Don't get me wrong, I think Comixology is doing a lot of things right. But they're also doing a lot of things wrong. How do they fail? Let me count the ways:
1. You don't really own anything you buy on Comixology. Every comic you buy lives on their server and only on their server. You can't download it and transfer it to your non-wifi-enabled iPod. You can't read it when your device is not connected to the internet. And worst of all--because this is something entirely outside the customer's control--you can't read your comics when Comixology's server is down. This afternoon I paid for six comics but I didn't have time to read them until tonight. And now I cannot get onto Comixology's web app--not via the link on their homepage, not via DCComics.com, not via Comics Dungeon, where I bought the comics this afternoon. When customers cannot access the content they paid money for, that is a major business fail. This needs to be fixed. I get that they're worried about piracy, but (a) they could still discourage piracy by using some kind of DRM-protected (but downloadable) file that only works in a Comixology desktop app, and (b) piracy happens anyway. The pretty pictures I post on this blog? They're all taken from screenshots from Comixology's web app. If I were so inclined, I could screenshot an entire comic and save it as a jpeg or pdf. I'm not so inclined--I stick to fair use when taking screenshots for the purpose of reviews--but the point is that not allowing customers to download the comics they buy serves no purpose.
So stop it, Comixology. NOW.
(Enumerated list of Comixology Fails to be continued in future posts...)
EDIT: So I guess you actually do download your comics on the iPod/iPad app, but there isn't any kind of PC desktop app, so everything I say above applies only to people like me who read their comics on a PC. I'm still annoyed. Why don't you have a PC desktop app where I can download and keep my comics, Comixology?
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