Sony eBook Library Software finally compatible with Mac!

zelda_pinwheel · 07-07-2009, 12:28 PM

We've just had news from Sony which should delight Mac using e-book readers everywhere : the next version of their eBook Library software will be compatible with Macs, as well as PCs !

Quote:

Dear Fellow Reader,
Attention Mac users! We’ve received many requests to make the eBook Store work with Apple® Macintosh® computers, and we wanted to share with you our progress on this front.
An updated version of the eBook Library Software compatible with Mac OS X operating systems will be available by the end of Summer 2009 for download to your computer to enable you to purchase, organization and download content to your PRS505 and PRS700.
Send us your email address, and we will notify you when the update is available.
Thank you,
Your Friends at The eBook Store

We are thrilled to hear that this long overdue improvement will finally be implemented.

Presumably, this means that we will now also be able to authorise Sony Readers for purchasing DRM books online from a Mac.

Registered Sony users, watch your inboxes for news...

kacir · 07-07-2009, 12:45 PM

The question is:
When will the software support Linux? For a developer it should not be that difficult, when he builds it using wine libraries.

Another question is, when will Sony alow users to shop using just plain web browser? Just like all the rest of e-book e-shops.

ShellShock · 07-07-2009, 12:48 PM

But no word of a firmware update. I've been waiting for some changes to the ePub viewer software on the device:

Full justification (straight right margin).
Removal of silly page numbers in right hand margin.

mklynds · 07-07-2009, 12:52 PM

Hey this is good to see. At least Sony is improving their software. They haven't always done this in the past so maybe it is a sign that Sony recognizes the money their is in ebooks and are going to commit to getting their piece of the pie. If so that should mean better products hard and soft.

junkyardwillie · 07-07-2009, 12:54 PM

Sony always on the cutting edge of technology:

"Do you think this LCD tv thing is really going to catch on? Naah it couldn't possibly"

"Hmm we are the leader in video games what can we do to change that? Lets release our system for $400 more than the competition and see what consumer do, it'll be ever so much fun. While we're at it lets lose all of our exclusive content so we have the same games as the competition but at a premium price, people will love it!"

"Hey maybe we should test the waters with support for this Mac thing people seem to be talking about?"

"We have a drag and drop content system but we'll force you to use our stupid program to buy our books rather than a website that could possibly drive more traffic as you could buy books from anywhere, but who's looking to make profits? We're not greedy like that"

vivaldirules · 07-07-2009, 01:13 PM

Sony eBook Library Software finally compatible with Mac!

(doggie faints dead away)

Fathermole · 07-07-2009, 01:16 PM

I think most users of macs have found away around this already , but for those who are less tech skilled it will be good .

giancaldo · 07-07-2009, 01:19 PM

well I'm still waiting for it to work in linux. Seems to even fail under xp in virtualbox.

Their software is kind of clunky and slow anyway. Like Kacir I'd prefer just a normal web access shop.

If Sony thinks they have the position and power to dictate and lock users in then they're deluding themselves.

mklynds · 07-07-2009, 01:29 PM

I don't know that the console shopping is necessary all that bad.

It's no different than the kindle. With the Kindle you are locked in to one ebook seller.

All they need to do is improve the shop to make it faster and more user friendly. Then they need to grow there customer base to an extent that they can bring ebook prices down.

The only reason the kindle has the best store is because Amazon was already the best book store on the web. It was an easy transition for a book store to become a ebook store. A little different for a company that was primarly TV's, Video Games, & Cameras to become an ebook store.

Deposit .02

ndrake · 07-07-2009, 01:32 PM

Will it work with the 500?

pilotbob · 07-07-2009, 01:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mklynds

All they need to do is improve the shop to make it faster and more user friendly. Then they need to grow there customer base to an extent that they can bring ebook prices down.

I really think that more people (me for sure) would be interested in the ability to by Adobe DRM ePub books rather than use the Sony eBook store. I am assuming that the Mac version of eBook Library will allow the Sony reader to be authorized/used with the Mac version of Digital Editions.

(Yes, I know there are ways around this, but remember the people here are probably a small and more technically advanced group.)

This might be the impetus to get to to upgrade my 500 to a 505 in order to have an ePub supporting device of which my Kindle is not.

BOb

AMacD · 07-07-2009, 03:24 PM

I looked into a Sony Reader a year before the Kindle was released and could get no-one to answer any questions other than, "No you cannot get books from a Mac." I almost bought one anyway and was prevaricating when the Kindle came out. All obstacles removed. I don't need the Kindle store, there are lots of others like Baen, feedbooks and manybooks that serve to supply me with non-drm books. If he Sony store sells only DRM books, then I won't bother to install it on my Mac, but so far I have seen at least one book that was free and I am willing to gamble that I lose my money on a free book. I now have over 1000 books in my Calibre library with about 10% having been read. I can convert almost any non-drm format to the Kindle and read it there. I have purchased a few DRM books from Amazon but those were either health books that I could not get in e-book form anywhere else or something I really wanted. Since over 90% of my books were not obtained through Amazon, I fail to see why people keep saying I am "locked into the Amazon store"? At this point I need the large font that comes on the Kindle. To read a paperback or magazine I need a magnifying glass some of the time. Sony is way behind the curve and has never understood its customer base. Remember when Sony products were fair traded? That means it was fair to the seller, but not to the buyer. I never bought fair trade products. I have a lot of Sony products, and really like them, but not their Reader.

bobbyco57 · 07-07-2009, 03:25 PM

This can't happen soon enough.

DigitalFeonix · 07-07-2009, 03:41 PM

Is this limited to Intel Macs or will the older PPC Macs get to play too?

lilac_jive · 07-07-2009, 03:50 PM

This is great news!!!

07-07-2009, 12:54 PM	#5
junkyardwillie Addict Posts: 316 Karma: 570 Join Date: Apr 2008 Device: Onyx Note Pro, Kobo H20 and iPad	Sony always on the cutting edge of technology: "Do you think this LCD tv thing is really going to catch on? Naah it couldn't possibly" "Hmm we are the leader in video games what can we do to change that? Lets release our system for $400 more than the competition and see what consumer do, it'll be ever so much fun. While we're at it lets lose all of our exclusive content so we have the same games as the competition but at a premium price, people will love it!" "Hey maybe we should test the waters with support for this Mac thing people seem to be talking about?" "We have a drag and drop content system but we'll force you to use our stupid program to buy our books rather than a website that could possibly drive more traffic as you could buy books from anywhere, but who's looking to make profits? We're not greedy like that" Last edited by junkyardwillie; 07-07-2009 at 01:00 PM.

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07-07-2009, 12:45 PM	#2
kacir Wizard Posts: 3,454 Karma: 10484861 Join Date: May 2006 Device: PocketBook 360, before it was Sony Reader, cassiopeia A-20	The question is: When will the software support Linux? For a developer it should not be that difficult, when he builds it using wine libraries. Another question is, when will Sony alow users to shop using just plain web browser? Just like all the rest of e-book e-shops.

07-07-2009, 12:48 PM	#3
ShellShock Wizard Posts: 1,177 Karma: 2431850 Join Date: Sep 2008 Device: IPad Mini 2 Retina	But no word of a firmware update. I've been waiting for some changes to the ePub viewer software on the device: Full justification (straight right margin). Removal of silly page numbers in right hand margin.

07-07-2009, 12:52 PM	#4
mklynds That guy, no not that guy Posts: 337 Karma: 2846 Join Date: May 2009 Location: Alberta, Canada Device: PRS600 Red	Hey this is good to see. At least Sony is improving their software. They haven't always done this in the past so maybe it is a sign that Sony recognizes the money their is in ebooks and are going to commit to getting their piece of the pie. If so that should mean better products hard and soft.

07-07-2009, 01:13 PM	#6
vivaldirules When's Doughnut Day? Posts: 10,059 Karma: 13675475 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Houston, TX, US Device: Sony PRS-505, iPad	Sony eBook Library Software finally compatible with Mac! (doggie faints dead away)

07-07-2009, 01:16 PM	#7
Fathermole Connoisseur Posts: 64 Karma: 46 Join Date: May 2008 Location: Canada Eh! Device: PRS 505	I think most users of macs have found away around this already , but for those who are less tech skilled it will be good .

07-07-2009, 01:19 PM	#8
giancaldo Junior Member Posts: 1 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2009 Device: prs-505	well I'm still waiting for it to work in linux. Seems to even fail under xp in virtualbox. Their software is kind of clunky and slow anyway. Like Kacir I'd prefer just a normal web access shop. If Sony thinks they have the position and power to dictate and lock users in then they're deluding themselves.

07-07-2009, 01:29 PM	#9
mklynds That guy, no not that guy Posts: 337 Karma: 2846 Join Date: May 2009 Location: Alberta, Canada Device: PRS600 Red	I don't know that the console shopping is necessary all that bad. It's no different than the kindle. With the Kindle you are locked in to one ebook seller. All they need to do is improve the shop to make it faster and more user friendly. Then they need to grow there customer base to an extent that they can bring ebook prices down. The only reason the kindle has the best store is because Amazon was already the best book store on the web. It was an easy transition for a book store to become a ebook store. A little different for a company that was primarly TV's, Video Games, & Cameras to become an ebook store. Deposit .02

07-07-2009, 01:32 PM	#10
ndrake Member Posts: 10 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2007 Device: PRS500	Will it work with the 500?

07-07-2009, 03:24 PM	#12
AMacD Al Posts: 66 Karma: 140 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Bardstown, KY as home base, but RV following the seasons. Device: Kindle1 and Kindle2 and Palm T\|X	I looked into a Sony Reader a year before the Kindle was released and could get no-one to answer any questions other than, "No you cannot get books from a Mac." I almost bought one anyway and was prevaricating when the Kindle came out. All obstacles removed. I don't need the Kindle store, there are lots of others like Baen, feedbooks and manybooks that serve to supply me with non-drm books. If he Sony store sells only DRM books, then I won't bother to install it on my Mac, but so far I have seen at least one book that was free and I am willing to gamble that I lose my money on a free book. I now have over 1000 books in my Calibre library with about 10% having been read. I can convert almost any non-drm format to the Kindle and read it there. I have purchased a few DRM books from Amazon but those were either health books that I could not get in e-book form anywhere else or something I really wanted. Since over 90% of my books were not obtained through Amazon, I fail to see why people keep saying I am "locked into the Amazon store"? At this point I need the large font that comes on the Kindle. To read a paperback or magazine I need a magnifying glass some of the time. Sony is way behind the curve and has never understood its customer base. Remember when Sony products were fair traded? That means it was fair to the seller, but not to the buyer. I never bought fair trade products. I have a lot of Sony products, and really like them, but not their Reader.

07-07-2009, 03:25 PM	#13
bobbyco57 Member Posts: 13 Karma: 10 Join Date: Dec 2007 Device: PRS-505	This can't happen soon enough.

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07-07-2009, 03:41 PM	#14
DigitalFeonix Junior Member Posts: 8 Karma: 10 Join Date: Dec 2008 Device: Sony PRS-505	Is this limited to Intel Macs or will the older PPC Macs get to play too?

07-07-2009, 03:50 PM	#15
lilac_jive Grand Sorcerer Posts: 5,870 Karma: 27376 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Pennsylvania Device: PRS-505	This is great news!!!