Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve Jordan
Other threads on this site have questioned the staying power of the current dedicated readers, and suggest that any system based on them will fail as the devices do (if not sooner). However, as (or if) the devices bring more people to the e-book market, we may finally see publishers taking their own steps to secure that market beyond the short-term market that dedicated readers may represent.
This could mean universal (non-proprietary) formats, new readers designed to more universal specifications, or new sales models that serve to remove DRM from the equation. Hopefully, the publishers will see how proprietary formats will not help them in the long run, and take action to ensure interoperability with as many devices as possible.
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Amen brother...you are certainly preaching to the choir here. Has there ever been anything beyond some niche market that ever survived with a proprietary format that could only be used on a specific device? I mean anything that survived more than a handful of years? Not that I can recall.
I keep trying to type more details but it all ends up a rant...suffice to say the only way it all works is for both the device AND the format to be transparent to the buyer. There is no learning curve to buying a used paperback for $2...all books must be readable on 99% of the devices out there and new devices need to be as simple looking as the Sony but with the built-in download deal of the Kindle. I imagine people are scared off by the whole keyboard part of the Kindle.
There can easily be more advanced devices for those with more intensive needs. But it all has to be simple, reasonably priced and universal. Now that is not all that much to ask for right? I mean not as if I am asking for world peace or anything....
