Comments on: Apple Downplays Role Of 'Kindle Threat' In Alleged e-Book Conspiracy

By: Required

Required — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 16:41:17 +0000

Re: Apple’s motivation

Apple wanted to use the same terms with publishers that they had established several years before with app developers – 30%. From their point of view, they’re providing a storefront for a product, and why would book terms be any different than app terms?

Whether their 30% model is more or less attractive to publishers than deals publishers had fallen into elsewhere seems irrelevant. 30% is how their App Store already worked, so that was what they wanted to use. (Who wants to write a whole new accounting system to handle a single unproven line of product?)

By: Mike Cane

Mike Cane — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 12:19:15 +0000

The DoJ just needs to consult history to strike down the Agency Model. It was the norm with print books until the 1970s, when the gov’t said it was illegal and stores could discount books as much as they wanted. That legal ruling also paved the way for the legitimacy of the video rental market several years later.

The DoJ needs to look into Apple’s eBook Restraint of Trade, that requires other book apps to give Apple a 30% cut for basically *nothing*. People aren’t buying competitor books from a store *Apple* created, so why should Apple get a cut of anything? The in-app API argument is a lame defense for that.

By: Gordon McAlpin

Gordon McAlpin — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 01:28:07 +0000

Didn’t read the article, did you?

By: Xennex1170

Xennex1170 — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 01:20:59 +0000

Regarding the quote on the “Kindle threat” I guess it could be argued that the App Store policy of not allowing apps to have in-app sales w/o a cut to Apple was one way to reduce Amazon’s sales influence. All the other apps basically were caught in the fallout. :P

By: lrd555

lrd555 — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 22:35:06 +0000

No wonder we’re going to crap. Instead of focusing on solving real problems, we’re continuously distracted by people trying to make a name for themselves by suing the likes of Apple because it makes news.

By: pdxuser

pdxuser — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 20:37:46 +0000

Apple overcharging for things? I’m shocked.

By: Ric Desan

Ric Desan — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 19:28:30 +0000

Every time I read an article about scumbag Jobs and company trying to stick it to the consumers that love him, I dance a little jig of glee that my gut has helped me avoid his consumer snares these last few decades. I hope they get handed their ass when this is said and done and Amazon enjoys the fruits of its labor in trying to price a digital product differently from a physical product that has a whole range of costs that the digital product does not!