Other Software > Developer's Corner

Amazon Allows Eliminating Ads on Kindle - Is this idiotic?

(1/3) > >>

Renegade:
Saw this:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/10/kindle-ads-remove-amazon-disable-turn-off_n_1868955.html?utm_hp_ref=tw

Kindle Ads Can Be Removed: Amazon Will Let You Disable Them -- As Long As You Pay

Amazon.com, in an apparent switch in its pricing policy, said over the weekend that it will allow purchasers of its new Kindle Fire tablets to pay $15 extra to turn off advertisements that are built into the devices.

--- End quote ---

To me, this seems completely idiotic from a developer perspective. Why would I want to develop software for a Kindle if Amazon destroys that revenue source?

As a user, I think it's great.

From a business perspective, it sounds to me like Kindle ads are a failure.

I don't develop for the Kindle, so I have no vested interest, but man... Sounds like their developers got sold out. :(

Then again, maybe I'm missing something?

cthorpe:
As far as I can tell, it only removes the ads that appear on the lock screen.  It won't remove ads that are part of apps that the end user installs from the Amazon market.



C

40hz:
From a business perspective, it sounds to me like Kindle ads are a failure.
-Renegade (September 11, 2012, 10:49 AM)
--- End quote ---

Bingo! I think that's it exactly. If the Kindle ads were selling like hotcakes they wouldn't be looking to get some bogus 'protection' money from Kindle owners. And the fact they seem not to be worried about prejudicing themselves with advertisers by providing such a blocking option further suggests they haven't been selling very many of these ads. Sure sounds like an effort to save face, and maybe make a little money on the way out.

Then again didn't the telcos make a small fortune selling "unpublished" and "unlisted" number services?

(Too bad they made an even bigger fortune later on when they started selling "Enhanced Caller-ID" and other "services" to get around it.)

Stoic Joker:
Then again, maybe I'm missing something?-Renegade (September 11, 2012, 10:49 AM)
--- End quote ---

It's an exercise to see if people really are cheaper than they are annoyed by - Holly Crap!! You just gotta buy one of these way kewl widgets - interruptions.

mouser:
This was an inevitable and welcome flip-flop.  It was just insanely evil to not give owners a way of opting out of the lock screen ads, which are absolutely obnoxious.  It was crazy that they thought they could get away with not providing an option to disable those.  Gave me a very distinct impression that they were trying to lower the bar on what kind of advertising cram-down-throat techniques they can force people to get used to.  We need to start objecting to this crap before it becomes the accepted norm.

Renegade: As cthorpe points out, this has nothing to do with removing ads from inside apps, which developers would care about.

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page