I buy all my books from Amazon. I used to buy from Nook as well, but their interface was poor and that made it hard for me to make myself use their site. Plus they use a different format than Amazon, so I had to keep two readers on my device. On the other hand, I enjoy bookstores. I can hardly pass one up without going in. I often spend time browsing in my local Barnes and Noble, but mainly to find books I might order from Amazon. I'm an ebook customer for two reasons: price and portability. It's also easier to read on my iPad than to hold open a regular book, especially at Starbucks or Panera. That said, I'm sensitive to the arguments Leonhardt makes in his editorial. Amazon, along with all the tech giants--possibly excepting Microsoft--have been treated with kid gloves by both Democratic and Republican administrations. I'm moved by the issue Leonhardt raises, but his editorial is short on fixes. Exactly how would antitrust power be applied to Amazon to make Barnes and Noble a viable competitor? Amazon doesn't use predatory pricing against Barnes and Noble--the prices for virtually all ebooks is the same on both sites. I would mourn the disappearance of Barnes and Noble, but I don't know how to stop it.
Save Barnes and Noble
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