If you think you’re locked into an ecosystem now, just imagine if you’d been using the same services since before you could ride a bike. Today’s students are tomorrow’s customers, after all, and devices are inexpensive enough now that elementary school students can carry smartphones.

Both Apple and Amazon have introduced new account features that let families share content. Apple has Apple Family Sharing, and Amazon is slated to turn on Amazon Family Library later this year. These programs let families link Apple or Amazon accounts together to share information and purchased content, which will make it harder to switch platforms — now you’re not just leaving your own apps behind, but your family members’ as well. You don’t need to strictly choose between the two programs, but when you’re buying ebooks it might be worth considering how you want to share them with family members.

Sharing content used to…