It’s a very interesting post, and exciting news about a new Reader. I’m a big fan of the current Reader’s hardware, and an open wireless content system will be a huge step forward for the entire epublishing industry. And the impact of an aggressive sales campaign, as Paul mentions, is also good news, as I feel the landscape of ebooks will change drastically (for the better) once there’s relative ereader saturation.

Content-wise, I’ve gotten the sense that Sony’s phoning it in right now with their eBook Store, which is fine because you don’t need their software to use the Reader.

And as for mentioning digital libraries, I didn’t mean to throw you under the bus by calling it an afterthought. Actually, you’re one of the very few I’ve seen that mention digital libraries at all when discussing the Reader (and digital libraries and ereaders are symbiotic to a certain extent for me while ebook stores catch up).

I’m more frustrated with Sony for not making it a significant part of both their marketing efforts and the identity of the Reader. Once people know more about the possibilities of digital libraries, I think that will drive libraries’ content acquisition.

I’ve been able to find most books I want to read at the library, but almost all have only one digital copy available. It seems like a pilot program right now, but if demand increases, I think they’ll expand and keep up.

http://www.teleread.org/2008/10/03/new-sony-reader-and-a-renewed-commitment/

[Missing images to be restored, as we continue a site migration to new servers]

Notice? Paul cites Steve Haber, president of the Digital Reading Business Division. Moreover, the information jibes with what Steve told me separately.

As for libraries, they’re far more than an afterthought to me, too. I’m just dismayed that the e-book collections of most public libraries are so tiny. Since the 1990s, TeleRead has been calling for well-stocked national digital library systems in the U.S. and elsewhere.

Thanks,
David Rothman, for TeleRead.org
703-370-6540