Ondrej Holzman Sekuphele izinsuku ezingama-236 kwaphuma isinqumo sokuqala lapho i-Apple itholwe inecala lokukhohlisa amanani ezincwadi ze-e-book. Cishe ngemva kwezinyanga ezintathu kwezine zonyaka, lonke lolu daba lwafinyelela eNkantolo Yokudlulisa Amacala, lapho u-Apple wafaka khona isikhalazo ngokushesha futhi manje oseyethule kuyo izimpikiswano. Ingabe unalo ithuba lokuphumelela?
Isikhundla sika-Apple sicacile: ukuphakamisa izinga lentengo ye-e-books kwakudingeka ukudala indawo yokuncintisana. Kodwa noma ngezabo izimpikiswano eziphelele ukuthi inkampani yaseCalifornia izophumelela yini akucaci.
Konke kwaqala ngoJulayi wonyaka odlule, noma kunalokho ngaleso sikhathi, iJaji uDenise Cote wanquma ukuthi u-Apple unecala. Kanye nabashicileli bezincwadi abahlanu, u-Apple usolwa ngokukhohlisa amanani e-e-book. Nakuba abashicileli abahlanu - uHachette, Macmillan, Penguin, HarperCollins kanye noSimon & Schuster - banquma ukuxazulula futhi bakhokhe amaRandi ayizigidi ezingu-164, u-Apple wanquma ukulwa futhi walahlekelwa. Njengoba bekulindelekile, nokho, inkampani yaseCupertino yafaka isikhalazo futhi icala manje selidingidwa yiNkantolo Yokudlulisa Amacala.
Ngaphambi kokuthi i-Apple ingene, i-Amazon yasho amanani
Ngaphambi kokuthi i-Apple ingene emakethe ye-e-book, cishe kwakungekho mncintiswano. Kwakukhona i-Amazon kuphela, futhi yayithengisa abathengisi abahamba phambili ngama- $ 9,99, kuyilapho amanani entengo yezinye izinto ezintsha “ayengaphansi kwalokho okuvame ukubhekwa njengokuncintisana,” u-Apple wabhala esitatimendeni sakhe esiya enkantolo yamacala. "Imithetho yokungathembeki ayikho ukuze kuqinisekiswe amanani aphansi ngazo zonke izindleko, kodwa ukuthuthukisa ukuncintisana."
[su_pullquote align="right"]Isigaba somthetho esithandwa kakhulu yi-Apple saqinisekisa ukuthi ngeke siphinde sibhekane nokuncintisana.[/su_pullquote]
Ngenkathi i-Apple ingena emakethe, yenza isivumelwano nabashicileli abaningana ukwenza kube nenzuzo ukuthengisa ama-e-books. Intengo ye-e-book ngayinye yayibekwe phakathi kuka-$12,99 no-$14,99, futhi isivumelwano sasihlanganisa isigatshana somthetho esithengiswa kakhulu “esiqinisekisa ukuthi ama-e-book azothengiswa ngentengo ephansi kakhulu yemakethe etholakala e-Apple Store,” ebhala encwadini yakhe. isinqumo seJaji uCote. Ngenxa yalokhu, abashicileli bekumele banyuse intengo yezincwadi ze-e esitolo se-Amazon Kindle.
Isigaba somthetho esithandwa kakhulu yi-Apple saqinisekisa ukuthi "ayisophinde ibhekane nomncintiswano wokuthengiswa kwe-e-book, kanti futhi iphoqa abashicileli ukuthi basebenzise imodeli ye-ejensi," kubhala u-Cote. Kumodeli ye-ejensi, abashicileli bangasetha noma iyiphi intengo yencwadi yabo, kanti i-Apple ihlala ithatha ikhomishini engamaphesenti angama-30. Lokhu kwakuphambene ncamashi nendlela i-Amazon eyayisebenze ngayo kuze kube yileso sikhathi, ithenga izincwadi kubashicileli bese izithengisa ngamanani abo.
I-Apple: Amanani ehla ngemva kokufika kwethu
Kodwa-ke, i-Apple iyaphika ukuthi izama ukukhohlisa amanani e-e-books. "Nakuba inkantolo ithole ukuthi izivumelwano ze-ejensi ye-Apple kanye namaqhinga okuxoxisana asemthethweni, inqume ukuthi ngokulalela izikhalo zabashicileli futhi yamukele ukuvuleleka kwabo ngamanani angaphezulu kuka-$9,99, u-Apple wenza uzungu oluqhubekayo ekuqaleni kwemihlangano yokuqala yokuhlola maphakathi no-December 2009. I-Apple yayingenalo ulwazi lokuthi Abashicileli babehileleke kunoma yiluphi uzungu ngo-December 2009 noma nganoma yisiphi esinye isikhathi. Okutholwe yinkantolo yesifunda kukhombisa ukuthi i-Apple yanikeza abashicileli uhlelo lwebhizinisi lokudayisa olwaluzizuzisa yona ezimele futhi luheha abashicileli ngoba bekhungathekile nge-Amazon. Futhi kwakungekho emthethweni ukuthi i-Apple isebenzise ithuba lokunganeliseki kwemakethe futhi yenze izivumelwano ze-ejensi ngokuhambisana nomthetho ukuze ingene emakethe futhi ilwe ne-Amazon. "
Nakuba izintengo zezihloko ezintsha zikhuphukile, i-Apple ibala ukuthi inani elimaphakathi lazo zonke izinhlobo ze-e-books lehle lisuka ngaphezu kuka-$2009 laya ngaphansi kwama-$2011 eminyakeni emibili phakathi kukaDisemba 8 noDisemba 7. Ngokusho kwe-Apple, yilokhu inkantolo okufanele igxile kukho, ngoba kuze kube manje i-Cote ikhulume kakhulu nezintengo zezihloko ezintsha, kodwa ayizange ibhekane nezintengo kuyo yonke imakethe kanye nazo zonke izinhlobo ze-e-books.
