# Apple turns down Sony Reader app....Could this mark trouble for the Kindle app?



## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

_The company has told some applications developers, including Sony, that they can no longer sell content, like e-books, within their apps, or let customers have access to purchases they have made outside the App Store. _

Sounds like this suggests they are even going to clamp down on existing apps, such as the Kindle app. It is supposedly part of a bigger move to gain control over the revenue stream from selling "stuff" that will be used on the device, as well as continuing to profit from selling the device. I recently got excited about the Zinio magazine subscription service, but I presume that would be affected also. This makes me much less pleased about my Apple stuff, right after I'd bought an iPod to supplement my Apple, so I hope this is a one-time blip rather than a new and permanent policy. I don't use my iPad as an ereader much, but I could conceive of using my iPod for one. And I do love National Geographic and Smithsonian on the iPad, as mentioned. I've been thinking I'd continue to have an Android phone, but an Apple tablet, getting a new generation iPad in a year or two when the newer generation tablets progressed enough to convince me I had to have one. But if this goes through, it makes me more likely to go to an Android tablet next time.

Getting harsh on Apple is tempting, but before we blast 'em too bad, we might remember that the Kindle that is beloved by most of us doesn't allow us to buy DRM'd stuff from places other than Amazon!

Here's the original NY Times story:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/01/technology/01apple.html?_r=2


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## Emily King (Jun 9, 2009)

I saw that this morning... it will be interesting to see how it plays out.  I thought I saw/heard somewhere that the iBook store isn't doing as well as they expected it to.  Anybody know if that's true?  Maybe this is Apple's way of forcing people to buy from them.

I don't like using the iPad for a reader, so this isn't that big of a deal to me, but I think it's a bad move on their part.


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

Most of the news coverage suggests that the iBooks store hasn't been a huge success, and certainly isn't threatening Kindle's dominance of this area. Perhaps that is motivating them. This link is for feedback to Apple:

http://www.apple.com/support/feedback/

I've written them, provided my iTunes account email, and pointed out some expensive apps I've bought from 'em, and pointed out that I have an iPad, a Touch, and a Kindle, and complimented Apple on it's open policy compared to Kindle. I indicated that if this policy stood, I would likely buy an Android tablet to replace my iPad when the time came (I've been telling myself I don't need to upgrade to the rumored iPad 2, but I'd probably get an iPad 3), and that in any event I was going to stop buying paid content and apps from the iTunes store till this policy was clarified. I invited 'em to look at my purchases on my iTunes account to verify that I am reasonably prolific in purchasing stuff from iTunes. We'll see what happens, maybe this is a trial balloon by Apple, or maybe it is even some sort of misunderstanding.


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## LauraB (Nov 23, 2008)

I find this quote from the article you posted interesting:

* Apple told Sony that from now on, all in-app purchases would have to go through Apple, said Steve Haber, president of Sony's digital reading division. *

To me, it isn't saying you can't read something purchased elsewhere on the device, you just can't buy it from the app? I wonder if you could still buy from Amazon on the computer, and have it sent to your ipad, then read it on the device?


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

LauraB said:


> I find this quote from the article you posted interesting:
> 
> * Apple told Sony that from now on, all in-app purchases would have to go through Apple, said Steve Haber, president of Sony's digital reading division. *
> 
> To me, it isn't saying you can't read something purchased elsewhere on the device, you just can't buy it from the app? I wonder if you could still buy from Amazon on the computer, and have it sent to your ipad, then read it on the device?


An interesting work-around! Good idea, though whether Amazon would accept not being able to sell via app is another matter. I hope they go for it.


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## mom2karen (Aug 15, 2009)

But can't you buy a Kindle book using your computer and have it sent to your kindle app on the i-devise?  Or use the My Archives to retrieve the book from your account?


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## Sandpiper (Oct 28, 2008)

The Hooded Claw said:


> An interesting work-around! Good idea, though whether Amazon would accept not being able to sell via app is another matter. I hope they go for it.


I like being able to buy Amazon ebooks via Kindle app on iPad, but I guess actually I still buy more on my computer / Mac. I have a K3 and DXG so rarely read on my iPad. Don't find it difficult though. Just like the way the whole Kindle app works on iPad. I do like touch screens generally.


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## hsuthard (Jan 6, 2010)

The Kindle app uses Safari to purchase books for the Kindle app, it's not a true "in-app purchase". I don't know if that technicality will matter, as the app does access the purchase once it's made, we'll have to see. It seems rather silly to me, though. I can't see them making such a huge change at this point in the game. But I've been wrong before!


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

hsuthard said:


> The Kindle app uses Safari to purchase books for the Kindle app, it's not a true "in-app purchase". I don't know if that technicality will matter, as the app does access the purchase once it's made, we'll have to see. It seems rather silly to me, though. I can't see them making such a huge change at this point in the game. But I've been wrong before!


