GAT_00: Marcus Aurelius: the Justice Department is looking into whether Apple and book publishers improperly colluded to prevent price discounts

Well they don't have to look very far, do they.

The entire industry has been working together. None of the book stores, Amazon or Apple have any leeway on sale prices, and they all set approximately the same prices. I mean, this is massively illegal, and there isn't a whole lot trying to stop it yet.

Now, now. I'm sure they'll get a one-time, $30,000 fine, which will be tax-deductible.

wee: Why do I give a squirt? I read books, not files. (As in the kind you don't have to turn off when the pane is landing.) Also, I can go pick them up ten years later and the battery isn't dead. Twenty years later, I can give one to my kid to amuse him.

Well, aren't you special?

And they are going to discover what the music industry discovered- artificially price it as high as you want. Digital copies are cheap to make.

wee: Why do I give a squirt? I read books, not files. (As in the kind you don't have to turn off when the pane is landing.) Also, I can go pick them up ten years later and the battery isn't dead. Twenty years later, I can give one to my kid to amuse him.

Wow. Edgy.
I've got over 30,000 ebooks stored in several places. I can give them to lots of people to read on whatever they want to read on.
They could even print them out.
I've got dozens on my reader right now, to suit whatever reading mood I'm in.
And wherever I move, to whatever country, my entire library is waiting for me.

/I'm better than you are.

Thought this was interesting

FTFA: "And while e-books do offer advantages -- such as portability, convenience, and the ability to highlight and take notes, which might account for an elevated price"

*ahem*

As a plug for Baen books, Baen releases the eBook at the same time as the hardcover comes out for $6. Multiple formats, too, with no DRM. They also have a ton of free books on their site. Great place if you're a sci-fi junkie.

And this is why I pirate content. I will not pay more for an electronic copy I don't truly own than for a paper copy I can loan/sell.

This is bad news... For publishing houses.

For generations an author has had to make it with the publishing house to go anywhere, and publishing houses have had a shiatty track record with picking winners. For every Harry Potter there's a thousand books that never break even.

So now an author can self publish and self promote. You can even hire an editor to check your work fairly cheap. Build a good website and spend a few thousand on Google Ads and you'll either make it or break it when the actual reader reviews come into Amazon or iTunes.

And the fact this sounds exactly like what happened to the music industry is no accident. The same 5 media companies that own 90% of music publishing also own 90% of book publishing. Although in the few years since I wrote a report on the topic the size might have slipped to only 85%.

Where are the anti-trust police when we need them?

The higher the prices go, the more people will look for (and easily find) a free copy. Often, before the official release.

Weaver95: CrispFlows: Weaver95: um...isn't price fixing illegal?

Illegal yes enforced, no.

hello file trading websites!

Don't copy that floppy!

!Billion dollar profits!

/And a politician in every pocket to make sure greed is profitable for a few more weeks at least, while people keep saying "fark this shiat, no more money for you greedy bastards".

As long as used books and bargain bins are cheaper, I'm sticking to the paper. And I've even seen the new Amazon price cheaper than the Kindle like TFA.

Just looking at a few books that popped up on my Recommended Amazon

Bowling Alone 11.21 new paperback, 13.99 kindle

Invisible Man 10.85 new paperback, 11.99 kindle

Last Words Carlin now on bargain at amazon 6.00 new paperback, 9.99 kindle

and to give drew a shout out

It's Not News It's Fark 10.20 new paperback, 10.99 kindle

/and of course, all can be found from outside sellers and if it's available at your local used bookstore for much less

the day i pay somebody for something that doesn't exist
you can shoot me

/no i don't pay for software
//so fark off

iollow: The higher the prices go, the more people will look for (and easily find) a free copy. Often, before the official release.

This.
The one time I had to pay for an eBook, I stripped the DRM and identifying info, then converted it to PDF. Maybe the next person who needs it will save $60.

WhiteCrane: They also have a ton of free books on their site.

I just stocked up my new Galaxy tab off their site. I've been meaning to read the Honor Harrington series for a while, but never got around to it. For the cost of two free e-books, they got over $50 in print and ebook sales.

They pull this shiat every time. CDs cost less to manufacture than either cassette tapes or vinyl records, yet cost almost twice as much at first and remained at more than a dollar more until both older formats disappeared. DVDs cost less than video cassettes and yet they cost more. Publishers always, ALWAYS gouge the shiat out of you when new, more cost effective formats come out.

This is all Obama's fault.

It sounds like Apple is turning into Microsoft, what with all the illegal anticompetitive bullshiat they're doing...

Maybe, as a society, we should start asking whether or not making a profit is ethical and, if so, how much of a profit is ethical.

/Gee, lots of socialism in this thread.

GAT_00: Weaver95: um...isn't price fixing illegal?

It's that wonderful free market of yours.

The free market of a product which can only exist because the government has defined it to exist...

I don't think copyrighted materials are the best thing to use if you are trying to attack whatever it is you think Weaver95 supports.