'Judge rules Apple conspired to raise prices on e-books'

[Cottoncandy Cyanide 145]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/10/us-apple-ebooks-idUSBRE9690GE20130710

I just thought of sharing this here. Though, if it doesn't go here, mods, feel free to delete this.

 

Anyway, Apple tried to raise the e-book prices to $12.99-$14.99 unlike the $9.99 Amazon charges. And now the apple case is in U.S. District Court, New York. So, what is your opinion? I'd like to hear it~

[Ocram's Razr 963]

Apple has quite a few things in common with a technology "trust." Maybe it is time to do some "trust busting"?

--Ocram

[Easy Bakes 253]

mabey buy a paper copy for 4.99

[Cottoncandy Cyanide 145]

mabey buy a paper copy

I prefer that over online shopping for it. It just adds some things to my shelf, no?

[LexusInfernus 908]

About time Apple gets hit with some major fines. Might actually make up for all their tax evasion as well. 

[Bdub01 201]

How can I put this? Ummmm let's see, I could care less about ebooks. I guess I'm old school, I want a book in my hands. I love the smell of a new book, or an aged one at a used book store. If I can't hold the book and feel the paper as I turn the page I don't want it. I have enough books to open my own small library!!!

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

My library used to fill four three foot wide bookcases floor to ceiling.  When I downsized to move in here, I gave a lot of it to the U. of W. Library, who probably either sold or gave away anything they didn't want.  I too, am a paper book type.  I can't get used to not having the book with all its pages in my hands, but then new technologies like e-books don't really give you that feel that I like.  About half of my library was hard cover, non-fiction.

 

Back to the subject at hand:  Apple has been a pain in the nether regions for a relatively long time.  I hope they really find some worms in those apples.

[Duke87 1,070]

The world of ebooks needs two things to happen before it is ready for me to accept it:

1) users need to be able to store permanent local copies of their ebooks in a way such that the seller cannot take said books away from them just because a licensing deal expires, or wipe their collection because they are accused of violating some term of service. Books are a product, not a service. This business of treating products like services in order to impose more control over what the end user does with them is a scourge on many markets, not just books.

2) ebooks need to be available in a universal, nomn-proprietary format that can be read be any device. None of this crap about how ebooks purchased from Amazon can only be read on a kindle, ebooks purchased from Barns & Noble can only be read on a Nook, etc. To paraphrase Penny Arcade, "book is compatible with any shelf in your house".

[Cpt Johnny 57]

To me, e-books can never displace the status of paper books in my heart.

 

Besides, staring at any kind of screen for too long will do damage to your eyes in the long run.

 

For the record, I have purchased zero e-books in the ten odd years that I have spent with my eyes open 

 

I have not known anyone personally who has bought e-books with their own 血汗钱 (literally means blood sweat money). I guess it's the intangibility and insecurity associated with IT stuff.

 

Off-topic, I just thought about how the current sluggish demand in China has something to do with the reluctance to splurge on luxuries or any kind of 'intangibles' such as expensive software (defined as anything above US$4.99).

[Easy Bakes 253]

E-books can never replace the place paper books have in my heart.

 

Besides, staring at any kind of screen for too long will do damage to your eyes in the long run.

 

For the record, I have purchased zero e-books in the ten odd years that I have spent with my eyes open 

 

I have not known anyone personally who has bought e-books with their own 血汗钱 (hard-earned money). I guess it's the intangibility and the insecurity associated with IT stuff.

eventually the book stores will go out of business. like record stores did.

All that will be left is second hand book stores but probably only for a while.

[Cpt Johnny 57]

 

E-books can never replace the place paper books have in my heart.

 

Besides, staring at any kind of screen for too long will do damage to your eyes in the long run.

 

For the record, I have purchased zero e-books in the ten odd years that I have spent with my eyes open 

 

I have not known anyone personally who has bought e-books with their own 血汗钱 (hard-earned money). I guess it's the intangibility and the insecurity associated with IT stuff.

eventually the book stores will go out of business. like record stores did.

All that will be left is second hand book stores but probably only for a while.

 

I guess the trend that you suggested will develop much more slowly elsewhere other than NYC, London and a handful of big Western cities.

[Easy Bakes 253]

 

 

E-books can never replace the place paper books have in my heart.

 

Besides, staring at any kind of screen for too long will do damage to your eyes in the long run.

 

For the record, I have purchased zero e-books in the ten odd years that I have spent with my eyes open 

 

I have not known anyone personally who has bought e-books with their own 血汗钱 (hard-earned money). I guess it's the intangibility and the insecurity associated with IT stuff.

eventually the book stores will go out of business. like record stores did.

All that will be left is second hand book stores but probably only for a while.

 

I guess the trend that you suggested will develop much more slowly elsewhere other than NYC, London and a handful of big Western cities.

 

try to find a borders books. or recently Barns&Nobles. they have closed most of the B&N around here already.

[Cpt Johnny 57]

try to find a borders books. or recently Barns&Nobles. they have closed most of the B&N around here already.

