Quote:
Originally Posted by MidnightBlue
Why would something like this attract the average consumer? I have never had a problem with DRM, why would I want to go out of my way to avoid it? Why would most people who only had one brand of eReader and who weren't pirates?
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A lot of the people who have been reading ebooks since the early days know that DRM systems have been shut down, formats have been changed, and that if the ebook is encrypted with DRM, and can't strip the DRM, they can effectively lose all their books if they ever have to switch to a new eReader. When the ebook is DRM-free, in a standard ebook format, it should be either readable on any reader, or can be converted to a format that is readable on one's eReader of choice.
IMHO, the real reason why Tor (Macmillan) is dropping DRM is because the way DRM is implemented on the Kindle, the only retailer who can sell you a copy of an ebook with DRM for the Kindle is Amazon. Until now, all of the big publishers only sell ebooks with DRM. Macmillan regrets aiding Amazon in maintaining their walled garden of Kindle ebooks that can only be purchased at Amazon, and by removing DRM, any retailer can sell ebooks to Kindle owners. I don't think it will be all that successful, since the biggest factor for most Kindle (and Nook) owners is the ability to purchase a book, either from a PC or from the eReader itself, and have it automatically download to the eReader from either 3G or Wifi without having to connect the eReader to a PC.