Episode 61 – Year In Review with Matt Mullin
Episode 61 – Year In Review with Matt Mullin
Special Guest
- Matt Mullin talks with us about the year in ebooks.
News
Year In Review
January
- Brian O’Leary talks with O’Reilly about DRM, suggests data is not good enough to determine the impact of DRM, and that it doesn’t help in the fight against piracy anyway.
- Vook gets $5.25 million in funding.
- Scribd gets $13 million in funding.
- Kindle Singles released.
- Amazon now selling more Kindle books than paperbacks
February
- Apple rejects Sony’s eBook app for iPad/iPhone because of policy that does not allow apps to download files purchased outside the Applk store. This has implications for every other eBook app on iOS, inlcuding Kindle.
- Official response from Apple: The Amazon app and other eBook apps will have to comply.
- Harper Collins puts a cap of 26 downloads on library eBooks. More stupid moves by companies trying to shore up dying business models.
- Random House announces that they are switching to the agency pricing model.
March
- Apple announces the iPad2
- Amazon launches the Amazon Appstore with Android apps.
- Federal judge rejects the Google Books settlement, says the agreement “would grant Google significant rights to exploit entire books, without permission of the copyright owners.”
- Amanda Hocking, who many thought would be the darling of self-publishing, signed a 7-figure deal with St. Martin’s Press for four books.
- MPS Limited announces ePub 3 services… before ePub 3 is released…
April
- Apple files a patent for a hybrid eInk/LCD screen. Interesting idea.
- InDesign CS5.5 released. Better support for ePub exporting.
- Amazon to offer library checkouts.
May
- iFlow Reader shuts down because of Apple’s new policies on in-app purchases.
- Amazon officially sells more Kindle eBooks than print books.
- Kobo introduces new touchscreen eReader.
- B&N releases its new NOOK, a touchscreen model, no 3G.
June
- Apple changes an important point in its terms of service, allowing apps to download content that has not been purchased through the in-app purchasing. Apps that actually sell content must still use in-app purchasing, and links to outside stores are still not allowed.
- J.K. Rowling will sell Harry Potter eBooks from her new website pottermore.com.
- Amazon has dropped California Affiliates program because of tax issues.
July
- Borders liquidates.
- Kindle iPad app updated; store links removed, newspapers and magazines added. Other apps updated to remove stores, too.
- Android Market update includes eBooks.
August
- Apple and the Agency 5 have been hit with a class action lawsuit for price fixing and collusion. About time…
- Digital Book World announces the newly updated Publishing Innovation Awards, and the QED (Quality, Excellence, Design) seal for eBooks. This is a much-needed program for the future of eBooks.
- LibreDigital acquired by RR Donnelley.
- Another major class action lawsuit against Apple and publishers, this one including Random House.
- Steve Jobs steps down from Apple CEO, stays on as Chairman.
- Amazon quietly releases a fixed layout format. No information on how these books are made, if they are PDFs or HTML-based, or about how to get titles up for sale with Amazon in this format.
- Sony PRS-T1 spotted on a Dutch retail site. Interesting design. Possible Android backend?
September
- 3M invests in Pixel Qi, makers of the dual-mode LCD displays.
- Kobo Vox reader leaked via the FCC.
- Amazon releases three new devices. Lowest-priced device changes the game dramatically ($80?!?!). Kindle Fire has some great specs and a price point that is below the expected range.
- B&N stock plunges.
- Apple vs. Amazon? No, its Apple and Amazon vs. Everyone Else
October
- ePub 3 becomes final specification.
- Kobo releases the Kobo Vox. More of a competitor of the Nook Color than the Kindle Fire. Has access to the native Android OS, which makes it a decent $200 Android tablet.
- Amazon announces the Kindle Format 8, with support for HTML 5 and CSS 3, fixed layout, comic books, and many other features.
November
- Kindle Lending Library launches. Amazon Prime membership and a Kindle device (not app) required. Small number of books available at launch, but more to come.
- Sony dropped the price on the PRS-T1 (finally).
- B&N releases the Nook Tablet. Not much different, really, and they are touting it as a HD-video device but they don’t sell the video…
- Japanese company Rakuten buys Kobo.
- Kobo Touch with Offers to sell for $100.
- Amazon reportedly planning to ship 6 million Kindle Fires this quarter.
- Penguin has suspended availabilty of their new eBooks from the Overdrive library.
December
- EU opens up an investigation of Apple and five publishers for price fixing.
Predictions
- 2011: We did pretty well
- Matt: International growth, improvements in digitization and QA
- Chris: Improvements at Kobo
- Toby: Major color reflective e-ink style device
- Joshua: Yes, international
Kindle Fire 2 – large screen
Kindle Fire 3 — better processor — end of the year
iPad mini
Sony gets less important
Children’s books will become better, much more robust on B&N and Kindle
ePub 3 will not be implemented across Apple, B&N, Sony, and Kobo until September
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