After thinking about this, if the New York Times quote I posted at the top of my original post is accurate, it is clear that access to purchases made outside the App store won't be allowed. The key for me will be when/if Apple blocks content from the Kindle and Zinio apps, though I'll still be uneasy about it until Apple confirms they won't be blocking outside purchases entirely. Key words are here:

*or let customers have access to purchases they have made outside the App Store*


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## LauraB (Nov 23, 2008)

The Hooded Claw said:


> After thinking about this, if the New York Times quote I posted at the top of my original post is accurate, it is clear that access to purchases made outside the App store won't be allowed. The key for me will be when/if Apple blocks content from the Kindle and Zinio apps, though I'll still be uneasy about it until Apple confirms they won't be blocking outside purchases entirely. Key words are here:
> 
> *or let customers have access to purchases they have made outside the App Store*


How would they do that without blocking PDF's (from personal documents) into pages ect? Sounds like a real mess to me.


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## kay_dee (May 24, 2009)

I think Sony's quote is causing an unnecessary uproar. This is *not* a new policy, Apple has always restricted in-app purchases unless they receive a percentage of the purchase price. I think it's 30%. Here's another POV:

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/hardware/dont-believe-the-sensationalist-headlines-kindle-unlikely-to-be-kicked-out-of-itunes/11175


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## Sandpiper (Oct 28, 2008)

Apple, don't mess with my Kindle app.


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

kay_dee said:


> I think Sony's quote is causing an unnecessary uproar. This is *not* a new policy, Apple has always restricted in-app purchases unless they receive a percentage of the purchase price. I think it's 30%. Here's another POV:
> 
> http://www.zdnet.com/blog/hardware/dont-believe-the-sensationalist-headlines-kindle-unlikely-to-be-kicked-out-of-itunes/11175


I hope the zdnet viewpoint is correct!


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## Jesslyn (Oct 29, 2008)

Hope sprang eternal until this came out from Ars Technica: http://bit.ly/enZS2J

I made a new thread in the main Kindle category and it was moved to this forum (http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,51055.0.html) sorry for the confusion.


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## sixnsolid (Mar 13, 2009)

That is a particularly annoying possibility


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## pidgeon92 (Oct 27, 2008)

I suppose this would stink, as my husband no longer has a Kindle, but uses his iPad to read. If need be, I will just get him another Kindle.


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## akagriff (Sep 8, 2009)

I rarely purchase from the kindle app but I do buy through the amazon website and read it on my IPad. Or i buy through the storefront on my kindle and read on my iPad.


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

This will perhaps give Amazon some encouragement towards the long-rumored Amazon Android Tablet.  Otherwise they will have to cede the tablet space to Apple.  I think it also hurts B&N, which is already reeling.  The Nook app will presumably be affected by this for whoever was using it, and if Amazon does move ahead with an Android tablet it will really hurt the Nook color, which I'd viewed as the one bright spot for B&N.

I had been feeling mellow towards Apple and had just bought an iPod to complement my iPad, but this makes future Apple purchases by me unlikely.


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## monkeygirl351 (Mar 5, 2010)

I hope that they don't do this. I have an ipad and ipod touch, but do most of my reading on my kindle 3. I do like the fact that I can sync these devices though and have my books on all of them. I don't see how apple can do this and justify it. What about all thebooks you can sideload  into ibooks or stanza. I didn't buy them through ibooks but i put them on the ipad with no profit to apple. Also would they do this to music? They are really closing the functionality of the device. I mean I do buy music from itunes, but I get more music from amazon, and other places because I don't want the drm or aac lock down. I still play it in Itunes though. This is kinda rediculous and maybe instead of trying to reap other companies profits, maybe apple should concentrate on making their competing apps better so that people actually have a reason to want to use that app. Ibooks isn't that great. The selection is small and the books are sometimes higher priced, Apple needs to fix this instead of trying to leach on, like a parasite, to the other companies success. I like my ipad and ipod but hate business practices like this. I think apple should really think what a move like this will do to once loyal customers. There are many competitors in the tablet market coming out and no real anouncement of what Ipad 2 is going to be. Loyal customers may decide to go to the competitor as now there is a choice.


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

The Hooded Claw said:


> I had been feeling mellow towards Apple and had just bought an iPod to complement my iPad, but this makes future Apple purchases by me unlikely.


Me, too. I've never been an Apple "fanboy", but I've bought a fair number of their products over the years, and I've been kindly disposed toward them (if not always towards Steve Jobs).

But it looks like that may be changing.

On the other hand, I'm not really thrilled about some of the decisions that Amazon has made concerning the Kindle, either.

Mike


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## meeko350 (Aug 25, 2010)

Why not just open up the Safari browser on the ipod/ipad and log into Amazon and purchase it that way?  Just select send to ipod/ipad.  The only way that wouldn't work would be if they remove the Kindle app from the app store & disable the Kindle app on your device.


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

meeko350 said:


> Why not just open up the Safari browser on the ipod/ipad and log into Amazon and purchase it that way?


That's the point... you will still be able to do it that way. Unless Apple changes the rules.

Mike


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