The Kindle Paperwhite, which has the largest screen in the range, was introduced by Amazon in India on April 30. The updated model features a lighter, thinner design and a 7-inch glare-free e-ink display with narrow bezels on either side.
Additionally, it is the first Paperwhite to receive an improved dual-core processor, which, according to Amazon, increases responsiveness and speeds up page turns by 25%.
The Kindle Paperwhite comes in a black hue and costs INR 16,999. For INR 1,999, customers can get individual covers in the colours black, marine green, and tulip pink.
Features ofKindle Paperwhite
The new Paperwhite’s 7-inch glare-free E Ink display, which now has oxide thin-film transistors for better contrast, is its main attraction. Both readability and mobility should be enhanced by the larger screen and smaller mass, even though the resolution stays at 300 ppi.
In low-light conditions, readers can also activate the dark mode and change the display’s warm glow. According to Amazon, the new Kindle Paperwhite’s battery lasts 12 weeks between charges, thanks to USB-C integration. With 16GB of inbuilt space, storage is also increased.
In terms of software, Amazon claims that the Kindle app for iOS and Android now makes the setup process easier. Another feature on the Kindle is X-Ray, which offers more background information on characters or settings in a book.
Integrated dictionary for fast translations and word searches. Word Wise, which aids in reading flow by placing brief definitions over challenging words. Like its predecessors, the new Kindle Paperwhite is tightly integrated with Amazon’s e-book ecosystem, offering access to more than 1.5 crore volumes in Hindi, Tamil, and Marathi, among other languages.
Over 20 lakh eBooks are available to Kindle Unlimited users, while Prime members receive a free rotating selection of books.
Factors that Attract Readers to Kindle
For anyone who enjoys reading on a screen or while on the road, the Kindle has been the standard e-reader. Since Kindles use e-ink displays, their panels are glare-free in contrast to those of smartphones, laptops, and tablets.
Although it still can’t match the visual experience of paper and printed text, it is the next best thing for readers. The e-ink display’s refresh rate is a drawback because it is much slower than that of conventional screens.
However, Amazon has made substantial improvements to the speed of its Kindles in recent years. The new Kindle Paperwhite, which has a 25% faster page turn speed, may do even better in this area.
According to Dilip R.S., Director and Country Manager, Amazon Devices India, “Its lightweight design makes it convenient to carry and read on the go, and its largest-ever display adds reading comfort. We are excited for our customers to use this new Kindle to unlock stories from a wide variety of Indian and international titles available on Amazon.”
Most of us are into books. After all, books provide companionship like no other. However, the way most of us consume book content is different. While most people in India are still into paperbacks, the ebook market has been swiftly growing in India thanks to Amazon Kindle and the emergence of iPads. When we look at the global picture, eBooks are already a multi-billion dollar market that just continues to grow with each passing day. Today, we shall look at a very interesting case study — the much-coveted battle of the titans in the ebook arena. Read along to know more!
Kindle – The First Mover and the Emergence of the Fiercest Competitor to the Ebook Monopoly
Global eBook Market Revenue (2017 to 2027)
Amazon’s Kindle is the device that Amazon wants you to buy to replicate a book-reading experience similar to the paperbacks. The ebook reader which also comes in a monochrome mode has been the talk of the town for more than a decade now. With a discounted price tag compared to their Paperback versions, Kindle is becoming the standard medium to read books across the internet.
But…
There’s a catch! They ain’t the only big player in this. Amazon’s dream run with Kindle was dented by the introduction of iPad, the undisputed tablet killer that has built a reputation around itself to outclass any screen experience that is more than 7+ inches, so much so that they are seen as a potential replacement to the standard computer and laptop.
Apple and the Subtle Art of Getting Things Right!
Apple’s reputation knows no bounds, whatsoever. The company’s consistent ability to innovate and introduce new solutions to existing alternatives made the company what it is today! Right from the iPhone to the iPod and now the iPad, Apple was doing exactly what an Apple loyalist or a branding enthusiast would expect a brand of their pedigree to do in the first place i.e. innovate better.
It seemed like a path of thorns for anyone entering the tablet and reader segment due to the failures in the past and the increasing dominance of Kindle in the eBook genre. Apple’s announcement of the Apple Books was already deemed by a few industry experts as a potential failure. However, as they say, you can’t just rule the biggest company on the planet out of the picture, in no way whatsoever. The iPad arrived and took the standards for a tablet to a whole new level, with the iOS experience being the cherry on top. The iPads weren’t just better in terms of design and built, but also the superior software optimisation and the quality of apps were also several notches higher, something that was synonymous with the Apple experience over the years.
