Quote:
Originally Posted by innocenat
In 2007 Amazon wouldn't adopt EPUB because it's too new and MOBI was kinda the standard back then. You did agree with this.
In 2011 when Amazon adopt AZW3, you said it was probably too late anyway.
So you think Amazon to invest in supporting EPUB somewhere between 2007 and 2011, when MOBI was still widely used and is working perfectly fine? This make even less sense.
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In 2007 the epub was only just released. Sony was using LRF. Windows, Windows CE, Palm OS, Symbian were all using mobi. The initial Kindle ereading seems based on the Mobipocket reader (bought in in 2005). The iPhone was released in 2007 (in Europe was only 2G/GSM, no copy/paste but 3G well established and Smart phones with Mobi ebooks since 1999). Android was bought in by Google and released 2008.
I can't see how going with epub rather than prc/mobi/azw (KF7) based on Mobipocket wouldn't have delayed Kindle release by a year.
It made sense for Amazon to do their own proprietary version of epub (azw3/KF8) which took them till 2011. The main difference is the encryption. Standard epub would have meant Adobe, which they had previously ditched. By 2011 they were the leader so azw3 made perfect sense for Amazon.
Significantly, have they ever licensed the encrypted version of azw3 (KF8) to anyone else?
Then KF10 (KFX) was developed with three aims:
1) Incremental delivery while you read.
2) Multiple levels of encryption, lowest is sharing to other Kindles not registered to you (not on AZW3 or epub with ADE).
3) Better suited to "Whispernet" (see also 1).
I can't see why Amazon would ever support epub unless forced to by regulation. They have their own apps for all platforms except UNIX/Linux and less popular ones. They won't licence encrypted KFX or AZW3 to other eink makers unless forced too. They have no commercial reason.
Yes, I'd like epub2 & 3 on Kindles (not going to happen) and all encrypted .Kindle formats on 3rd party ereaders, but that would require you to register your Boox, Meebook, Pockebook, Nook or Kobo on Amazon. I can't see Kobo or Barnes & Noble wanting that. Amazon makes little income in proportion from ereaders compared to selling ebooks. Why would they support epub?