Breaking news!!!!! Sony to sell Epub only

[ht1948]

OMG, this is fantastic news, ladies and gents.

http://www.teleread.org/2009/08/12/m...ts-own-format/

More details at Teleread courtersy of NYTimes

On Thursday, Sony Electronics, which sells e-book devices under the Reader brand, plans to announce that by the end of the year it will sell digital books only in the ePub format, an open standard created by a group including publishers like Random House and HarperCollins.

Sony will also scrap its proprietary anticopying software in favor of technology from the software maker Adobe that restricts how often e-books can be shared or copied.

After the change, books bought from Sony’s online store will be readable not just on its own device but on the growing constellation of other readers that support ePub. Those include the Plastic Logic eReader, a thin device that has been in development for nearly a decade and is expected to go on sale early next year.

“There is going to be a proliferation of different reading devices, with different features and capabilities and prices for a different set of consumer requirements,” said Steve Haber, president of Sony’s digital reading unit. “If people are going to this e-book shopping mall, they are going to want to shop at all the stores, and not just be required to shop at one store.”

[Hellmark]

I see this as a good thing, fewer formats means easier to keep your content.

[ht1948]

Absolutely. This only means good things for the industry as a whole.

[da_jane]

This is great, great news. If everyone but Amazon goes ePub, it will create a burden on Amazon to create a more open device.

[Wetdogeared]

From the New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/13/te.../13reader.html

[MerLock]

I wonder if they will allow people who've bought from their store to re-download them in ePUB for free once the format becomes available.

I think Sony is making another smart move. It's a way to grow their bookstore and make money since perhaps the number of people who are buying from their bookstore are few since it's only limited to those who own Sony devices. If this is true, someone at Sony is thinking outside the box. Now if only they could offer better price matching on books that are not on the best sellers list.

I'm seriously surprised that Amazon and B&N haven't done this to begin with since they are #1 a book selling company. Well Amazon sells other things as well but you get the idea.

[Shadowplay]

Wow I'm impressed and very pleased to read this. Great move on Sony's part. Who would have thought Sony of all companies would be going with something non-proprietary?

[MerLock]

From the NY Times article

"The result was what is known as “lock-in.” Apple built up extraordinary market power and leverage to dictate terms to the major music labels on matters like the price of digital songs. Then, as now, second-tier players banded together to promote the increased flexibility and choice that open standards gave to consumers.

“If the business terms and conditions end up being dictated to publishers by one bookseller who has a chokehold over the value chain, publishers are going to have a hard time staying profitable,” said Bill McCoy, general manager for Adobe’s digital publishing business."

So is this really good news for the consumer? I hope prices for ebooks don't stay high and reflect the fact that they are digital media, assuming that there is a cost savings of going from paper to digital.

Itunes did bring about the 99 cent per song as Amazon has brought about $9.99 for new releases of best sellers.

[wodin]

I wonder if they will follow Amazon's tracks and only sell books to people with Sony Readers.

I could never quite fathom what Amazon's thinking was there. If they thought it would sell more Kindles; well, lets just say I know of one they didn't sell mostly because of those draconian policies.

[fugazied]

Very cool! Another reason to get the sony.. I think I'll be moving either to Apple tablet or a new Sony reader. Both choices looking good, if the Apple tablet does come out though, you know the DRM will be v tight.

[MerLock]

Originally Posted by wodin

I wonder if they will follow Amazon's tracks and only sell books to people with Sony Readers.

I could never quite fathom what Amazon's thinking was there. If they thought it would sell more Kindles; well, lets just say I know of one they didn't sell mostly because of those draconian policies.

According to the NY Times article..

"After the change, books bought from Sony’s online store will be readable not just on its own device but on the growing constellation of other readers that support ePub. Those include the Plastic Logic eReader, a thin device that has been in development for nearly a decade and is expected to go on sale early next year."

So, no, it doesn't seem like they are following Amazon's track. Sony already has a ebook store that contains a proprietery format that can only be read on Sony devices. They are now opening up their bookstore to everyone else who owns a reading device that can read ePUb it seems.

[Moejoe]

[frozennorth]

Sony is looking better and better.

[Hellmark]

Originally Posted by fugazied

Very cool! Another reason to get the sony.. I think I'll be moving either to Apple tablet or a new Sony reader. Both choices looking good, if the Apple tablet does come out though, you know the DRM will be v tight.

Why do you say that? The old iTunes DRM was easily broken, and was several times over, and after Apple got more barganing power, they negotiated with the music industry for DRM free songs. The copy protection for their other software is fairly laughable. Apple, if left to their own devices, is not really interested in DRM.

[Alfy]

Sony: