hope they also do is have the ability to read my Kindle books on the web. It is 2009, i should be able to go to kindle.amazon.com and read my books. We have the technology, why can’t we have this?
Honestly i don’t see the lending feature as being a big deal.
First it sounds like it might be crippled by having a shortish lending window, and publishers can block the lending of a book if they want.
Second, i think the ability to read a sample of the book for free covers most of what i would want from the lending feature.
I would much rather be able to share my library of books with my family/friends with something simular to iTunes home sharing (share with up to 5 authorized computers in your home)
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