Reader Centric vs. App Centric

[robotecture]

I keep hearing about how "budget tablets are digging into apples share of the tablet market", and how "the Kindle fire and nook tablet offer alot of tablet features but at a fraction the cost", and so on... The implication is that the nook and kindle (and say kobo vox) are somehow the "budget option" in the tablet market. But here is another perspective: *the iPad, blackberry playbook, and other android tablets are *app centric tablets* whereas the new generation of kindle, nook, and kobo tablets are *reader centric tablets*.... Here is the point where I think alot of business analysts looking at the tablet market are missing the reason for the recent success of the kindle fire and nook tablet: it's not just because they are cheaper and people are willing to forgo a camera or larger screen to save a few dollars. It's because of what the nook and kindle have that these other tablets *dont have* that are why they succeed: a reader centric interface which is built for storing, purchasing, and browsing books, periodicals, etc. the fact that my magazine and newspaper subscriptions auto populate my desktop when new issues come our, and I have all my reading at my fingertips and displayed on my device from and center, a superior reading experience, a bookshelf organization.... These devices put reading material first and foremost which is why they appeal to a huge demographic of general reading population and students who have smartphones and computers and might not see the need for a tablet but do see the benefit of a digital reader device... The traditional manufacturers get this now: the attraction of a tablet is not that they are mini computers with touch screens... It is that they are digital reading devices that keep all formats of reading material (including web based like pulse etc.) all in one place and portable. This is why: *apple now has a NewsStand bookshelf icon permanently fixed on my iPhone desktop... It's the only icon *you cannot remove or even hide in a folder*... It cannot be gotten rid of... Apple is desperate to break into the newsstand market... They want desperately to become a reader centric device, even though their iOS interfaces will always be the app centric one, hugely successful in that regard, but never quite a reader centric device unless they build a completely new reader centric device separate from the iPad and with a different interface... Same goes for other android devices... Samsung Galaxy, and others... Building in widgets onto android desktops which seek to add the reader centric components onto an interface which is really an app centric one... This IMHO is why people will continue to buy the nook and kindle even as other tablets get cheaper. Because the new entrants into the market are mostly readers who are converting to digital, not people who are tech junkies and who already own two other tablets and a laptop...

[patgolfneb]

I would agree with robotecure but add that tablets are much less creator and much closer to pure entertainment devices, especially the 7 inch size, than PC's and laptops. Apple commercial aside I think business tablets will evolve into specialized niche products.

A tablet optimized for order taking in shops, estimates for everything from auto repairs to home building, don't need all of the features and software of general purpose devices. Just like cash registers now are really decontented PC's. This will allow them to be maintained cheaply and used for a long time. They would also be simpler to use and even a bit cheaper. Many businesses want restricted uses to lower their training and maintenance cost and to control employee activity, which more than the upfront cost of the device, where their costs are.

[bobstro]

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robotecture wrote:
[...] But here is another perspective: *the iPad, blackberry playbook, and other android tablets are *app centric tablets* whereas the new generation of kindle, nook, and kobo tablets are *reader centric tablets*.... Here is the point where I think alot of business analysts looking at the tablet market are missing the reason for the recent success of the kindle fire and nook tablet: it's not just because they are cheaper and people are willing to forgo a camera or larger screen to save a few dollars. It's because of what the nook and kindle have that these other tablets *dont have* that are why they succeed: a reader centric interface which is built for storing, purchasing, and browsing books, periodicals, etc. 

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I generally agree, but if B&N were to release their reader and launcher shell for Android, the experience could be exactly the same on any Android device. Should another competitor (say Samsung) elect to develop a competitive "reader shell", it could fulfill exactly the same role. The "experience" is all just a software shell over an Android core. There's really no magic in the hardware, though features that favor screen readability and battery life certainly strengthen the offering. B&N got those features right.

I have no idea what the beta Android NOOK app will provide, but B&N has the option to make any Android tablet a "B&N Reader" through software, if they so choose.

One of the reasons I've come back to the B&N firmware is that reader versus app focus that you mention. If my device screen is cluttered with app icons and status widgets, I tend to play with the device itself. If the screen is covered with books and reading material, I read a lot more. I really don't want my device to look like a giant phone.

