Entries Tagged 'eBooks' ↓

Copia, a new e-book platform, plans to take on the big players in the market by launching its own e-book store and a set of touchscreen e-readers. Copia also wants to combine numerous social networking features with its e-book platform and plans to sell its services to original equipment manufacturers (OEM). Copia's e-book store will offer over 250,000 books from over 1,500 publishers, as well as 1,400 newspapers and over 750,000 free books from Google Books.

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Copia's private, limited-invitation beta will launch this month. The company plans to expand this beta in March.

Copia bills itself as a hybrid solution, as the company plans to offer both consumer-facing e-book solutions as well as an open platform for OEMs.

Focus on Social Networking Features

On the consumer side, Copia wants to differentiate itself from its competition by giving its users a number of social networking tools. Community profiles on Copia, for example, are linked to Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. In addition, the service will offer collaboration tools that are mostly geared towards students. Users can highlight and annotate books, for example, and share these annotations with other users. Copia will also implement a rating system for book reviews.

OEM's will be able to offer all of these features to their users as well. OEMs will also be able to integrate Copia's e-book store into their own devices.

Copia's E-Readers: Ocean and Tidal

Copia plans to offer six different e-readers with prices ranging from $199 to $299. The Tidal will offer a six-inch ePaper display and the Ocean will come in a basic six-inch version and two advanced versions with a nine-inch screens. Both of these models will come in three different variations. The most basic models will not offer any wireless connectivity besides Wi-Fi and won't offer a touchscreen. The intermediate models offer touchscreens, and the high-end versions will offer touchscreens and 3G connectivity. All models come with tilt sensors and 4GB of internal memory.

These devices will go on sale on Copia's site in April.

Can This Work?

We still have a lot of questions about Copia. We don't know at what price the company plans to sell books and what DRM-solution Copia plans to implement. At the same time, though, the company's plan to sell both e-books and compatible e-readers looks a lot like Amazon's strategy and there can be no doubt that Amazon has been quite successful with this model. Copia, however, doesn't have any name recognition yet and the e-book market is currently dominated by big companies like Amazon, B&N and Sony. If Copia is successful in getting enough OEM partners, though, it could establish itself as another major player in the market. The company's e-reader lineup also looks like a potential winner.

Barnes and Noble will launch its rumored Nook eBook reader later today at an event in New York City. Thanks to an early leak of the device on the B&N Web site, however, we already know most of the details about the Nook. We can now confirm, for example, that the Nook will retail for $259 and that it will feature two screens: a small LCD touchscreen at the bottom of the device and a standard 6-inch eInk display above the smaller screen. The Nook will be available for pre-order today and will ship on November 30. One of the most interesting aspects about the device, besides the two screens, the 2 gigabytes of on-board memory and the microSD card slot, is that B&N will allow users to lend books to their friends.

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Just yesterday, we wrote about the dual-screen Alex eReader, which looked like an interesting design study, but didn't strike us as a very usable device. In many ways, the Nook looks similar to the Kindle, but instead of a hardware keyboard, the B&N eReader features a touchscreen that can show a keyboard and will allow users to browse books. The Nook mostly uses the small color screen for navigation and doesn't try to add a lot of additional features like web browsing. The touchscreen is also used for browsing the B&N eBook store and for buying books while on the go.

Users will be able to lend out books for up to 14 days at a time.This is definitely an area where the Nook can outshine the Kindle. Users can just select a book and then send it to their friends' Nook, iPhone or iPod touch.

Just like the Kindle, the Nook will also allow users to synchronize books across devices, so that the Nook knows where a users last stopped reading a book on the iPhone, for example.

Judging from the images on the leaked Nook site, it also looks like the device will come in different colors.

As far as eBook standard go, the Nook will support EPUB and PDF documents. In addition, the device can also play MP3 files.

