Quote:
Originally Posted by ahi
We are in close enough agreement that I do not feel the need to argue. Though I do not agree with your assumption that eBooks are somehow oh so different from paperbooks.
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Not oh-so-different, just somewhat different... and mainstream publishers are ignoring those differences entirely. They are trying to produce for screen as if it were exactly like paper.
Since there's no obvious way to change that, the next step is to allow end users to customize their reading for their own needs--and ePub is much better for that. The end user shouldn't need to, but the publishers aren't doing it for them. And while that means ignoring many of the nuances of typography, the publishers are doing that now anyway. They work to make good typographical design for print, but not for screens.
I strongly disagree that ebook readers will eventually standardize at 8-10" screens. That's too big for a pocket or small purse, which is where many people carry their reading, whether that's an electronic or an actual book. Ebook readers need to draw from the casual paperback reading crowd to be successful, and those people aren't going to go for a large, fragile device.
Don't forget the BlackBerry/iPhone readers. There are lots of them, and their numbers are growing. The ebook industry needs to cater to them. (Or, well, they can just ignore those millions of potential customers. But
someone is going to provide them with paid content. It can be ebook makers, or games app designers.)