Quote:
Originally Posted by kennyc
I don't think so. Anyone who has been using any consumer technology for any amount of time is aware of format issues like beta vs. vhs mp3 vs cd vs ipod etc. CD vs DVD vs Blue-Ray vs HD-DVD etc. etc. etc.
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Yeah, but again, it's the know-nothing Joe Six Packs that decide things.
VHS beat out the superior beta max because it caught on with non-video philes....and primarily because it had porn and beta didn't.
Blu Ray won out because of being included in the PS3 which gave it a big sales boost over HD-DVD since you had gamers getting a blu ray player they wouldn't have bought other wise. And again, Blu Ray had porn.
CD has stuck around over superior formats like SA-CDs and DVD-A as joe six packs don't care enough about sound quality.
So I stand by my point. The knowledgeable folk on this site will have very little impact on what format wins. And the format that wins the ebook war will likely be whatever format is tied to the first multifunction devices (tablets, future smart phones whatever) that catch on in the mainstream more than a dedicated reader ever will.
If we're lucky,that will be an open format like ePub. If we're unlucky it will be a proprietary format made by Apple, or Amazon or whoever finds a way to get devices that read their ebooks into millions of peoples hands. But in either case, we'll have little say in the outcome.