Strangely you all missed some very important points:
- You're going to pay for the pleasure of reading a book that has been enhanced and, since it has a better mark-up, the standard version of the book will be removed from purchase. Expect ebook prices to increase 50%. All those musicians, sound effect specialists, naturalists, programmers, server techs, network techs, etc need to get paid. Note that I've only touched the edges of sound enhancements, wait until we get to the video documentary folks let alone re-enactment and Hollywood suddenly wanting a piece of the publishing world in a totally new manner. Just imagine... Gone With The Wind will be in Gone With The Wind! (But see #3 below)
- What happens to your "reading experience" if/when the cost of serving these enhanced books exceeds income? What is the life expectancy of one of these books? Do you get to read it only 2, 5, 8, 12 times before the book "dies" and you're forced to purchase a new copy so serving costs (that is, all of #1 above) can be met? Or does the book just go OOP instead? Or do ebooks become a per view performance requiring payment for each time you want to read it?
- Actors proved that they had a financial interest in each broadcast of their work. What will happen to all of the sound related folks from #1 above, if suddenly ebooks become a kind of "payment per read" situation? Isn't that rather like radio? Shouldn't these folks get a "broadcast fee" just like Hollywood is presently doing? And, about those Hollywood folks, if video clips are included in the books, is Google going to be required to make a payment to those actors (or however syndication payments are handled)?
Just some thoughts.