> Like MP3 for music, there could be a near-universal ebook format
And the damnedest thing is - we almost had it! Back in 2007, the dominant e-book format was mobi. So, amazon had two format choices for their new kindle thing:
1. Use the DRM-free mobipocket - in which case we would no longer have this debate.
2. Use the DRM-ed mobipocket - in which case we would still curse the DRM and whine about other limitations of mobi format but at -least- we would have sort of MP3 for e-books.
Then Amazon picks the third option - to purposefully pervert the DRM-ed mobipocket to introduce artificial incompatibility. Hurray for creative bizdev and say hello to the worst of all possible worlds.
|