Wireless Connection

Just like Amazon's Kindle and Sony's Reader Daily Edition, the Nook will also be able to download books wirelessly. To facilitate this, B&N has made a deal with AT&T. Interestingly, Amazon's Kindle International Edition also runs on AT&T's network, though B&N's focus is squarely on the US and we don't expect the company to offer its eBooks and the Nook outside of the US anytime soon.

B&N's eBook Strategy

B&N is adopting an interesting strategy for its eBook store. Unlike Amazon, which only supports the Kindle, B&N supports a multitude of devices, including the iRex DR800SG, the forthcoming Plastic Logic QUE, and various mobile, including the BlackBerry, iPhone and Motorola Cliq. Thanks to a partnership with Google, B&N also gives its users access to over 500,000 public domain books - another feature that is currently not available on the Kindle.

Thanks to the number of features like lending, bookmarking and syncing that the Nook can offer thanks to its tight integration with the B&N store, however, it remains to be seen if users will actually be interested in these third-party devices or if the Nook will simply become the de facto eReader for B&N customers.

Clearly, though, the Nook will put a lot of pressure on Amazon this holiday season. While Amazon could bank on the name recognition of its own brand and the Kindle so far, B&N will surely get a lot of publicity out of this launch and the Nook actually looks like a more interesting device than the current generation of Kindles.

Details from the Press Release

Update: Here are all the details about the Nook from the leaked press release, courtesy of our friends at Engadget:

Product Highlights:

• Try, Then Buy - Once you sample for free, buying ebooks is easy. An entire book downloads wirelessly in seconds. Many bestsellers and new releases are just $9.99.
• No reading glasses required! Choose from 5 different font sizes so you can read with ease. The best-in-class E Ink ® display with a 16-bit gray scale offers great contrast with no glare or backlight making for hours of reading enjoyment.
• Just add an expandable Micro SD card , purchased separately, to add to your nook's 2 GB of internal storage space. Besides your ebooks, magazines and newspapers, add pictures, music, and personal documents. PDFs load directly and look great.
• Sample eBooks for free just about anywhere you are, on us. Browse eBooks, magazines and newspapers on AT&T's 3G Wireless Network or on Wi-Fi. And every Barnes & Noble has free Wi-Fi, so you can connect at lightning fast speeds.
• With 2GB of memory, nook stores up to 1,500 books, newspapers and magazines. Need even more space? Just add a memory card for storage of up to 17,500. An entire library light enough to take with you everywhere, so you'll never be without your favorites.
• Never lose your place. Use the virtual bookmark to bring you back to the last book you've read, right where you left off. If you forget your nook at home and are stuck on a bus, keep on reading with your iPhone™, or BlackBerry®, using our free eReader software.
• You can share nook to nook, but it doesn't stop there. Using the new Barnes & Noble LendMe™ technology... you will be able to lend to and from any iPhone™, iPod touch®, BlackBerry®, PC, or Mac®, with the free Barnes and Noble eReader software downloaded on it.
• Control your nook with an easy-to-use full-color touchscreen, created to work seamlessly with the crisp, clean E Ink ® display. Just use your finger to swipe through titles and tap open your next read.
• Visit the store, turn on your nook, and see what pops up on your screen. It's as simple as that. You will get exclusive content, special discounts and more. And soon, you will be able to read entire eBooks for free at your local Barnes & Noble.

Designed for a Better Reading Experience

• nook feels great in hand and features a contoured, easy-to-hold back. About the size and weight of a paperback book, nook is thin, small and portable. Its best-in-class E Ink® Vizplex™ display is easy on the eyes with text as clear and crisp as a printed book. And with no glare or backlight and adjustable text size, you can read comfortably for hours. Our minimalist design puts the focus on the content, not the technology, welcoming the reader to dive right in.

