Steve Jobs truthin' it on Amazon

Steve Jobs truthin’ it on Amazon

Wall Street Journal videographer Kara Swisher, wandering the Apple iPad announcement event, captures her colleague WSJ tech reporter Walter Mossberg in an impromptu interview with Steve Jobs, wherein Mossberg asks Jobs why anyone should buy an $14.99 iPad ebook “when you can buy one from Amazon for $9.99 on the Kindle or Barnes & Noble?” Jobs reply? “That won’t be the case.” You mean you’ll have to lower your price, or they’ll have to raise theirs, asks Mossberg. “The prices will be the same,” says Jobs. “Publishers are actually withholding books from Amazon, because they’re not happy with the price.”

Dennis Johnson is the founder of MobyLives, and the co-founder and co-publisher of Melville House.