We still have numerous small bookshops down here at my place selling paper books (although I don't buy them, I go to the library)

[Superbacon 380]

Despite my young age I don't care for e-books either. Sure, they'll save resources. But I'm with the lot that needs to have an actual book in my hands with pages to turn. I like real books. If Apple wants to raise prices on their fake books, go right ahead.

[Cottoncandy Cyanide 145]

Seriously, I know not one person that cares about e-books. Except one of my classmates...

[Cpt Johnny 57]

.

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

The demise of the big-box booksellers does not bother me one little bit.  There will always be bibliophiles who want to run a business selling the books they love, and through the publisher's catalogues, will always be able to get the books any customer wants.

 

The big-box boys drove one of my favourite booksellers out of business, and while I am not particularly angry, I do miss being able to browse among the shelves containing some older editions, and occasionally being able to afford a first edition of a book I really like.  One thing about books is that, on acid free paper, they are essentially permanent. 

 

What happens to your e-reader when the batteries are dead and the power is out?  All you need to read is a bright candle and a book.

 

I can't think of any way to stop the dissemination of knowledge, short of actually burning books, more effective than a bunch of fools with e-readers and no power. 

 

Also, e-readers are DRM devices, and I disagree with that 100%

[xLegend1x 0]

Good! I hate Apple. I'm sticking to Android, thank you very much.

 

Apple overprices EVERYTHING, and I'm so-so on if they support open source stuff.

[Cpt Johnny 57]

.

[AkemiAzula 280]

I have never purchased an 'e-book' but I have made extensive use of Wikipedia and similar sites. I think for non-fiction digitisation is a good thing, but it should be public domain, not a fee service run for profit.  Just like we have public hard libraries we should have softbraries. 

 

As to fiction I haven't read much fiction whatsoever and the last time I read e-fiction was one called Drawn to Ingrid years ago. Indeed the last experience of e-fiction I have had was writing a Phineas and Ferb story Bartessa in 2009.

 

So I am a traditional good old hardback kind of person. Having said that I don't think there is anything wrong with e-book tech, but I do believe once you purchase a book that book should remain yours forever more, or until you wish to part with it. E-property should be as sacred as physical property.

[Cottoncandy Cyanide 145]

Good! I hate Apple. I'm sticking to Android, thank you very much.

 

Apple overprices EVERYTHING, and I'm so-so on if they support open source stuff.

Yes! Android is so much better than apple

 

Apple sucks big time.

[Superbacon 380]

 

Actually e-books waste more resources and cause more harm to the environment than paper books, because more electricity is needed to power your e-book reading device.

 

Sure, they'll save resources. 

 

 

Oh. I was under the impression that they'd save trees.

[Bdub01 201]

Actually e-books waste more resources and cause more harm to the environment than paper books, because more electricity is needed to power your e-book reading device.

Sure, they'll save resources.

Oh. I was under the impression that they'd save trees.

Can't they make synthetic paper yet?

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

In Wales, at least, a form of paper is made from sheep droppings.  Saw a show on it.  They refine the poo to extract the processed grass fibres then make paper out of it.  Something like papyrus, I guess.

[Duke87 1,070]

"Saving trees" is a bogus concept because trees are a renewable resource. You cut one down, you plant another in its place. Trees are grown as a crop exactly the same way wheat or corn or beans or anything else would be. No forests are permanently destroyed as a result of people using paper or wood products. In fact, people's demand for said products ensures that forests will be grown for such purposes rather than the land being used for something else.

 

And you can recycle paper, too!

[Ocram's Razr 963]

Energy wise, if you read several books once each, it is better to either check it out from a lending library or read it on an electronic paper eBook reader. Buying a new book wastes more resources. There are also public domain eBooks as well as "universal" eBook formats (RTF and PDF).

--Ocram

[AkemiAzula 280]

The problem, the one problem, with good old fashioned paper books, is that they take up space. That is really the only real issue I have with them. This is why I feel we shall inevitably digitalise our lives progressively in the coming years. Not that I'm cheering. I haven't been cheering for anything for years. But it is inevitable and logical that electrification of our infrastructure takes place, if only due to this issue. There isn't enough space for books.

 

The average person these days can barely afford a single bedroom flat, let alone a house with a library. So people end up buying books and selling them after they've read them a few times. There is obviously nothing wrong with this practice, but with e-books you can in theory, and if DRM isn't involved, have an infinite collection in your e-library.

 

The problem is how e-books have been implemented.

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

Energy wise, if you read several books once each, it is better to either check it out from a lending library or read it on an electronic paper eBook reader. Buying a new book wastes more resources. There are also public domain eBooks as well as "universal" eBook formats (RTF and PDF).

--Ocram

Ever heard of a public library?  Probably not useful for the "now" generations.

[Cpt Johnny 57]

.

[Bdub01 201]

Ever heard of a public library? Probably not useful for the "now" generations.

Public libraries are getting more and more crowded in my country. Also, the National Library Board was forced to increase the quota of books per person from 4 to 8 after repeated requests.

What does that mean? People are now forced/required/allowed to check out 8 books instead of 4?

I personally don't usually check out books from the library cause I hate having to return them. I love keeping books I read. One reason I have a small library I guess . I would also probably check more books out if they all weren't 20+ years old. It's rare to have a new book in the library nowadays. At least where I live it is.