[Mrs_Gatz]

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bobstro wrote:

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robotecture wrote:
[...] But here is another perspective: *the iPad, blackberry playbook, and other android tablets are *app centric tablets* whereas the new generation of kindle, nook, and kobo tablets are *reader centric tablets*.... Here is the point where I think alot of business analysts looking at the tablet market are missing the reason for the recent success of the kindle fire and nook tablet: it's not just because they are cheaper and people are willing to forgo a camera or larger screen to save a few dollars. It's because of what the nook and kindle have that these other tablets *dont have* that are why they succeed: a reader centric interface which is built for storing, purchasing, and browsing books, periodicals, etc. 

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I generally agree, but if B&N were to release their reader and launcher shell for Android, the experience could be exactly the same on any Android device. Should another competitor (say Samsung) elect to develop a competitive "reader shell", it could fulfill exactly the same role. The "experience" is all just a software shell over an Android core. There's really no magic in the hardware, though features that favor screen readability and battery life certainly strengthen the offering. B&N got those features right.

I have no idea what the beta Android NOOK app will provide, but B&N has the option to make any Android tablet a "B&N Reader" through software, if they so choose.

One of the reasons I've come back to the B&N firmware is that reader versus app focus that you mention. If my device screen is cluttered with app icons and status widgets, I tend to play with the device itself. If the screen is covered with books and reading material, I read a lot more. I really don't want my device to look like a giant phone.

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I disagree 

http://www.apple.com/ios/features.html#newsstand

Excellent addition to IOS5 and just as good as Nook (and I have/had 4 Nooks)

Why spread FUD, its a big world !

[robotecture]

Mrs. Gatz: Yes, the iOS 5 Newsstand is Apples response to the realization that where the kindle and nook succeeded was in more than just being cheaper, it was in content access and reader centric interface... That newsstand app is similar to iBooks, but it is the one app in the entire iOS device interface that is not just unremovable, it is also not possible to place it in a folder. In this way, similar to android devices like the Samsung Galaxy, which has added a books widget directly on the desktop, manufacturers are trying to reposition themselves as reader devices because that is the Nook and Kindle's competitive advantage and the biggest potential for market expansion, as well as the biggest threat to market share... Right now, apple is still a little behind though in that department... The iBooks store still is missing depth in titles and IMHO the iPad is still a little too large as a reading device to carry around everywhere... The rumor however is that apple is looking into making a 7" iPad... If they did that, and ramped up their books and periodicals stores and reader interfaces to match Kindle and nook, then they could really assert some dominance, but right now, IMHO these moves are defensive moves... Clearly apple sees the nook tablet and Kindle fire as a bigger threat than simply a budget version of the iPad... They are trying to make the iPad less app centric and incorporate reader centric elements into their interface... But the only thing that matters really is content. I can read my nook magazine subscriptions on my iPhone, so that apple newsstand app is just clutter on my desktop... I've moved it to its own desktop panel to get rid of it from my desktop organization on my iPhone... As a reader app, my nook app is the one I keep on my front page of my iPhone...

[Mrs_Gatz]

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robotecture wrote:
Mrs. Gatz: Yes, the iOS 5 Newsstand is Apples response to the realization that where the kindle and nook succeeded was in more than just being cheaper, it was in content access and reader centric interface... That newsstand app is similar to iBooks, but it is the one app in the entire iOS device interface that is not just unremovable, it is also not possible to place it in a folder. In this way, similar to android devices like the Samsung Galaxy, which has added a books widget directly on the desktop, manufacturers are trying to reposition themselves as reader devices because that is the Nook and Kindle's competitive advantage and the biggest potential for market expansion, as well as the biggest threat to market share... Right now, apple is still a little behind though in that department... The iBooks store still is missing depth in titles and IMHO the iPad is still a little too large as a reading device to carry around everywhere... The rumor however is that apple is looking into making a 7" iPad... If they did that, and ramped up their books and periodicals stores and reader interfaces to match Kindle and nook, then they could really assert some dominance, but right now, IMHO these moves are defensive moves... Clearly apple sees the nook tablet and Kindle fire as a bigger threat than simply a budget version of the iPad... They are trying to make the iPad less app centric and incorporate reader centric elements into their interface... But the only thing that matters really is content. I can read my nook magazine subscriptions on my iPhone, so that apple newsstand app is just clutter on my desktop... I've moved it to its own desktop panel to get rid of it from my desktop organization on my iPhone... As a reader app, my nook app is the one I keep on my front page of my iPhone...

