Think different…
Apple’s creation of a third choice is likely to further frustrate and confuse consumers if they accumulate e-books for one device, then try to go back to read them later on a different one. The effect could be akin to having to buy a new set of CDs every time you replace a stereo system. It could also keep people from buying new e-readers as better models come out if they aren’t compatible with the books they already have.
This could cool consumers’ enthusiasm for e-books, the way sales of digital music downloads were hampered by a variety of copy-protection schemes.
The article by Peter Svensson complains that Apple created a new incompatible format. But the numerous review articles on the iPad noted favorably that Apple chose the "industry standard" epub format. (See Widipedia's article comparing e-book formats - epub, with the iPad, is supported by many readers.) True, there will be DRM issues but that's quite a different story.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the clarification
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