Apple introduced the Apple Books or the iBooks — whatever you say and gave it a shot against the established Kindle. But, on what grounds? Read further to know!
Steve Jobs – The Magician in Action
Let’s face it. One cannot resist and admire in awe when a magician casts a spell. All of us have been in that zone as children when the magic led us to see things that we never knew could happen. It was the work of an expert magician who understood his skill set better than anyone else and backed it up with supporting material. Isn’t it?
Well. That is exactly what Steve Jobs did with his positioning skills in the first place. Jobs understood the threat posed by Amazon in the vastly lucrative eBooks market. He knew that Amazon would be playing on the pricing, a move that was inspired by the Palo Alto-based iPhone manufacturer itself, as Amazon cloned what Apple did with iTunes to dominate the music industry. Amazon was selling the eBooks at a uniform discounted price of $9.99 storewide, a step that was vastly criticized by publishers, for the impending impacts it would have on their already nurtured offline markets, as the prices were considerably low when compared to what they were selling offline.
Apple had to do something, and they did it in style. Steve jobs, the undisputed genius and the then-CEO of Apple reached out to the leading publishing houses that were already selling on Amazon. Jobs considered Amazon’s loss-leading pricing strategy a suicidal move in the long run and wasn’t willing to replicate the same and compete with the e-commerce giant on the pricing front. Instead, Jobs eliminated the only entry barrier that Kindle had over its competitors i.e. pricing.
When you can get an exclusive agreement with the leading publishers on the planet, namely Macmillan, Penguin, Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins and Hachette, being the early adopters even before the launch of the iPad, not many would doubt your abilities to negotiate. Steve Jobs wanted to get a substantial market in the eBook category, and with the iPad alongside a widespread distribution of 120 million paying customers at iTunes, Jobs knew he had a golden chance to capitalize on the monumental reach of iTunes and the Apple ecosystem.
But then, he had to first grab market share and do something about the seemingly low $9.99 price tag by Amazon. He devised a strategy and offered publishers to sell with iBooks and make the best use of 120 million paying customers.
However, there was a simple T&C, that the publishers had to comply with i.e. the books can’t be sold below the $12.99 to $14.99 price tag on Apple’s iBooks and any other platforms of such kind. If any other platform, including Amazon, doesn’t comply with the same, they would lose access to the publishers and their IPs. It was simple, yet a masterstroke by an undisputed genius. Publishers pulling off and forcing Amazon to price their eBooks at $12.99 to $14.99 came out as a bolt from the blue for Amazon who wasn’t prepared for such a situation. An ‘Uno Reverse’ of the highest standards!
The Struggle for Power – The Amazon Advantage
It took the genius in Jobs, just two emails to convince HarperCollins to sell with iBooks and that too at a Premium price tag when compared to Amazon. Jobs was able to convince four of the six leading publishers globally of the need to price eBooks at a premium to generate sustainable profits, something that was crucial for the expenditures and investment in marketing and infrastructure.
The internal settlements, however, led Amazon to turn up against Apple in court, with Apple and the publishers fined $450 million as alimony to the customers in 2016. Apple’s urge to the publishers to rake in moolah with premium pricing received criticism from the customers and even the court accused them of unfair practices. Finally, it seemed like a Dawn for Amazon which had been going through a tough time, competing as the loss leader across important categories. However, the battle is still far from over with Apple having a considerable marketing and distribution advantage, and a pool of premium customers.
Conclusion
The tale of two contrasting ideologies, and two of the biggest corporate giants on the planet comes across as a goldmine for young entrepreneurs to understand how big shots ideate and execute their plans, and cut their competition short. Apple won a few battles with their sheer distribution network, the hardware and software quality, and the marketing genius of Steve Jobs. Whereas, Amazon had a competitive advantage with the way they had already won consumers’ trust with their loss leader strategy, as consumers always prefer quality products at a cheaper price, something that Amazon was rightly aware of. The battle continues to evolve, with both companies having deep pockets to dominate the market. However, only time will tell who ‘wins’ in the long run—one deal at a time!
FAQs
How much is an Amazon eBook subscription?
You can get a Kindle Unlimited subscription for $9.99 a month, which you can cancel anytime.
What is Apple books?
Apple Books (formerly known as iBooks) is an e-book reading and store application by Apple that you can download to an Apple device.
