Apple Now Controls 20 Percent Of U.S. E-Book Market
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During Apple’s trial against the U.S. Division of Justice it was disclosed that Apple now regulates about 20 percent of the U.S. ebook market, thanks the development of Apple’s iBookstore.
The information came during director Keith Moerer’s testimony in court on Tuesday. Moerer was called as a government witness in the U.S. vs Apple case where Apple stand accused of working with publishers to fix the cost of ebooks when the iBookstore introduced in 2010.
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Publishers Weekly reports that Moerer declares the iBookstore regulated about 20percent of the U.S. ebook market when it launched in 2020, and it’s back up to 20 % now. The majority of analysts estimate that Apple just manages about 10percent of the marketplace, with Amazon grabbing the lion’s share at 50 to 60 percent, and Barnes and Noble taking second with 25 percent:
“The government called the iBookstore ‘a failure,’ and charged that ‘Apple prices was unreasonable to consumers,’ and that ‘Apple offered fewer books since of the greater rate caps.’ Moerer challenged that characterization, ‘I disagree. Ebook sales grew 100 percent last year at the iBookstore and it had more than 100 million consumers.’ The government countered that ‘when you drop prices you offer more books,’ and Moerer stated, ‘in some cases, yes.’”
Moerer also mentioned that Apple has not enforced its most preferred country clause fr ebooks since in 2012. Apple’s SVP Eddy Hint is scheduled to testify at the trial on Thursday.