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I'm happy Apple didn't go with "the standard" given THERE IS NO STANDARD that covered what Apple needed done.
Standards ALWAYS lag innovation. ePub isn't even "the standard" for ebooks. It's the "we want to topple Amazon" competitive effort because Amazon's .mobi format IS the standard due to it's market share. Amazon innovated, had first mover status (ok, first SUCCESSFUL mover) and now it's format is THE format.
In order to compete, the rest of the industry has come up with a standard, that really can never be the standard. It's simply _a_ standard. So no matter what, a publisher has to support Amazon's .mobi as it's the market leader, and ePub to reach the rest of the wannabe's (including Apple).
There is nothing like what Apple is trying to do with their interactive ebooks. Apple is working to be the first mover, market maker with it's platform and technology. Apple is doing what EVERY innovator does. No one waits for standards when they are innovating and creating a market.
If Apple succeeds in creating a market for interactive textbooks on the iPad...then Amazon and the rest of the wannabe's will then create an "open standard", which is nothing more than what "must be done" when you are not the one who defines the market.
If you want your material as interactive iBooks and as standard epubs and as .mobi/kindle -- then you are going to have to do the work to make your material available on all those platforms.
Apple has no interest in assisting folks in creating content for rival platforms. That's for the likes of Adobe to come up with software that will assist in the creation of cross platform ebooks. And they will never be as good as the single platform efforts.
Lee
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