No iLiad for Amazon.com - was there ever any chance?

TadW · 05-30-2007, 04:41 PM

Stumbled over this post today:

Quote:

Amazon.com and iRex Technologies, the manufacturer of the iLiad e-reader have concluded their talks without result. Sales manager Mr Willem Endhoven of iRex Technologies said that the open system of the iLiad, which can handle PDF, XHTML and simple text, was a problem. Amazon.com prefers a closed system like the Sony e-reader, so that only books of their format can be read on their e-readers with their closed system. No mention was made of the price of 649 euro; personally I think that the price might have been a problem too. Amazon.com will announce their choice soon.

Huh?

Did you know that iRex was looking to shape a partnership with Amazon? Isn't Amazon already putting all its efforts into releasing their own (Kindle) reader? And as to why iRex was supposedly turned down... doesn't the iLiad support protected Mobipocket files now, the same files that are offered by Amazon? Weirdness...

NatCh · 05-30-2007, 05:09 PM

I think the problem may be more that the iLiad doesn't support only Mobipocket.

scotty1024 · 05-30-2007, 05:45 PM

Well color me confused, I didn't realize the Sony was a closed system.

I work elbow to elbow with Amazon folks and I can tell you: for the most part they're pretty smart. The numerous, well documented failings of the hardware had to count for more than the availability of a PDF, xhtml and txt viewers.

Besides, iRex could have easily speed up the iLiad's boot by stripping it down to just a Mobipocket viewer for Amazon.

Alexander Turcic · 05-30-2007, 05:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scotty1024

Besides, iRex could have easily speed up the iLiad's boot by stripping it down to just a Mobipocket viewer for Amazon.

True true, and after all, iRex always said they'd prefer doing B2B and customizing the iLiad for a giant like Amazon doesn't seem like a big deal to me.

Hadrien · 05-30-2007, 06:20 PM

I sure hope for Amazon that they're not planning a closed device, with no content coming from outside Amazon. Supporting only one format, and not allowing external content on your device are 2 very different things.

NatCh · 05-30-2007, 06:24 PM

Oh, I expect it to be closed. Very, very closed.

Liviu_5 · 05-30-2007, 08:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NatCh

Oh, I expect it to be closed. Very, very closed.

Then it will either fail or be hacked, or most likely both. Since Amazon is launching a mp3 drm-free music service soon, I kind of doubt though they will go the Gemstar/Librie route, but who knows...

NatCh · 05-30-2007, 10:43 PM

They do have a very large market presence, and legions of customers going for them, which Gemstar/Librie didn't.

Snas · 05-31-2007, 04:34 AM

I think that the problem today with this new market and this new support is the same met by the music some years ago...
The editors do not want that the same problem with the DRM reproduce...
Before the market grows they want to impose closed and protected formats...

Hadrien · 05-31-2007, 06:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snas

I think that the problem today with this new market and this new support is the same met by the music some years ago...
The editors do not want that the same problem with the DRM reproduce...
Before the market grows they want to impose closed and protected formats...

Well that's a pretty dumb choice. Obviously, you can't do such a thing without failing. Instead of doing the same mistakes that the music industry did a few years ago, they should understand that there's new ways to make money with a digital industry, and that putting DRM everywhere won't stop people from stealing.

Developing good services, working together on a unique open format, earning money not only with the "hits" but also niche markets... Those are a few key areas everyone should be working on.

nekokami · 05-31-2007, 08:38 AM

I am not at all surprised that Amazon was considering the iLiad... and not surprised that they decided against it. Too high a price, too many extraneous features. If I were placing bets, I'd bet on Bookeen. (If they ever get their firmware problems resolved.)

Perhaps the "open" system of the iLiad was less of an issue than the fact that none of the software is really complete yet. Even the Mobipocket implementation is still a bit flaky. Many of us have been willing to string along with iRex because we know we can make the system better with user-developed apps, but Amazon isn't likely to be interested in that. They want a reader that anyone can use out of the box... preferably to read Amazon content.

yvanleterrible · 05-31-2007, 09:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scotty1024

I work elbow to elbow with Amazon folks and I can tell you: for the most part they're pretty smart. The numerous, well documented failings of the hardware had to count for more than the availability of a PDF, xhtml and txt viewers.

