Google Kindles Electronic Book War
The announcement that Google is going into the electronic book vending business is surprising absolutely no one. Nor, as Information Wee
k notes here, is it making already nervous authors and publishers feel any better about the company’s controversial Book Search Settlement.
k notes here, is it making already nervous authors and publishers feel any better about the company’s controversial Book Search Settlement.Google didn’t immediately respond to questions about whether it would sell e-books in an open or protected format. The company already offers over 1.5 million public domain books for free to users of Android mobile phones, Apple’s iPhone, and the Internet. It also allows people to search through millions more books sold online and provides links to online stores selling those books.Meanwhile, Amazon’s latest electronic reader, the Kindle DX, will be available later this month. The new larger format is meant to support electronic versions of magazines and newspapers. However, at $489. US, the new larger price tag might prove to be the most interesting feature on the latest model. Will consumers go for it? With interest in and adoption of electronic book technologies at an all-time high, I’m betting the answer will be in the affirmative.
Once Google starts selling e-books directly, Amazon may have to add a caveat to its claim that it “offers Earth's Biggest Selection.”
Labels: electronic books
posted by Linda L. Richards at 5:20 PM
2 Comments:
As soon as Google offers a solution that does not require fancy hardware to make it work, they will own the market. Who wants to spend near $500 for a read-only gizmo when you can almost purchase a notebook at the price point.
I own a Kindle and enjoy it immensely, but it would be nice to have other options for buying books...other than Amazon.
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