Sony plans to adopt common format for e-books

To counter Amazon.com, Sony and other device makers as well as several publishers will use the same technology, called ePub, for digital book sales.
(From The New York Times)

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[LinuxRules]

If Amazon plans to sell newspapers, not just the iconic ones like WallStreet Journal, they have to at least accept epub standard. And we all know that they were pushing that with the XD, Amazon is going to find resistance to their software. Too many newspapers are all ready selling as epub including my home town paper and they are debating about the Kindle, but it will probable not be profitable enough for such a small city like Erie, PA. How many of the 200,000 people will own a Kindle? If I buy an e-reader, that will be used to access newspapers, it better be able to access the newspaper I read everyday.

[Stormspace]

All this means is that Sony is looking to quickly establish a market equilibrium so that they can start raising prices. To do this in the short term they have to offer something that the market leader doesn't. In this case a DRM scheme that has greater flexibility and an open format that any e-tailer can use.

[bookshire]

FINALLY! I was beginning to think I was the only one on the planet that got this. The main reason ebooks haven't taken off is because only certain devices read certain formats, and if you want to have all of your favorite books available at the touch of a button you either have to own multiple readers, or find some bootleg scan of them in text format or something

I've always thought the only way ebooks would take off is if everyone gathered around one format and then made the competition about device features and other extras. I want an ebook reader that just works, like a real book. You just pick it up and open it. Sadly we're not there yet, but it's nice to know somebody in a position to do something about it is finally getting the message.

[rdupuy11]

@LinuxRules, I find some inconsistency in your statement. If the Kindle maintains a dominant market share, then the question about 'How many people will buy a Kindle', isn't much different than 'Will people really buy ebook readers?'

I think its inconsistent to assume ebook readers will take off, and then to ask, how many people will buy a Kindle, as if you are now going the other way, assuming they won't take off.

Tthe iPod in music, represents 70% of the total market for mp3 players, and over 90% of the 'paying' market for downloadable songs...

The only question really, is will the Kindle also have that type of dominance in the ebook space. If yes, you'll support them, or just follow the paper print model to your companies demise.

[-fjtorres-]

Snow White and the five hundred dwarfs.
Big bad Amazon vs Adobe's dwarves.
Lock-in by one big company is no different thatn lock-in by another (and its flunkies).
Sony becoming Adobe's pawn simply tells us how far Sony has fallen.
And it'll make as much of an impact as Playsforsure did to iTunes.
Zero.

[kzemach]

If there was really a standard that was open, I would consider buying an eBook reader. So things are looking up for me. I will NOT buy a reader that locks me in. Will. Not. Happen.

It's funny that it's Sony that's agreeing to this; historically they are pretty bad at joining others (memory sticks, anyone? MSticks are the sole reason I do not, and never will, own a Sony digicam).