Color Touch Screen for Easy Navigation

• The first-ever color touch screen for navigation on an eBook reader offers an immersive experience, inviting you to virtually browse through brilliant cover art, flip through an expansive library, or search using a virtual keyboard. The combination of color and touch on the beautiful lower screen make navigating nook intuitive and simple, even for the tech novice. nook presents the controls, navigation and keyboard you need, only when you need them.

Download eBooks Wirelessly

• With fast 3G wireless and Wi-Fi access, nook is the most-connected eBook reader. Browse and instantly download eBooks, magazines and newspapers simply and seamlessly on AT&T's 3G wireless network, the nation's fastest, with no set-up required or additional wireless costs. Connect to the complimentary Wi-Fi, provided by the AT&T Wi-Fi network, in Barnes & Noble stores and download at broadband fast speeds.

Lend eBooks to Friends

• With nook's breakthrough LendMe™ technology, lend a wide selection of eBooks to friends free of charge, for up to 14 days at a time. Just choose the book you want to share and send it to your friend's nook or iPhone, iPod touch, select BlackBerry® and Motorola smartphones, PC or Mac® with Barnes & Noble eReader software.

A Continuous Reading Experience

• With ?Reading Now,? your virtual bookmark, nook brings you back to the last book you've read, right where you left off. And it works across a range of devices. If you forgot your nook at home, Barnes & Noble's free eReader software on your iPhone, select BlackBerry and Motorola smartphones or laptop lets you pick up where you left off, including annotations. And when you're reunited with your nook again, the Reading Now page will be updated and ready to go.

Over one million stories. Any time, anywhere.

• Browse and buy from our extensive collection of over one million eBooks, including thousands of free titles, virtually anywhere you are. Get your favorite eBooks, newspapers and magazines, plus exclusive reads from Barnes & Noble, delivered via fast and free wireless, with no PC required.

Portability and Personalization

• You can also easily transfer PDF-format documents from your computer to access and read business documents, legal contracts and travel information on your nook. And transfer your photos to create custom screensavers.

Save Time, Money and Space

• Carry up to 1,500 eBooks using nook's 2GB of memory, and a virtually unlimited library using nook's expandable memory slot, which will hold up to 17,500 eBooks on each 16GB MicroSD card. Buying eBooks is simple and seamless. With just two touches, you'll be able to purchase and download eBooks in seconds. And many bestsellers and new releases are just $9.99, so you can enjoy more for less.

Listen to nook

• Using a standard pair of stereo headphones, plug into nook and listen to your favorite songs (MP3s), uploaded through your computer. Use the headphones or built-in speakers to enjoy listening to audiobooks, podcasts, lectures and more.

Protect Your nook in Style

• nook comes with a removable back cover which you can personalize from a selection of four additional great colors. You can also chose from a range of accessories by renowned designers and brands as kate spade new york, Jack Spade, Jonathan Adler, Tahari and others.

Experience nook at Your Local Barnes & Noble

• Customers will be able to browse complete eBooks for free on nook at any Barnes & Noble store, whether or not the actual book is in stock, beginning later this year. Plus settle into the café and get exclusive in-store-only content, free eBooks, special offers and much more using Barnes & Noble's complimentary WiFi, provided by the AT&T Wi-Fi network.

Images used courtesy of our friends at the WSJ Digits blog who deserve credit for discovering this leak.

Spring Design, a relatively unknown hardware design company, just announced that it will enter the eBook market with a dual-screen eReader based on the Android operating system. This device, the 'Alex,' will combine a 6-inch eInk display with a 3.5-inch color LCD touchscreen. According to Spring Design's press release, the company will use an 'enhanced' version of the Android OS that has been optimized to facilitate the integration between the two screens. Spring Design plans to release this device later this year.

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Hardware

The dual-screen concept is definitely interesting and somewhat reminiscent of the rumored Barnes & Noble-branded eReader that is scheduled to be announced tomorrow. For now, Spring Design's press release remains quiet about any content partnerships. Even though the company says that the device will be able to connect to 3G, EVDO/CDMA and GSM networks, Spring Design doesn't appear to be ready to announce any partnerships there either.

Multimedia Books

Maybe the most interesting aspect of the device is that the company plans to give developers and publishers the ability to enhance the text that appears in the eInk screen with multimedia content on the LCD screen. This could open up a lot of new avenues for publishers, but at the same time, we have to wonder how many publishers would be willing to develop new content for this device. Creating an eBook version of a manuscript is easy, but adding additional content to this text could quickly become a costly undertaking.

Color Us Skeptical

Given how vague the details are, we remain skeptical about this device until we get more details. For now, all we know is that it will run Android, feature two screens and have an SD card slot, and that users will be able to cache Web content on the device and then display it on the eInk screen.

We also can't help but look at the device and think that it would be rather unwieldy to use. It is definitely exciting to see that somebody is using Android to develop an eReader, but this device seems to forgo usability for novelty. While we are all looking forward to color eInk displays, this device looks like an odd chimera that is meant to bridge the gap between these two generations. In the long run, this concept probably doesn't have much of a future.

There can be little doubt that eBook and eReaders are having a breakout year. Today, Forrester Research moved its original projection of 2 million US eReader sales in 2009 up 50%. Forrester now expects that 3 million eReaders will be sold in 2009 and that 30% of these will sell during the holiday season. Forrester analyst Sarah Rotman Epps argues that sales are growing much faster than expected because of falling prices, better retail distribution, and the media buzz that currently surrounds eBooks and eReaders. For 2010, Forrester projects eReader sales of up to 10 million.

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Now that the competition among eReader manufacturers is heating up, a larger number of US retailers, including Best Buy, Costco, Target and Walmart have started to devote shelf space to eReaders. According to the Association of American Publishers, eBook sales since June have gone up 149% for the year and the industry now generates $14 million in sales every month.

One of the main reasons why Forrester is correcting its forecast is the fact that prices have come down (and this report was actually written before the Amazon announcement). In addition, Forrester also sees increased consumer awareness thanks to the current media buzz around eReaders. While the Kindle was mentioned 8,680 times in news stories in 2008, it has been mentioned over 15,700 times in 2009 already (including the month of September). In addition, the fact that more content is now available and that manufacturers like iRex and Sony are backing the open ePub standard is also opening up the market to buyers who previously weren't interested in Amazon's closed Kindle ecosystem.

Outlook for 2010: Even Better

For next year, Forrester expects that Barnes & Noble will become serious competition for Amazon. With the iRex Digital Reader 800 and the forthcoming Plastic Logic reader, B&N will be able to offer its customers a lineup of eReaders that can easily challenge Amazon's Kindle - though not in the international market that Amazon just entered yesterday.

Forrester also expects that Apple's mythical tablet could become a major force in the eReader market, though for the time being, the Apple tablet is obviously nothing more than a rumor.

Clearly the eReader market is growing at a rapid pace. Just yesterday, when Amazon unveiled the reduced prices for its Kindle 2 and the launch of the AT&T-powered "U.S. & International Wireless" version of the Kindle 2, Amazon's CEO and founder Jeff Bezoz pointed out in an interview with the New York Times that whenever Amazon offers both a Kindle and paper version of a book, 48% of total sales now come from the digital Kindle edition. In May, this number was 35%. While Amazon doesn't release sales numbers for the Kindle, these numbers are only possible if Amazon has sold a lot more Kindles than most analysts previously thought.

When Barnes & Noble launched its eBook store, it immediately attracted a lot of potential customers. According to Compete's Dillon McGovern, more than four times as many people visited the eBook section on B&N's website than the Amazon Kindle store during the first week after the launch in July. After just about a month, though, these numbers returned to normality and today Amazon once again leads the pack by a very wide margin. While B&N was able to attract a lot of interest in its new eBook offerings, it was clearly hurt by the fact that it didn't offer users a hardware eReader yet.