Is it better to buy a Kindle or books?
If you are a frequent reader who enjoys discovering new books, the Kindle may be a better option for you. Reading on Kindle can save you money, as a Kindle edition of a book is cheaper than the paperback or hardcover version of the book.
Many people buy gadgets like Kindle to read eBooks. But there are even more people who have smartphones and read eBooks on it. eBooks are the most convenient way for people who are too busy to read books.
However, nothing can replace books, but knowledge knows no medium. Knowledge can be shared through books, mobiles, computers, or even our mouths. And what could be better than earning money by sharing knowledge? eBooks are an amazing opportunity for business. Not only for empires but it is also helpful for individual bloggers, and writers. This is a great source of passive income. Let’s see what it is and how to write an ebook.
What Are eBooks?
What are ebooks?
eBooks or Electronic books are the electronic versions of traditional books. There is an eBook version of almost every book in the world. Rather than going to a store and finding a book or order the book online and waiting for days to be delivered, you can directly buy an eBook and get instant access. It will save time and you can take it anywhere where you can take your phone. However, if you want, then you can buy separate e-book readers like Amazon Kindle. Many people love to spend their spare time reading a book. eBooks are the best solution for that and you can earn money by ebooks.
eBooks are much easier to write and publish than traditional physical books. You just need your computer, some knowledge about writing and willpower to write. Unlike traditional books, you don’t necessarily need strong contacts and spend tons of money on publishing the book.
Availability
As they are digital, there is no chance of showing “out of stock” to the customers on your website. Your customers will never be pissed off because of that.
Search
People can easily search for the term they want to read about in eBooks. They don’t have to highlight every other word they want to remember about. However, people have the option to highlight.
Target Customers
Only those people will download your eBook who are interested in your product or niche. Once they download your eBook, you will get an idea of who are your potential customers. You can then send them emails advertising your product.
Make Relationships
People who read your ebooks will begin trusting your brand. Moreover, they will more likely to share about you with others. So, in one or the other way, eBook is a road to marketing.
Grow Your Emails
When people will download your ebook, they will have to submit their email addresses. This will eventually help you to grow your email list.
Versatile
You can add images, texts with many fonts, color fonts, and most importantly, links. You can add links to websites in your eBook. People can easily open that link if wanted.
Amazon Kindle ebooks
Format Of eBooks
Some of the file formats of eBooks are,
PDF
EPUB
AZW
LIT
MOBI
ODF
However, if you are going to provide your eBook for free to your visitor, then it is recommended to use the PDF version. AZW is the file format for Kindle books. You can use Kindle Create to convert your doc file or PDF file into AZW.
The most important factor in writing an eBook is an idea. Write an eBook on the least covered topic or which you are specialists in. Take your time thinking about the topic you are writing your book on.
You should have a good computer which can handle your documents and research at the same time. It would be great if you get the most updated technology. However, you can also go with your computer if you think it can handle everything.
Take your time for proper research about the chosen topic. You can’t just write anything. Make sure that every fact you are writing is true.
Create outlines about your idea. Create mind maps. You need to be prepared for your topic. Use a pen and notebook to write your full imagination. Write to each and everything you want to include in your eBook, in brief.
Start writing the book. Do not waste much time to do it. You can never finish it if you don’t start it. But be sure that you are all prepared to write the book. Tip: Create a good and peaceful environment so you can think better.
Design the cover for your book. If you think you are a good designer then do it yourself. Or just hire a freelancer to get you to design for the cover of your eBook. However, they are not important, but it looks professional if you add one.
Proofread the whole book. You can use professional software for it. Also, re-read the whole book to find mistakes.
Now, share your eBook with all your family and friends and ask them to review it. If they found anything wrong, then correct it before publishing it.
Lastly, publish your eBook. You can do that on your website. If you think you don’t have many audiences on your website, then you can go to any ebook publishing platform like Kindle, Smashwords, Google Play Store, etc. There are many such platforms available.
Conclusion
These were the simple steps on how to write an eBook. You can sell your eBooks or provide them free to connect with your customers. Moreover, you can provide them like a reward to your visitors for signing up on your website. The space for eBooks on the internet is getting bigger and bigger with time. There are many more opportunities to come. With the advancement in technology, you will be introduced to more amazing and unbelievable market opportunities.
Comment below, which is your favorite eBook? What advice would you give to someone who is going to write an eBook? Share this post with all your friends.
