Here, in David Haskin’s CW commentary headlined Don’t Believe the Hype: The 21 Biggest Technology Flops. Quote: “Specifically, the number of potential formats for e-books remains huge—the Wikipedia entry for e-books lists more than 20 formats. It’s not pleasant to contemplate buying an e-reader and then finding out that a book or periodical you want is available only in an incompatible format.”
Related: Sony Reader: Good Condition, Some Flaws: The electronic book is easy to use and, more important, read, but its online store could offer more titles and a better experience, from BusinessWeek.
(Both items via MobileRead.)
The writer is a little off course with some things – VR (or spin offs from it) is used in a lot of technical training, many of the other ideas paved the way for better applications.
I don’t believe there will be a dedicated “book reader” out there in everyone’s pocket, but I do believe there will be a hybrid device playing audio, showing some visual media and web applications, perhaps some might even like to have a phone built in. So like it or not we might get stuck with e-books being bundled in with other personal entertainment. Maybe we will just be stuck with HTML simply because it is more convenient. MP3 isn’t the greatest sound format, especially if you like more than pop, but it beats the hell out of carrying around a DAT recorder.
Hey, Carol, even modest HTML has possibilities if viewed with, say, uBook or PalmFiction reader. Whatever it takes. I myself think some people will prefer “dedicated” while others want “all purpose.” Each to his/her own! Let 1000 form factors bloom! – David
I think I’ve said this before but I think my personal example is fairly standard. I carry a PDA (Palm) with me whenever I leave the house. That way if I’m stuck in a line, have a few extra minutes before an appointment, or just want to grab a five minute break, I can read a bit. If I’m going to be sitting at home, riding the train, or flying somewhere, I use my eBookWise. Bigger brighter screen, but a bit bulky for my pocket.
Since many publishers offer multiple formats, I guess I don’t see the ‘huge number of formats’ being such a problem for readers. A hassle for publishers, yes.
Rob Preece
Publisher, http://www.BooksForABuck.com
But, hey, Rob, what if you bought a best-seller in the Windows-related .lit format and want to enjoy it on your Palm? Here in the States, thanks to the wonderful DMCA, it would be illegal to circumvent DRM to do a format translation. – David
Bill McCoy’s “paving the way” is an interesting thought.
Suppose we would say “Hey, we’ve been trying to make ebooks for 10 years now. It didn’t work. Let’s take what has proven to be good idea and get rid of the rest” … what would that be like?
Regarding the original idea I disagree with the author.
I thinks it’s not the eBabel of format that’s killing ebooks; rather it’s the DRM and manufacturers lock-in to theirs.
For instance, if I could go to any ebook-store and buy a book and I’d only have to select the e-reader device I have… I would care little about the format. It would be the publishers’ problem.
The copyright – same as with music – is also not clear. What exactly am I paying for? The right to read the book? Then what happens if I buy a new gizmo a few month later? Why should I have to pay for the book I already bought, just to get it in another format?
I think device manufacturers going to publishers for content is like asking Tower Records to sell content for your new mp3 player – if you know what I’m getting at.
Hi, Tamas. Actually good publishers add a lot more value to content per se than Tower Records does. Publishers edit and promote. Tower only distributes—which is what certain device manufacturers want to do while enjoying a special advantage due to format lock-ins. As for DRM vs. proprietary formats, I recognize the difference, but then again e-book “protection” tends to be proprietary, so we’re really in the same territory. Thanks. David
Hi David,
Responding to your comment–I guess I show my parochial side here. Yes, when you combine DRM and multiple formats, that adds up to a problem. Because I want to read books on multiple devices–which don’t support the same formats, I need several. Without DRM, no problem. I download each format I need (slight hassle as my 180GB drive quickly fills but eBooks are small). With DRM AND a single format, again no problem. But DRM PLUS multiple formats does add up to trouble.
Good catch and good comment. Of course, it’s one reason I mostly buy multiformat books from Fictionwise, and why I don’t use DRM on my own books (except when sold through Mobipocket for obvious reasons). I do have a lot of respect for Mobipocket’s effort to create a single format that works on all devices. Of course, every time someone comes out with a new proprietary device (e.g., Sony) that breaks their model.
Rob Preece
Publisher, http://www.BooksForABuck.com
Thanks, Rob. Let’s hope that other publishers will get it. Since just about all e-book DRM is proprietary, DRM in effect = Tower of eBabel. I’d love the IDPF to prove otherwise, but I’m not at all optimistic about interoperable DRM in the future, and even Bill McCoy made it clear that the IDPF can’t promise that. Hence the major benefits of just ditching DRM—or at least reducing its use, as EMI seems to be doing! David