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For now, B&N only advertises its iPhone, BlackBerry, and PC/Mac software readers on its site, but the company doesn't offer any compatible hardware readers just yet. Since the launch of the eBook store, B&N has announced a partnership with iRex and we are still waiting for the mythical Plastic Logic eReader to appear.

A spike in interest right after the launch of a new product is obviously nothing unusual, but this data shows that B&N could challenge the Kindle in the long run. To do so, however, B&N needs to offer users a clear alternative to Amazon's Kindle. Sony, which offers numerous eReaders that are connected to its eBook store, is obviously also trying to make a major push in the eBook market and while its numbers are slowly trending up, Amazon and the Kindle remain in a clear lead. As Compete's McGovern points out, B&N has shown that it can easily drive its customers to its eBook store - thanks, in no small part, to a very successful email campaign - but it will need to offer a hardware eReader to really take on Amazon.

Startup e-book publishing house Smashwords has sussed out a distribution agreement with Sony Electronics that will allow for user creation of publishing accounts and expedited publishing and distribution of books for the Sony Readers through their eBook Store.

Effective immediately, the Sony Publisher Portal is re-launched and open for business. Aspiring authors and independent publishers can upload Microsoft Word documents and have distro-ready e-books within hours.

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"We're committed to providing our customers access to the broadest range of eBook content available and believe these collaborations will allow us to expand the store selection with a host of compelling works from independent sources," said Chris Smythe, director of Sony's eBook Store.

In addition to working out the Smashwords deal, Sony has also announced a similar partnership with indie publishing outfit Author Solutions.

"Additionally, we recognize that it is important to provide independent publishers the opportunity to quickly and easily bring their ideas and content to a wide audience of readers."

Smashwords first launched its ebook publishing and distribution platform 16 months ago. New ebooks published via Smashwords through the Sony Publishing Portal can receive immediate distribution in the eBook Store.

For Smashwords users who have already published more than 3,000 books through Smashwords, their e-books can also gain distribution into Sony's eBook Store within the next few months.

This most recent development stands as testament to Smashwords' growing momentum. In January, Smashwords launched a distro arrangement with the Amazon-owned Lexcyle, meaning their e-books are listed in the native ebook catalog of Stanza, the e-reading app used by more than two million iPhone and iPod Touch customers.

And earlier this month, Smashwords began distributing through Barnes & Noble across such high-profile properties as properties including BarnesandNoble.com, Fictionwise, and the popular B&N eReader application.

Interested publishers can learn more at the Smashwords website.

IRex officially launched its new eReader today. As we reported last month, the iRex DR800SG will feature an 8.1-inch touchscreen with stylus navigation, and have wireless connectivity over Verizon's network. The device, which will retail for $399, will be closely linked to Barnes & Nobles' eBook store and users will be able to buy books from there over the wireless connection. Best Buy will carry these devices in its stores and will set aside space in its stores to showcase eReaders from iRex, Sony, and other eReader manufacturers.

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Who is iRex?

As Forrester analyst Sarah Rotman Epps point out, iRex has to overcome some challenges because its brand is relatively unknown in the US. According to the New York Times, iRex wanted to release a Barnes & Noble branded version of the DR800SG, but those negotiations apparently didn't go very far. At the same time, though, iRex also has some advantages, especially in Europe - a market that other vendors have mostly ignored for now.

At this point, however, it's not even really about the launch of yet another eReader anymore - with Amazon, Sony, Asus, iRex, Plastic Logic, Coolreaders, and a growing number of other contenders, the market is now wide open and competition is already bringing prices down. Prices now start at $149 for refurbished 1st generation Kindles and go up to $489 for the Kindle DX, with Amazon's competitors hitting every price point in between. For most consumers, any price over $99 is still too high for an eReader, but then, hardware prices always come down sooner or later and it is only a matter of time before somebody is going to release a decent $99 eReader.

