>From Jed: ...
> If they were to give away the Kindle hardware gadget at > this stage, I imagine the government anti-trust people > would look askance. Amazon would be giving away the gadgets > at a substantial loss, and I suppose regulators would see > that as an unfair way to squelch competing e-book readers. > I sure would. You bring up anti-trust issues that I had not considered. Good point. Indeed, I think it is a good idea to maintain and cultivate competition in the e-book arena for as long as possible. Nevertheless, as you also stated "...at this stage." Seems to me that it just a matter of time before products like the Kindle, or its progeny will end up being given away for free, with perhaps the purchase of one or two novels, or perhaps some other special promotional deal. Already, at certain discount furniture stores they now "give away" HD TVs if you purchase a living room set. I'm sure they aren't losing money on the deal. My biggest complaint against the current Kindle configuration is admittedly an eccentric one, a criticism that probably isn't shared by the vast majority of Kindle enthusiasts. It's too damned small for me! I realize the current size is perfect for toting around town. Nevertheless, being an artist I want lots of visual real estate, and of course it has to be in color. Granted, I'm sure traditional coffee table art books will never go away. Printed books will only become more valuable. Nor will children books disappear such as the kind you show pop-up pictures to your kids and read at bedtime. As display panel technology continues to improve and get cheaper by the square inch I'm convinced that eventually there will be a market for bigger magazine size e-readers, fold-out versions sporting two side-by-side panels - and of course all of this in glorious hi-def color. There may even be a viable market for a e-triptychs, a three-panel "fold-out" version - for Playboy enthusiasts. Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
