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Kindle vs. Ibooks
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jeff k
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Mar 31, 2014, 10:53 PM
 
Ok, just downloaded my Lonely PLanet big East Europe travel book on the Kindle. First purchase, $16.00. I find the interface ok, but a bit confusing. Question: No pages! Says, 338 of 22,720. What is that? Why are there no page number?And then you see a page with a few lines and the rest of the page is blank. Why is that? Amazon does not know how to format by now?

So later in the afternoon, I downloaded the same book on ibooks, my first purchase there. $20.00. Why is it $4.00 more? Doesn't Apple have some clout?

Not surprisingly, a far superior experience, hence I will be veering towards ibooks when possible. I should test this next to a pdf also if I can....
     
mattyb
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Apr 1, 2014, 07:21 AM
 
I'm also not sure of what the number means in Kindle, but it makes no difference. For example : I have the same book on my phone as on my tablet. I read the first 10% of the book. I sync (it does this automagically when you have an internet connection). I then open the same book on my tablet and it will prompt you to goto the same place.

I actually have a phone and 2 tablets and I have found that Kindle an acceptable ebook reader. I have not found reading pdfs a pleasure using Alkido for example. Google books will (AFAIK) only let you read books bought through the Play Store.

I have also found that conversions, using Calibre for example, do not always give a nice mobi to read. Sometimes the formatting is completely screwed, especially when you have tables or columns of pictures and/or text.
     
andi*pandi
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Apr 1, 2014, 10:34 AM
 
Page numbers are not concrete in ebook formats. You can change the font size and the number of "pages" will increase/decrease. This is if it is a ebook format. PDFs will not reflow, and if you need to zoom in, you will need to pan and scan to read.
     
jeff k  (op)
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Apr 1, 2014, 01:18 PM
 
Thanks guys. Andi, have you tested Kindle vs ibooks? for me ibooks just killed, way better.
I like to know if I turn a page, it goes from 1 to 2. With kindle is says 1 to 39, totally confusing.

I only use macbook right now. Ah, so pdfs, are an inferior experience to both?

Why was my book $20, yet Amazon can sell it for $16?
     
mattyb
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Apr 1, 2014, 03:40 PM
 
Originally Posted by jeff k View Post
I like to know if I turn a page, it goes from 1 to 2. With kindle is says 1 to 39, totally confusing.

I only use macbook right now. Ah, so pdfs, are an inferior experience to both?

Why was my book $20, yet Amazon can sell it for $16?
I agree it is confusing. Ignore it.

Like I said, pdfs didn't convert well and using Alkido wasn't nice. Dunno about other solutions.

Sorry, I don't buy ebooks so couldn't possibly comment.
     
andi*pandi
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Apr 1, 2014, 04:08 PM
 
I haven't ever bothered to buy the same book on both apps and compare them, but I haven't ever been confused by either app page numbering. But maybe the apps are very different on the macbook than the ipad...
     
DCJ001
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Apr 1, 2014, 09:24 PM
 
Originally Posted by jeff k View Post
Thanks guys. Andi, have you tested Kindle vs ibooks? for me ibooks just killed, way better.
I like to know if I turn a page, it goes from 1 to 2. With kindle is says 1 to 39, totally confusing.

I only use macbook right now. Ah, so pdfs, are an inferior experience to both?

Why was my book $20, yet Amazon can sell it for $16?
Amazon has very low profit margins. Their philosophy is to sell zillions of products and make very little profit, where Apple is content selling fewer items at a higher mark up.

since the end of the company’s third quarter in September 2008, Amazon’s net profit margin was 2.8 percent. By September 2011, that number fell to 0.6 percent. A year later, it was losing $274 million on net sales of $13.8 billion. And in the latest quarter, ended Sept. 30, the massive e-tailer reported a $41 million loss on $17 billion in sales.
Amazon: Nearly 20 Years In Business And It Still Doesn't Make Money, But Investors Don't Seem To Care
     
mattyb
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Apr 2, 2014, 07:36 AM
 
Cheers for that link, very interesting.
     
turtle777
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Apr 2, 2014, 09:00 AM
 
There will be a rude awakening for AMZN investors one day.

These valuations are typical for a market top.
AMZN is only worth a fraction of what it's traded for today.

In the long run, NOTHING beats cash flow. There just ain't much there for AMZN.

-t
     
mattyb
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Apr 2, 2014, 02:34 PM
 
Originally Posted by turtle777 View Post
There will be a rude awakening for AMZN investors one day.

These valuations are typical for a market top.
AMZN is only worth a fraction of what it's traded for today.

In the long run, NOTHING beats cash flow. There just ain't much there for AMZN.
You don't think that there's any creative accounting going on? (I'm being serious BTW, not trying to bait you)
     
turtle777
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Apr 2, 2014, 03:38 PM
 
Originally Posted by mattyb View Post
You don't think that there's any creative accounting going on? (I'm being serious BTW, not trying to bait you)
It wouldn't be my first thought.

After the scandals early last decade, the subsequent SOX legislation made this less likely.

I don't think Jeff is willing to go to jail.

At this point, the market is stupid enough to give you high valuations just based on growth w/o profit. There's not much need for creative accounting.

Plus, in terms of ability to be creative, a retail vendor has far less options than a service provide (like medical, health) or big contracts, where revenue recognization and management estimates / judgement plays a bigger role.

-t
     
   
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