At $399, the new iRex reader is obviously one of the more expensive readers on the market right now, though its price is in line with competing wireless eReaders like the Sony Reader Daily Edition. Sony, however, offers a real touchscreen on some of its high-end readers though, something iRex has disavowed for now because it reduces the contrast of the screen.

Getting eReaders Into the Marketplace

Another important aspect of this announcement is that Best Buy will now set apart some space in its stores to feature eReaders. Until now, Best Buy only sold eReader on its website. Even though public interest in eReaders is high, only a relatively small number of people have actually held one of these devices in their hands.

EBooks and eReaders are a hot topic right now, especially with the new line-up of Kindle competitors scheduled to arrive before the holiday season. However, according to a new report by Forrester Research's Sarah Rotman Epps, most people aren't willing to pay a lot for these devices. Forrester asked consumers at what price they would consider an eReader expensive but still buy it. The answer was generally somewhere between $50 and $99.

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This holiday season, the cheapest eReader on the market will be the Sony Reader Pocket Edition, which sells for $199, though this is a no-frills product without a wireless connection and a relatively small screen. All the other eReaders will be substantially more expensive, with the cheapest Kindle clocking in at $299. The COOL-ER reader is also relatively affordable at $249. According to Rotman Epps, however, only about 14% of the 181 million US consumers who are online would be willing to buy an eReader at $199 or higher.

$99 Is the New $199

In an earlier report, Rotman Epps argued that breaking the $199-barrier would be a major breakthrough for the eReader market and would allow these devices to become mainstream. Now it looks like $99 might actually be the point where eReader would become an impulse buy for the majority of consumers.

The good news for eReader manufacturers, however, is that those who intend to buy an eReader within the next six months are willing to pay up to $159 and those who actually already own one are even willing to pay over $250. A bargain price for eReaders for both of these groups would around $100, though.

Price Inevitably Comes Down

When it comes to consumer electronics, prices always come down in the long run, and we will surely see a similar trend for eReaders. For now, manufacturing costs for eReaders are still relatively high, but publishers could subsidize eReaders through a subscription model, for example.

It is clear, though, as Rotman Epps points out, that most consumers don't put a lot of value on these devices yet and that prices will have to come down substantially. Even then, Rotman Epps argues, eReaders will never be as popular as MP3 players because the majority of consumers "don't care enough about reading or technology to invest in this type of single-purpose device at anything close to realistic prices."

Arnaud Nourry, the CEO of the world's second largest book publisher, Hachette Livre, says that the current pricing trends for eBooks may soon kill the hardcover book as we know it. In an interview with the Financial Times, Nourry says that he worries that the combination of the $9.99 price for bestsellers and the fact that Google now offers millions of out-of-copyright books for free could destroy profits for traditional publishing houses. Nourry is especially worried about the fact that Amazon is currently selling eBooks at a loss and that the company will soon demand that publishers will lower their prices so that it can actually make a profit from selling eBooks in its Kindle store.

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Will eBooks Really Kill Profit Margins for Publishers?

Based on this interview, we can't help but think that Nourry doesn't quite get the opportunities (and cost-savings) that electronic books will bring, though there can be no doubt that Amazon has now established $9.99 as the price for bestsellers in the US and all of its competitors like Barnes & Noble and Sony have followed suit (though it is not clear if Amazon's competitors are also currently subsidizing their eBooks).

Publishers obviously incur costs when producing a book and only a small number of bestsellers make up the majority of most publishers' revenue. In the eBook marketplace, however, where distribution costs are negligible and publishers could even cut out middle-men like Amazon and Sony if they wanted to, the profit margins for most publishing houses are more likely to go up than down, even if they have to price the majority of their books between $0.01 and $9.99.

Maybe We Won't Need Traditional Publishing Houses in the Future?

