Comments on: Is Microsoft Reader—and the .lit format—on the way out? http://www.teleread.com/drm/is-microsoft-reader-and-the-lit-format-on-the-way-out/ News & views on e-books, libraries, publishing and related topics Wed, 15 Feb 2012 08:05:45 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: pond http://www.teleread.com/drm/is-microsoft-reader-and-the-lit-format-on-the-way-out/comment-page-1/#comment-1095941 pond Mon, 06 Jul 2009 18:47:21 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/2009/07/06/is-microsoft-reader-and-the-lit-format-on-the-way-out/#comment-1095941 Microsoft seems to be staggering since Bill G left. I hope Ozzie can pull the company together, and that Ballmer lets him. What I suspect is going on at MSFT is this: the next full iteration of the mobile OS will be based on Win7, rather like the iPhone OS is based on OSX. Thus, before MobileOS7 is released, MSFT must finish Win7. That's why MSFT has a probable release date for mobile7 of next summer. Any efforts to co-ordinate MSReader and future versions of .lit will go along with that. MSFT is known to loathe, fear, and hate Google, and MSFT thus would be following their history if they put a big push into revamping MSReader as 'Google Books killer!' EPUB support seems like it should be easy enough for MSFT to add, since their .lit format is not too different. It would also make sense if MSFT folded up the Mobile7 with Zune3, so that a family of Zunes might be forthcoming, including the MS-MediaPad and ebook reader. But somehow, I just don't see it. That kind of grand strategy push seems beyond MSFT nowadays. It looks to me more likely, unless they get some new blood in there fast, that MSFT is going to be content to sit on their patent portfolio and ride their 2 monopolies into a glide pattern of comfortable middle age and eventual takeover. Microsoft seems to be staggering since Bill G left. I hope Ozzie can pull the company together, and that Ballmer lets him.

What I suspect is going on at MSFT is this: the next full iteration of the mobile OS will be based on Win7, rather like the iPhone OS is based on OSX. Thus, before MobileOS7 is released, MSFT must finish Win7. That’s why MSFT has a probable release date for mobile7 of next summer.

Any efforts to co-ordinate MSReader and future versions of .lit will go along with that. MSFT is known to loathe, fear, and hate Google, and MSFT thus would be following their history if they put a big push into revamping MSReader as ‘Google Books killer!’ EPUB support seems like it should be easy enough for MSFT to add, since their .lit format is not too different.

It would also make sense if MSFT folded up the Mobile7 with Zune3, so that a family of Zunes might be forthcoming, including the MS-MediaPad and ebook reader.

But somehow, I just don’t see it. That kind of grand strategy push seems beyond MSFT nowadays. It looks to me more likely, unless they get some new blood in there fast, that MSFT is going to be content to sit on their patent portfolio and ride their 2 monopolies into a glide pattern of comfortable middle age and eventual takeover.

]]> By: Steve Jordan http://www.teleread.com/drm/is-microsoft-reader-and-the-lit-format-on-the-way-out/comment-page-1/#comment-1095877 Steve Jordan Mon, 06 Jul 2009 16:26:37 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/2009/07/06/is-microsoft-reader-and-the-lit-format-on-the-way-out/#comment-1095877 MS has shown little interest in e-books, since they realized they could not control the market... at this point, I'm just waiting for the day someone reports that MS has discontinued all apps and support for MS Reader. Maybe they will eventually crank out an ePub reader, but even that would be a hard-sell for them if they already have a reader that's not selling. So maybe, to revive the app, they'll add ePub support to it... but only if they think it will preserve the relevance of Windows, which is quickly being lost on portable devices and dedicated readers. Bottom line, I don't expect to hear much else from MS Reader, other than its obit. MS has shown little interest in e-books, since they realized they could not control the market… at this point, I’m just waiting for the day someone reports that MS has discontinued all apps and support for MS Reader.

Maybe they will eventually crank out an ePub reader, but even that would be a hard-sell for them if they already have a reader that’s not selling. So maybe, to revive the app, they’ll add ePub support to it… but only if they think it will preserve the relevance of Windows, which is quickly being lost on portable devices and dedicated readers.

Bottom line, I don’t expect to hear much else from MS Reader, other than its obit.

]]> By: borax99 http://www.teleread.com/drm/is-microsoft-reader-and-the-lit-format-on-the-way-out/comment-page-1/#comment-1095843 borax99 Mon, 06 Jul 2009 14:53:09 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/2009/07/06/is-microsoft-reader-and-the-lit-format-on-the-way-out/#comment-1095843 Stopped using MS Reader as soon as I was unable to read one of the titles I purchased. I am primarily a fan of the ereader platform, which has a sane and reasonably equitable form of DRM - and wide distribution across platforms. If I can stay away from any Adobe standard, I will ! Stopped using MS Reader as soon as I was unable to read one of the titles I purchased. I am primarily a fan of the ereader platform, which has a sane and reasonably equitable form of DRM – and wide distribution across platforms. If I can stay away from any Adobe standard, I will !

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