You know more than you're allowed to say don't you?

Riocaz · 05-31-2007, 09:56 AM

Whatever gives you that impression.

Liviu_5 · 05-31-2007, 10:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NatCh

They do have a very large market presence, and legions of customers going for them, which Gemstar/Librie didn't.

I am not so sure about Librie, after all in Japan lots of people are in gadgets (see the latest mobile phone reading news) and Sony is as big as it gets.
As usual though, the devil is in the details so until we actually see what Amazon comes up with, we can only speculate based on past historical data.

Maybe they will sell a closed device and 2$ contemporary books (unlikely of course...)

rjnagle · 05-31-2007, 10:11 PM

why are device manufacturers all coming from outside the US?

I for one would love to see a bookeen solution.

05-31-2007, 10:11 PM	#15
rjnagle Zealot Posts: 126 Karma: 2167 Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Houston, Texas Device: ipad 1, Nook Simple Touch, Kindle 3, ebookwise 1150	us? outside us? why are device manufacturers all coming from outside the US? I for one would love to see a bookeen solution.

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05-30-2007, 05:09 PM	#2
NatCh Gizmologist Posts: 11,615 Karma: 929550 Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Republic of Texas Embassy at Jackson, TN Device: Pocketbook Touch HD3	I think the problem may be more that the iLiad doesn't support only Mobipocket.

05-30-2007, 05:45 PM	#3
scotty1024 Banned Posts: 1,300 Karma: 1479 Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Peoples Republic of Washington Device: Reader / iPhone / Librie / Kindle	Well color me confused, I didn't realize the Sony was a closed system. I work elbow to elbow with Amazon folks and I can tell you: for the most part they're pretty smart. The numerous, well documented failings of the hardware had to count for more than the availability of a PDF, xhtml and txt viewers. Besides, iRex could have easily speed up the iLiad's boot by stripping it down to just a Mobipocket viewer for Amazon.

05-30-2007, 06:20 PM	#5
Hadrien Feedbooks.com Co-Founder Posts: 2,263 Karma: 145123 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Paris, France Device: Sony PRS-t-1/350/300/500/505/600/700, Nexus S, iPad	I sure hope for Amazon that they're not planning a closed device, with no content coming from outside Amazon. Supporting only one format, and not allowing external content on your device are 2 very different things.

05-30-2007, 06:24 PM	#6
NatCh Gizmologist Posts: 11,615 Karma: 929550 Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Republic of Texas Embassy at Jackson, TN Device: Pocketbook Touch HD3	Oh, I expect it to be closed. Very, very closed.

05-30-2007, 10:43 PM	#8
NatCh Gizmologist Posts: 11,615 Karma: 929550 Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Republic of Texas Embassy at Jackson, TN Device: Pocketbook Touch HD3	They do have a very large market presence, and legions of customers going for them, which Gemstar/Librie didn't.

05-31-2007, 04:34 AM	#9
Snas Enthusiast Posts: 45 Karma: 25 Join Date: May 2007 Location: Paris Device: iLiad & N95	I think that the problem today with this new market and this new support is the same met by the music some years ago... The editors do not want that the same problem with the DRM reproduce... Before the market grows they want to impose closed and protected formats...

05-31-2007, 08:38 AM	#11
nekokami fruminous edugeek Posts: 6,745 Karma: 551260 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Northeast US Device: iPad, eBw 1150	I am not at all surprised that Amazon was considering the iLiad... and not surprised that they decided against it. Too high a price, too many extraneous features. If I were placing bets, I'd bet on Bookeen. (If they ever get their firmware problems resolved.) Perhaps the "open" system of the iLiad was less of an issue than the fact that none of the software is really complete yet. Even the Mobipocket implementation is still a bit flaky. Many of us have been willing to string along with iRex because we know we can make the system better with user-developed apps, but Amazon isn't likely to be interested in that. They want a reader that anyone can use out of the box... preferably to read Amazon content.

05-31-2007, 09:56 AM	#13
Riocaz Fulfilled but not by iRex Posts: 932 Karma: 286846 Join Date: May 2006 Location: London Device: Far too many	Whatever gives you that impression.

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