If Apple's iPad is an eBook Reader, Will it Embrace Open Standards?
by Sam Dean - Aug. 18, 2009Comments (4)
Apple is reported by some to be holding an event in September, and while some reports claim that a rumored tablet device from the company will debut there, others say that's not so. The rumors about a tablet from Apple keep swirling, though, with various related patents from the company being cited as "evidence," and I was interested to see that Funambol's Fabrizio Capobianco is convinced that the actual device will be an eBook reader. Capobianco knows a lot about mobile open source technology, which Funambol focuses on, although his post on the Apple rumors isn't about open source. Still, he makes a convincing argument that Apple may have an eBook reader in the works. If so, open eBook standards could get a big boost if Apple chooses to embrace them, which it may very well not do.
As I wrote about last week, as Amazon's Kindle continues to drive newfound interest in the eBook market, and the market for eBook devices, there is a bifurcation of standards for eBooks taking place. To put it succinctly, Amazon is pursuing a very proprietary strategy, surrounding moving digital books from its own site. Sony has a site for digital books aimed at its Reader devices, but it has just made the shrewd move to center its eBook efforts exclusively on the open ePub standard. With that move, Sony could possibly convince many people who read ePub books on their computers and phones to adopt its Reader devices. (You can read ePub books on many free, open source eBook software platforms, including Calibre, and FBReader.) Â
As Funambol's Capobianco notes, though, if Apple is indeed doing an eBook reader, it's very likely to be hooking up with Amazon in the effort. He writes:
"The tip that this was going to be Apple's direction came from a very quiet announcement a few months ago: Amazon licensed its book reader technology for the iPhone. Few people read it, but it was huge news to me. It was the trigger for Apple to access the entire library of Amazon. Expect a book store by Apple, with Amazon being a big supplier (but maybe not the only one)."
If Apple does do an eBook Reader, and an accompanying eBook store (probably a component of iTunes), I'm hoping that it will pay attention to open standards, as Sony has. As Capobianco notes above, Amazon might be a big supplier for Apple, but it doesn't have to be the only game in town. Especially with Sony's recent commitment to focus on it exclusively, ePub has the chance to become a strong and flexible open standard for eBooks. I hope we don't see a partnership between giants like Apple and Amazon squash its promise.
In all likelihood, though, if either a tablet or an eBook reader is up Apple's sleeve, we won't see healthy attention paid to open standards and open application development. Such a device would be very likely to be based on the OS Â and accompanying software found on the iPhone, and I suspect that Apple would favor deals along the lines of the ones it has made with record labels, which focus heavily on lock-out and lack of openness.
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