Rupert Murdoch wants in on the e-book action
By Tim Stevens 
posted April 3rd 2009 8:56AM
posted April 3rd 2009 8:56AM
posted April 3rd 2009 8:56AM
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I would think the best current competition is in the Sony devices (505, 700). Some of the recent devices might also be good competition but the Sony ones seem like the best ones that have anywhere near the same user base as the kindle.
Great. He turned the Wall Street Journal into USA Today with extra-nasty anti-Obama editiorials; wonder what dumbed-down right-wingery he can insert into the ebook business? Maybe he can bring ebooks to his Fox News demographic-- oh yeah, 60 plus-year olds in trailer parks don't read books or newspapers, much less ebooks... back to the drawing board, Smithers.....
CAREFUL SMITHERS! that sponge has corners you know!
"Great. He turned the Wall Street Journal into USA Today with extra-nasty anti-Obama editiorials; wonder what dumbed-down right-wingery he can insert into the ebook business? Maybe he can bring ebooks to his Fox News demographic-- oh yeah, 60 plus-year olds in trailer parks don't read books or newspapers, much less ebooks... back to the drawing board, Smithers....."
Wow, how arrogant.
I suppose if MSNBC was the one doing this to bring ebooks to their demographic-- oh yeah, leftist coffee house trash, and socialist that get their "news" from two hack comedians on Comedy Central, You would feel better?
Be happy that money is going anywhere these days.
@Look_Around_You:
At least MSNBC's demographic is better educated, stays informed thus reads more etc... and you know that is kind of important when you target an audience with an ebook.
@tohe...are you high?!?!?! You are suggesting that MSNBC's demographic is better educated than Fox's? You are clearly an idiot for not only thinking but actually posting that comment.
I suppose you know absolutely everyone that watches MSNBC and FOX which is why you were able to come to such a profound conclusion. What a Jackhole liberal!
fuck off.
Who cares whose demographic is more educated? It doesn't change the fact that Rupert Murdoch is a vile piece of work.
@Sonny:
I'm sorry if I offended you. I see you feel completely identified with said demographic. Somewhere along your answer, you proved my very point. On a side note, my observation is based on facts (I research them) versus fiction. Yes there is spin going on in both sides, but only Fox grossly lies to its audience and they, like you buy every bit of it. I wish people were more analytical on both sides, a media driven populous is never good for anyone.
He does tend to cater for the lowest common denominator, and his news, TV and publishing empires are usually trash at best. But he is a pretty successful and ruthless business man.
Can he do it? very likely.
Can he do it right? Who knows. For me, the more readers out there, the more content available, and the more chance of getting the whole DRM nonsense over and done with quickly. Unless he allows only his choice of media on it, what harm can he do?
Only problem I can see is that an e-reader is rubbish as emergency toilet paper, while his other products dream of rising so far in status.
All well to focus on fox news and be disdainful, but to be honest fox does make some fair entertainment tv shows (including the in this thread referenced simpsons.)
All in all they make better tv shows than some other big companies, and shows that seem noticeably less 'sanitised' than companies like NBC/ABC/whathaveyou make.
Honestly, that his papers are doing worse is the best thing to come out of the recession. Choice of what to read should be the upside if devices like the Kindle get subscription news, but if it just ends up being news corp, then I have no idea where the money is to sustain journalism that sells based on integrity and knowledge rather than an emotionally warped narritive.
His papers are going under? I wasn't aware that Murdoch owned the NY Times, both Chicago dailies, the Seattle Times, etc, etc.
Murdoch has made his fortune by offering something other than left-wing slanted news. Obviously there is a market for it - Fox News routines beats CNN, MSNBC and CNBC combined.
Yeah, Rupert Murdoch slid right into a very opportune gap in the market. It wasn't conservative news though (I don't really know why you said that). What he sells should not me allowed to be called a newspaper, perhaps a general interest booklet. The tone he sets for his senior editors is not one of reporting but storytelling, gathering the most interesting stories and telling them in the most interesting way.
In this, I don't think, there is any strong agenda, but it is dangerous and false because it's not informative. I've seen no good explanation of what the plans being drawn in London are, for instance, but I have seen character-stories about world leaders and stories about how it means that we're going to be homeless.
Is this the same Murdoch in MacGyver? The guy with face wounds and who never dies?
he's still alive??? cmon die already!!
Rupert Murdoch wants to buy Apple?!?
(hint: this goes along with the incessant rumors of Apple and e-readers)
Rupert you Pirate of Paper you. You read my post on Huffington didn’t you ;^)... I wander if you’re going to go with the bigger sized flexible OLE devices that I suggested as a replacement for those failing dinosaur news papers.
Well, as long as the kindle like device you decide to use comes preloaded with anti-bullshite software, we will be Ooo-k!
Oh, forgot the post:
"HEY NEWSPAPER DUDES! WANNA SURVIVE IN THIS INSTANT NEWS ELECTRONIC AGE? Well, get off of you antiquated keasters and create a kindle like device (i.e. Amazon’s Kindle only bigger but) using flexible OLED technology. Imagine if I can roll up or fold a piece of tech that get constantly updated newspaper feeds from papers around the country that I subscribe too? Talk to Sony. They have the tech NOW and it aint rocket science! So, why are you still sitting there reading my rant? Don't wait. Posse up with other newspapers around the country and GO GET ER DONE! Your survival depends on it!"
posted Mar 17, 2009 at 13:20:24
This man is such a cancer. He's to the right what Soros is to the left. When are these poisonous old men are going to go away?
Nature has an elegant solution to this problem. It's called time.
well - it had to happen - book publishers were never going to do it - a failing newspaper proprietor might have seen the light - Apple is the natural choice given their leverage of mp3s with the iPod - just don't let them make another pointless hybrid
Murdoch, call me mate!
Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!! Matey!!!!!!!!
I want me in on them thar e-books!!!
arrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!
Up next, Bill-O The Clown and his amazing loffa
IIRC Newscorp owns HarperCollins publishing. If Murdock wants to cash in on eReaders he should get his company to start making books available w/ the type of transparent DRM that Amazon and Apple use for music. The money isn't in the reader, it's in the content. The eReading experience sucks right now not because there aren't good readers, but because 1) so many new books are not in digital format, and 2) the ones that are are locked up which means if you want to trade your Kindle for a 505 for vice versa you are screwed. BTW, IMHO reading a newspaper on an eReader is painful and unnatural.
Bottomline: what eReaders need to become mainstream is a universal standard format and to have all major publishers and authors participate. It's easier and cheaper for them to push out digital bits vs. physical books, yet publishers still favor the less profitable book format. Let's party like it's 1899. Woo hoo.
have you actually read a newspaper on a kindle 2? Its far from perfect but still easier to get through articles than a traditional newspaper. I can read the WSJ or New York Times in 20 minutes.
Murdoch has single handedly poisoned the minds of millions with his never ending evil and malicious warped streams of propaganda packaged to look like news or information. Unfortunately there are millions of soft heads ready and willing to be programmed by anyone who comes along with any message whatsoever. Sad that this messenger has such a warped agenda. "Control the Media and you Control Society" ... here Murdoch's business savvy will again allow him to maintain control of Print in what is thought to be a declining market.
It totally amazes me that the "fiercely independent" Americans have become the very media controllable sheep in Murdoch's flock... and don't even know it.
Would GW been elected... Twice without Fox News... nope. Would the US invaded Iraq without Fox News beating the drum of war 24/7... nope. The sick NeoCon agenda would have remained on the fringes of society without Murdoch and his all powerful media engine of death.
Murdoch going into Ebooks?... just another sad, sad milestone.
You just cant staaaaaaaand free speech, can you?
Seriously Man. Its freedom of speech. Are we forced to watch Fox News?
No.
And FYI the 18-34 demos for Foxnews are double MSNBC's.
This sounds like a job for....
Affirmative action?... no that can't be right...
The fairness doctrine?... that certainly couldn't hurt.
Oh ooo! I know we could just shoot him and replace him with Hugo Chavez!
Liberalism is a mental disorder.
Everyday I like the kindle more and more.
I heart Kindle....and Kendall (Jackson)
"Would GW been elected... Twice without Fox News... nope. Would the US invaded Iraq without Fox News beating the drum of war 24/7... nope. The sick NeoCon agenda would have remained on the fringes of society without Murdoch and his all powerful media engine of death."
I suppose the same could be said for Osalami's election, Could he have won without CNN, MSNBC, New York Times, Huffington Post, Celebrities and lets not forget all the wealth envying freeloader of this great nation.
Note to you types: the republicans have exposed themselves, they are now known by most everybody, the old tricks won't work, it's time to lay low a while so people forget.
Honestly I can go for a ebook version of the Wallstreet Journal which is my favorite paper. I also admire Rupert Murdoch, he is the last newspaper man and if I was in his place I'd act pretty similar.
Oh and my last words would be Rosebud.
E-page-three-girls! Woo Hoo!
In gothic (half) outfits to fit the black&white format I guess.
I agree. Its freedom of speech, no one forces you to watch FOX News or MSNBC.
Rupert Murdoch is evil.
I genuinely feel sorry for people who watch Faux news and feel informed about the world around them.
Really though, I feel sorry for anybody who watches any form of US mainstream cable news and feels informed about the world.
Faux News is the worst though.
I feel sorry for people who have to force their political opinions on others by means of defamation of character of those opposing their views.
Or in this case, you.
I wasn't aware that I stated a definitive political opinion.
I called Rupert Murdoch evil.
I feel sorry for people who are unable to debate intellectually, logically, and objectively, and instead have to resort to cheap and easy ad hominem attacks, using pejorative slurs as fact, and relying on subjective sentiments as truth.
Lots of people feeling sorry for one another here.
If somebody wants to spoon just ask.
I see Kindle (the hardware) as a very short lived device. At some point, OLED (pick your screen tech of choice) will match the contrast of the Kindle screen, and a convertible netbook/tablet will completely replace it. E-reading is a single function of a multi-purpose device we will all carry 2 - 5 years from now.
Many people are already there with the iPhone - I read books on via the Kindle app and Stanza, as well as make phone calls, do email, etc etc -- it's a near-complete multipurpose computer (give me a keyboard and i'll call it complete). I simply don't care about the screen's lack of paper-like contrast.
So - to summarize - e-reading is nothing new - Kindle's is nothing but a big, ugly PDA with great screen contrast. The important part of Kindle - getting the world's texts moved into the "e" space - that is the importance of its existence - and will be its great legacy.
You never learned anything about e-Ink, have you?
Your point? Low power, high contrast display... So?
Wow.. so murdoch wants to screw the kindle up like he screwed up directv?
Dear Amazon,
Just say no.
If it had some good games that I can't play on my XBox 360, then I would consider getting the Evo Basic Windows version, so I could have Windows (propbably CE), a mouse, and a keyboard.
This comment was supposed to go on another aticle. -3 for me
I would hate to see an evil baron like Rupert to buy into the tech industry. FOX is about as biased as Engadget themselves. Mentioning Engadget, my above mistake could have been fixed if engadget had a decent comment system. We need an EDIT button, it can't be that hard to do. Not to mention everytime I hit reply, it never works the first time, so I have to scroll down to hit reply again. They need a quality reply system.