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Im a bit OCD as well ! 

Even if you move it 10 pages back, it'll still be there !

[robotecture]

Agreed, its still there... Which I find annoying really on an otherwise very consistently designed apple interface... It's the one anomaly on their app centric interface that you cannot remove from the desktop... all other unremovable apps by apple you can at least organize by folder. Here is the problem though, its still an app centric interface. The grid, icons, everything about tge ipad interface is a large version of an iphone... its very consistent and made for apps... but its simplicity makes it broadly an app device, and its simplicity and consistency is lost when you start breaking those rules...maybe the newsstand interface is okay, but it is still an anomaly in an interface that otherwise is built around apps... the nook is an interface built around reading material... I dont think tacking on a non removable app icon on the iOS interface changes this... on my phone at least, I actually find it kind of annoying... Rather than a reaction if how cool the new newsstand is, it gets a reqction of: WTF? Why is apple trying to force me to have their magazine newsstand app icon on my iphone desktop, a device that is not the ideal place for me to read magazines? If it was an optional app, downloadable and organizable, the way ibooks is, it would be a plus, but the way they have done it, it seems like force feeding it to people who may already be subscribing to kindle or nook for content purchases... of course, this isnt really any different from the kindle and nook, but it just feels different because it is something that was imposed on your device after you already have nook or kindle apps, or zinio, that do the same thing...

[bobstro]

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Mrs_Gatz wrote:I disagree 

http://www.apple.com/ios/features.html#newsstand

Excellent addition to IOS5 and just as good as Nook (and I have/had 4 Nooks)

Why spread FUD, its a big world !

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Care to elaborate on what exactly you're disagreeing with? You pointed to a reader app for Apple devices, which underscores my point: It's the software that makes a reader, not the brand. Put similar software on a Samsung, and it's just as good a reader.

No idea what you mean by FUD.

[Mrs_Gatz]

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bobstro wrote:

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Mrs_Gatz wrote:I disagree 

http://www.apple.com/ios/features.html#newsstand

Excellent addition to IOS5 and just as good as Nook (and I have/had 4 Nooks)

Why spread FUD, its a big world !

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Care to elaborate on what exactly you're disagreeing with? You pointed to a reader app for Apple devices, which underscores my point: It's the software that makes a reader, not the brand. Put similar software on a Samsung, and it's just as good a reader.

No idea what you mean by FUD.

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There are some here (not pointing at you) spreading FUD (fear, uncertainty, or/and doubt) about other devices, capabilities of said devices, or the lack of.

You know, selling magazines is as old as the dinosaurs, huge profit, and so we are being led in that direction, which is ok, as long as we are aware of that

Boy Apple is good at that, arent they?.

[robotecture]

Who is spreading fear, uncertainty and/or doubt...?

[bobstro]

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Mrs_Gatz wrote:

There are some here (not pointing at you) spreading FUD (fear, uncertainty, or/and doubt) about other devices, capabilities of said devices, or the lack of. [...]

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 Ah, OK. I was thrown by the fact that you quoted my message in its entirety.

[Omnigeek]

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Mrs_Gatz wrote:

There are some here (not pointing at you) spreading FUD (fear, uncertainty, or/and doubt) about other devices, capabilities of said devices, or the lack of.

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I'm sorry, I didn't see ANYONE spreading FUD about Apple's Newsstand app.  Some people have pointed out that it's still an app-centric interface, that it's nowhere near as reader-centric as the Nook or Kindle interface.  On my iPod Touch it's an annoying waste of desktop real estate, a second-class entree into the media market much as the Nook Color/Tablet or Kindle Fire would be second-class entrees to general purpose tablet capabilities.  I MIGHT use it if I didn't already have a superior reader but I do (in fact, I have three superior readers -- four if you count using Aldiko and FBReader on my Android smartphone).

