Comments on: Failure to Launch http://www.thelateageofprint.org/2010/02/01/failure-to-launch/ Beyond the Book Sun, 29 Jan 2012 05:52:57 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Kevin http://www.thelateageofprint.org/2010/02/01/failure-to-launch/comment-page-1/#comment-368 Kevin Tue, 16 Feb 2010 21:44:31 +0000 http://www.thelateageofprint.org/?p=582#comment-368 This is the interesting twist about Kindle... it isn't just a hardware platform. One can read Kindle books on iPod/iPhone with the Kindle app, thus I am assuming one will be able to on the iPad. Amazon has also released a PC Kindle reader and supposedly a Mac version is forthcoming. One Kindle account can have its resources shared among several devices. To me it sounds much like PDF: a wholly proprietary format which, until relatively recently, only had tools to read or create it offered by one company, yet has reader software on many platforms. The missing part of the Kindle format would probably be the freedom to copy that content into other formats (similar to the rights management / mp3 issues in the music world a few years back). This is the interesting twist about Kindle… it isn’t just a hardware platform. One can read Kindle books on iPod/iPhone with the Kindle app, thus I am assuming one will be able to on the iPad. Amazon has also released a PC Kindle reader and supposedly a Mac version is forthcoming. One Kindle account can have its resources shared among several devices. To me it sounds much like PDF: a wholly proprietary format which, until relatively recently, only had tools to read or create it offered by one company, yet has reader software on many platforms. The missing part of the Kindle format would probably be the freedom to copy that content into other formats (similar to the rights management / mp3 issues in the music world a few years back).

]]> By: Tweets that mention Failure to Launch — The Late Age of Print -- Topsy.com http://www.thelateageofprint.org/2010/02/01/failure-to-launch/comment-page-1/#comment-367 Tweets that mention Failure to Launch — The Late Age of Print -- Topsy.com Fri, 05 Feb 2010 08:07:39 +0000 http://www.thelateageofprint.org/?p=582#comment-367 [...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Jose Afonso Furtado, Columbia Univ Press, Ted Striphas, Garrett Kiely, mselibrary and others. mselibrary said: RT @ColumbiaUP: Late Age of Print/Ted Striphas (@striphas) on the iPad and what it might might portend for the future of reading. http://bit.ly/aYxSzi [...] [...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Jose Afonso Furtado, Columbia Univ Press, Ted Striphas, Garrett Kiely, mselibrary and others. mselibrary said: RT @ColumbiaUP: Late Age of Print/Ted Striphas (@striphas) on the iPad and what it might might portend for the future of reading. http://bit.ly/aYxSzi [...]

]]> By: Dustin http://www.thelateageofprint.org/2010/02/01/failure-to-launch/comment-page-1/#comment-366 Dustin Tue, 02 Feb 2010 08:04:45 +0000 http://www.thelateageofprint.org/?p=582#comment-366 Good stuff Ted. Thanks. Good stuff Ted. Thanks.

]]> By: Darrel http://www.thelateageofprint.org/2010/02/01/failure-to-launch/comment-page-1/#comment-365 Darrel Tue, 02 Feb 2010 02:13:13 +0000 http://www.thelateageofprint.org/?p=582#comment-365 Fascinating ... and frightening. Fascinating … and frightening.

]]> By: Ted Striphas http://www.thelateageofprint.org/2010/02/01/failure-to-launch/comment-page-1/#comment-364 Ted Striphas Mon, 01 Feb 2010 20:21:32 +0000 http://www.thelateageofprint.org/?p=582#comment-364 Hi Darrel. Thanks for the comment. Indeed you are right: the iPad will be using the "open" ePub format. I put the word "open" in quotes, though, because I'm not really convinced that it's an open format per se. My understanding is that content downloaded to the iPad will, for example, be unable to migrate to another ebook device that supports ePub. So what we're talking about is interoperability in name only -- as though you bought your BlueRay disk specifically for use on a Sony device, but not for use on your Samsung in the other room. That's the hardware/format future that worries me: where there's a scramble to lock readers into a particular platform from which they have no incentive to escape. Hi Darrel. Thanks for the comment. Indeed you are right: the iPad will be using the “open” ePub format. I put the word “open” in quotes, though, because I’m not really convinced that it’s an open format per se. My understanding is that content downloaded to the iPad will, for example, be unable to migrate to another ebook device that supports ePub. So what we’re talking about is interoperability in name only — as though you bought your BlueRay disk specifically for use on a Sony device, but not for use on your Samsung in the other room. That’s the hardware/format future that worries me: where there’s a scramble to lock readers into a particular platform from which they have no incentive to escape.

]]> By: Darrel http://www.thelateageofprint.org/2010/02/01/failure-to-launch/comment-page-1/#comment-363 Darrel Mon, 01 Feb 2010 17:31:25 +0000 http://www.thelateageofprint.org/?p=582#comment-363 Can't wait to see you write more about this, Ted. Here's a question for you: Kindle's ebook format is proprietary, right? Nook uses an open standard though, right? Apple does, too, from what I understand. How many of these ebook readers use the same open (or partially open) standard and would be interoperable in terms of purchased book content? There's an analogy to the high definition video market here, no? I mean, back a couple of years ago, there were two competing formats (HD and BluRay) and it was unclear which would win. BR won and now sales are steadily increasing. Same thing with the VHS/Beta -- perhaps one of the root causes of the fear over which format will last, no? I'm just kind of thinking aloud, here. And I guess I asked more than one question. Anyway, I'd love to hear more of your thoughts on this. :) Can’t wait to see you write more about this, Ted. Here’s a question for you: Kindle’s ebook format is proprietary, right? Nook uses an open standard though, right? Apple does, too, from what I understand. How many of these ebook readers use the same open (or partially open) standard and would be interoperable in terms of purchased book content?

There’s an analogy to the high definition video market here, no? I mean, back a couple of years ago, there were two competing formats (HD and BluRay) and it was unclear which would win. BR won and now sales are steadily increasing. Same thing with the VHS/Beta — perhaps one of the root causes of the fear over which format will last, no?

I’m just kind of thinking aloud, here. And I guess I asked more than one question. Anyway, I’d love to hear more of your thoughts on this. :)

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