I am excited by the recent news that Amazon has decided to allow users to check out e-books on the device from public libraries. As a Kindle owner, I found it somewhat annoying that they were the last major e-reader platform to hold out.
In addition to Amazon's reluctance to enter this market, two of the biggest publishers in the US are still refusing to offer their e-books to libraries. The reluctance of Amazon and the publishers to jump quickly into this market makes sense. The library lending model could potentially be less profitable if it causes readers who would have otherwise bought the book or e-book to simply check it out from the library. But, opening up the platform could also allow content to reach more price-sensitive users who would not have read the book. Another benefit for Amazon specifically is that this strategy could encourage a new group of customers to go out and buy Kindle's at $100 a pop.
Now, if only Amazon would integrate the Kindle with Google reader so that I can read all of my RSS feeds for free... because right now it is a royal pain in the neck to use the experimental browser. What do you think Jeff Bezos?
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