Quote:
Originally Posted by Moejoe
You've identified a problem that can be solved, not a reason why ePub can survive the worldwide assault (and brand recognition) of Amazon. It's all about the path of least resistance when it comes to adoption. If you can sit on the beach and buy the latest best-seller on a whim, worldwide, then the average punter is going to jump at the chance. If you can get your newspaper delivered, then people are going to jump at the chance. The average punter probably has no clue about ePub vs .mobi (AZW) - most didn't have a clue about Betamax vs VHS either. What they do know is that Amazon sells books, they know that Amazon sells an ereader that can access those books, they do not care about DRM or formats or loaning out from a library (again, a problem that can be solved).
Another reason to just throw up our hands and say 'Okay, Amazon, you win', is the absolutely generous treatment that Amazon gives to independent commercial authors. Amazon is creating, little by little, a new mid list where these authors can survive, maybe even make a living with 70% royalties on their books. None of the other companies are doing this (B&N are making baby steps, but not much more).
For nearly two years I've backed ePub, but it and the companies that adopted it as a format have done nothing beyond a few meagre book stores, some limp hardware updates, and adding a few more types of DRM. We need to move forward, and to do that, some of us (the staunchest supporters of ePub even) have to admit that it failed to do what it promised and that the general public have, and are continuing to choose Amazon over everyone else.
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When you see an eBook available for sale for say $12.99 or $14.99 and then look at your libraries collection of eBooks and see the ePub version available to read for free, the person with the Kindle will wish he/she had a device that handled library eBooks. This is one area that Amazon is going to lose out on and lose out big time.