[su_pullquote align="left"]Umyalelo wenkantolo awuhambisani nomthethosisekelo futhi kufanele uchithwe.[/su_pullquote]
Ngenkathi i-Amazon ithengise cishe amaphesenti angama-2009 azo zonke izincwadi ze-elekthronikhi ngo-90, ngo-2011 i-Apple ne-Barnes & Noble yaba ngamaphesenti angama-30 nangama-40 okuthengisa, ngokulandelana. “Ngaphambi kokuthi i-Apple ifike, i-Amazon ukuphela komdlali ovelele owabeka amanani. UBarnes & Noble wayebhekene nokulahlekelwa okukhulu ngaleso sikhathi; ngokushesha ngemva kwalokho, izinkulungwane zabashicileli zavela futhi zaqala ukubeka amanani azo ngaphakathi kohlaka lomncintiswano, "kubhala u-Apple, ogcizelela ukuthi ukufika kwemodeli ye-ejensi kwabona ukwehla kwamanani.
Ngakolunye uhlangothi, i-Apple ayivumelani nokugomela kwenkantolo kokuthi intengo ye-Amazon engu-$9,99 "ibeyinani elingcono kakhulu lokudayisa" futhi yayihloselwe ukunikeza inzuzo kumakhasimende. Ngokusho kwe-Apple, imithetho yokungathembeki ayihambisani nezintengo “ezingcono” uma kuqhathaniswa nalezo “ezimbi kakhulu,” futhi azibeki noma yiziphi izindinganiso zamanani entengo.
Isinqumo sijezisa kakhulu
Ezinyangeni ezimbili ngemuva kwesinqumo sakhe I-Cote imemezele isijeziso. U-Apple wayenqatshelwe ukungena ezinkontilekeni zamazwe athandwa kakhulu nabashicileli be-e-book noma izinkontileka ezizoyivumela ukuthi ilawule amanani e-e-book. U-Cote uphinde wayala i-Apple ukuthi ingabazisi abanye abashicileli mayelana nokusebenzelana nabashicileli, obekuwukukhawulela ukuvela okungenzeka kozungu olusha. Ngaso leso sikhathi, i-Apple bekufanele ivumele abanye abashicileli imigomo efanayo yokuthengisa ezinhlelweni zabo zokusebenza ezinye izinhlelo zokusebenza ku-App Store ezazinayo.
U-Apple manje useze enkantolo yezikhalazo ngenhloso ecacile: ufuna ukuguqula isinqumo seJaji uDenise Cote. "Lo myalelo ujezisa ngokungafanele, uyaqina futhi awuhambisani nomthethosisekelo futhi kufanele uyekwe," u-Apple ubhalele inkantolo yamacala. “Umyalo we-Apple uyiqondisa ukuthi iguqule izivumelwano zayo nabashicileli abasolwayo, nakuba lezo zivumelwano sezishintshiwe ngokusekelwe ezinkantolo zabashicileli. Ngasikhathi sinye, umthethonqubo ulawula i-App Store, engahlangene necala noma ubufakazi."
Umbhalo obanzi uhlanganisa nomphathi wangaphandle owayengowakwa-Cote isetshenziswe ngo-Okthoba odlule futhi bekufanele abheke ukuthi ngabe i-Apple ifeze konke ngokwesivumelwano. Kodwa-ke, ukusebenzisana phakathi kukaMichael Bromwich no-Apple kwakuhambisana nezingxabano ezihlala isikhathi eside, ngakho-ke inkampani yaseCalifornia ingathanda ukumqeda. “Ukuqapha lapha akulingani ngokomthetho mayelana 'nenkampani yezobuchwepheshe ehlonishwa kakhulu yaseMelika, eguquguqukayo nenempumelelo.' Ekuxazululeni kwabashicileli, akukho mgadli ohilelekile, futhi ukuqapha kusetshenziswa lapha njengesijeziso se-Apple ngokunquma ukuya enkantolo nokudlulisa icala, ezibonisa ukuthi 'ayinamahloni'.
