[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by geek1011

I found some interesting strings in the firmware about Kobo Plus. See https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=283979 at the bottom of the first post.

Very interesting indeed.
It seems Kobo is using Overdrive's library infrastructure which makes sense since both are owned by Rakuten. But since Overdrive is a B2B operator it would also make sense for them to provide the same services for other players, both on the ebookstore and hardware side. (They already provide turnkey services for generic ADEPT stores.)

So the current limited Kobo Plus operation could be not just a Pilot for broader Kobo deployments but also as a demonstrator to potential Overdrive customers.

Suddenly, the stakes are a lot higher. If the business model proves profitable we might see a horde of regional or genre-specific subscription services. If it doesn't...