[Mrs_Gatz]

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Omnigeek wrote:

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Mrs_Gatz wrote:

There are some here (not pointing at you) spreading FUD (fear, uncertainty, or/and doubt) about other devices, capabilities of said devices, or the lack of.

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I'm sorry, I didn't see ANYONE spreading FUD about Apple's Newsstand app.  Some people have pointed out that it's still an app-centric interface, that it's nowhere near as reader-centric as the Nook or Kindle interface.  On my iPod Touch it's an annoying waste of desktop real estate, a second-class entree into the media market much as the Nook Color/Tablet or Kindle Fire would be second-class entrees to general purpose tablet capabilities.  I MIGHT use it if I didn't already have a superior reader but I do (in fact, I have three superior readers -- four if you count using Aldiko and FBReader on my Android smartphone).

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You, just did....

[robotecture]

Criticism and honest point of view do not equate to FUD. Feel free to disagree and provide a counter point of view... It's an open forum after all! Do you disagree that the nook, kindle, and kobo are reader centric interfaces, while the iPad, and most android tabs are app centric interfaces? That's not even in itself a criticism really... It's just pointing at the obvious...

[Omnigeek]

You misunderstand what FUD is if you describe my post as FUD -- or any of the other posts in this thread for that matter.  I described how Apple's Newsstand app takes up space on my iPod Touch's desktop real estate (fact) and its second-class capability as a reader compared to the Nook or Fire (either fact or opinion -- in either case, neither fear nor uncertainty nor doubt).

FUD would be saying things along the lines of "I'm not going to get anything Android because Microsoft's lawsuits might cut off any further product support" or "I don't know if I want to tie myself to anything by Apple because they're gonna tank now that Steve Jobs is gone".

[Mrs_Gatz]

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Omnigeek wrote:

You misunderstand what FUD is if you describe my post as FUD -- or any of the other posts in this thread for that matter.  I described how Apple's Newsstand app takes up space on my iPod Touch's desktop real estate (fact) and its second-class capability as a reader compared to the Nook or Fire (either fact or opinion -- in either case, neither fear nor uncertainty nor doubt).

FUD would be saying things along the lines of "I'm not going to get anything Android because Microsoft's lawsuits might cut off any further product support" or "I don't know if I want to tie myself to anything by Apple because they're gonna tank now that Steve Jobs is gone".

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The words I underlined in the post a few lines up are enough to deter the innocent lurker. And it sounded angry, and frustrated. No where to be found are the 3 letters IMO.

And so, I find those comments on par with "I don't know if I want to tie myself to anything by Apple because they're gonna tank now that Steve Jobs is gone".

Sorry, you never know who you may sway, rather, do you want to sway anyone this way or that with your beliefs?

I am not fighting with you, I wish you well.

[Omnigeek]

Seeking to inform -- or even to sway -- someone is not FUD.  FUD is creating a cloud in someone's mind, usually through the use of vague and/or unsubstantiated rumors or suggestions.

"You keep using that word.  I do not think it means what you think it means." -- Inigo Montoya

[bobstro]

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Mrs_Gatz wrote:

[...] And so, I find those comments on par with "I don't know if I want to tie myself to anything by Apple because they're gonna tank now that Steve Jobs is gone".

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I don't know if I want to tie myself to anything by Apple because of what they did to Steve Wozniak.

[nkr]

You can get Newstand into a folder. Place at least two other apps you want to hide on the same page with Newsstand. Place one app on top of the other to create the folder and quickly move Newsstand into the folder. It will drop right in. You cannot open Newsstand while it remains in the folder which is the reason, perhaps, that it is a stand alone app. Maybe there is not a marketing strategy behind the decision......ya think?

[robotecture]

nkr: that doesn't work on my iphone4... It doesn't allow moving the newsstand into a folder... The newsstand moved on top of the folder just shuffles that folder out of the way.