I’ve been keeping my eyes open to see if I could find out anything about the DRM that Apple will be using on their ebooks. It’s nice to see them using Epub, but if that Epub file has proprietary DRM it doesn’t really matter that it’s Epub. You won’t be able read it on another reader anyway.
Well, the always excellent jkOnTheRun has this statement by Adobe, but they don’t give a link to the source. If anyone has any more info please let us know:
Adobe is quick to point out that iPad content will not work on any other devices:
“It looks like Apple is continuing to impose restrictions on their devices that limit both content publishers and consumers. Unlike many other ebook readers using the ePub file format, consumers will not be able to access ePub content with Apple’s DRM technology on devices made by other manufacturers.”
See Adobe’s blog:
http://blogs.adobe.com/digitaleditions/2010/01/epub_ipad_and_content_interope.html
Paul, the quote is from:
http://blogs.adobe.com/flashplatform/2010/01/apples_ipad_–_a_broken_link.html
As for the DRM used, I don’t think Steve Jobs wants to have their files under the spell of Adobe’s DRM methodology.
Also, this:
http://gizmodo.com/5458645/adobe-responds-to-the-ipads-lack-of-flash
Yes! Yes! Yes!
My fondest dream made true!
E-babel finally grows big enough to collapse of its own weight!
Even better, epub tools will now (hopefully) have to adhere to the actual standard and make sure the output renders properly everywhere, not just on ADE.
I’d prefer a certification program with teeth but in the absence of it I’ll settle for competing flavors of ePub.
Go, Apple! 😀
I would be stunned to see that Apple is going with their own proprietary flavor of DRM for books purchased through iBooks.
Now that Apple is adding yet another flavor to epub, it might be a good idea to write an article rounding up the various flavors (drm-free, adobe, B&N, and Apple?), as well as presenting the potential problems and danger this development entails for the epub standard due to its lack of drm specification.
1. Apple have invested much time and money in their “Fairplay” DRM for music (AAC) and video (MP4) content.
2. Book publishers (mostly) insist on ebooks being wrapped in DRM. Apple (mostly) go along with what publishers want because otherwise they don’t get anything to sell.
Given 1 & 2 above what DRM scheme do you think they’ll use on top of epub?