Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Kobo Books Launches A UK Service To Compete With The Kindle

In theory there would be a huge advantage to having a bookstore that was not locked to one device. Historically the music industry was caught on the hop when Apple launched the iPod. Because it could play MP3s the iPod was the perfect companion to the Napsters/Kazaas of this world. That was a business for Apple, but not for the music industry, which later found itself locked into the the Apple store. Eventually online stores started offering DRM-free MP3s for sale, but as we know, the slow-to-react music industry has not recovered since.

The same is true of books. Why lock down books to one device? But of course Amazon is trying to do exactly this with the Kindle. So it makes sense then to disrupt them faster, with a service which syncs across platforms and devices. Step forward Kobo Books.

Kobo is a cloud-based book store, previously only available in the US but today launching in the UK in a first push into Europe.


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2 comments:

  1. ashley davis8:21 AM

    Although I do not have an e-reader device, I have looked into buying a Kindle as I read 3 to 4 books a month. I would be willing to pay the price for one but I fount that there are too many restrictions that I am unwilling to deal with. Amazon does not carry enough of the books I want for me to make the commitment.

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  2. Anonymous4:28 PM

    chad davis says...

    I am actually still considering if I should buy an iPad just so that I have easy access to e-books. It would help me tremendously because I am a student. Instead of spending hours trying to navigate my way through the library, I could easily access information with just a touch. For colleges and students, I think textbooks need to be available through e-books. Instead of shopping online or renting a textbook, why not have the textbook available online. Students could just access their textbook through their lab top while they are in class. It would be nice if students could have free access to their textbooks after they have paid for their classes. Students are being cheated out their money by these colleges. Why not make the textbook available online for for the semester for just a small rental fee?

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