When we talked to Mark Coker from self-publishing house Smashwords last week, he argued that as traditional publishing houses start to reign in cost as the traditional business model in the industry starts to collapse, publishers will start to offload some of their costs to authors (copy-editing, design, etc.). Coker also thinks that publishers will start to look at self-published authors as a sort of farm-league for their big imprints. That could very well be true, and if this happens, then publishers will see even higher profit margins than today.

Or Maybe Books Will Just Hang On For a While Longer?

Of course, there is also still a chance that readers will just hang on to their regular books - after all, they have served us well for hundreds of years now. As GigaOm's Jordan Golson puts it, "There's nothing quite like going into a bookstore and browsing the shelves looking for your next great read, so the electronic revolution won't affect books as much as it has music and movies." There is some truth in this, of course, but every eBook vendor offers free first chapters of almost every book and the same argument was probably made by music aficionados whenever another local record store closed in the last few years.

For ReadWriteWeb's in-depth analysis of the changing face of publishing, read Bernard Lunn's series: Bits Of Destruction Hit the Book Publishing Business.

Hardly a day went by this week without a major new announcement in the eBook and eReader arena. The wireless eReaders from Sony and the Irex/Barnes & Noble partnership were probably some of the most interesting announcements. In addition, Google also opened up its EPUB archive, which will give readers easy access to over 1 million free public-domain books for their eReaders. The only company that didn't have anything to announce this week was Amazon, which is now in danger of losing its early lead to Sony and Barnes & Noble.

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Before this week, Amazon's Kindle still had one major advantage: wireless syncing. Now that both Sony and Barnes & Noble will offer the same functionality before the holiday season, the eBook market is once again completely open.

Everybody Now Offers Wireless Syncing

While wireless syncing and book delivery may not be that important to every potential eReader user, it did give Amazon a major leg up in marketing its Kindle and Kindle DX. In a month or two, this advantage will be gone. Amazon's competitors also offer more stylish devices, and some of the upcoming new eReaders will also offer touch screens - another feature that Amazon's Kindle doesn't currently offer.

EBook Price is Now the Same Everywhere, But Sony Supports Downloads From Local Library

In terms of pricing, Sony will soon offer an eReader for $199, which will put a lot of pressure on Amazon - though Sony's cheapest device will not offer wireless capabilities. As for books, prices everywhere are converging around a reasonable $9.99, the price Amazon pioneered as the default price for bestsellers in its Kindle store.

What's even more exciting is that eReader users will soon be able to borrow eBooks from their local libraries. Sony just announced a partnership with OverDrive, which supplies eBook technology to over 9,000 libraries. Amazon doesn't offer a similar program (yet).

Amazon's Problem: The Kindle is Closed

What's giving Amazon's competitors a major advantage right now is that their devices are far more open than the Kindle. As Slate's Farhad Manjoo points out, Sony and company could still be far more open and do away with all copyright restrictions. But at least you will be able to move your books to different devices, even though Sony still uses the standard EPUB format with a DRM wrapper, for example. Amazon's proprietary format, on the other hand, doesn't allow you to move your Kindle eBook to your new Sony Reader, for example.

For now, most publishers are still weary about releasing books without copyright. We can only assume that the book publishing industry will go through a similar cycle as the music industry, however, and that DRMed eBooks will also go the way of DRMed MP3s.

The eBook market is still young. For now, Amazon's only other advantage over its competitors is that it currently has a lot of momentum among early adopters. But, as Forrester Research's Sarah Rotman Epps argued in a recent report, as eBooks move into the mainstream, late adopters may not feel the same loyalty towards Amazon that early adopters had.

Of course, Amazon could still come out with a new eReader and a more open strategy. But for now, it doesn't look like Amazon is planning to change its strategy anytime soon, and we haven't heard any news (or even rumors) of a new Kindle for quite a while. If Amazon doesn't watch out, it could soon be left behind, because other eBook vendors and hardware manufacturers offer a more open and attractive platform for publishers and users.