“The long-delayed venture—Google executives had said they hoped to launch this summer—recently has cleared several technical and legal hurdles, people close to the company say,” Trachtenberg, Vascellaro and Efrati report. “It is set to debut in the U.S. by the end of the year and internationally in the first quarter of next year, said Scott Dougall, a Google product management director. In recent weeks, independent booksellers, which are expected to play a big role in Google Editions, began receiving contracts from their trade group. Several publishers said they were exchanging files with Google—a sign that it is close to launch, publishers say.”
“Google Editions hopes to upend the existing e-book market by offering an open, ‘read anywhere’ model that is different from many competitors,” Trachtenberg, Vascellaro and Efrati report. “Users will be able to buy books directly from Google or from multiple online retailers—including independent bookstores—and add them to an online library tied to a Google account. They will be able to access their Google accounts on most devices with a Web browser, including personal computers, smartphones and tablets.”
Read more in the full article here.
What happens when there’s no internet connection?
I guess I can fire up iBooks
Sounds lame and useless. Why would I go to an independent bookstore to buy an ebook? I bet they will allow you to read these on your GoogleTV. They just don’t get it.
@schmluss
“I bet they will allow you to read these on your GoogleTV.” lmao!!!
At the moment, nothing beats the Kindle store. They have the largest selection, you can use it on an iPad, an iPhone, a Kindle or a computer. iBooks is nice, but it just can’t compete with the Kindle selection.
Microsoft announced today they are going to own the e-reader space with their revolutionary Windows eReader which will ship with Windows 8 Home Premium and Business Monopoly editions in time for the holiday 2015 shopping season.
Update: the release date for those editions has just been reset to Fall 2016.
@Tom:
Nice! BTW, what do all those thousands of employees at Microsoft HQ do all day, besides drink Starbucks and hide their iPhones from Ballmer?
Sounds like Plays-For-Sure all over again.
Have they told the book publishers they’ll be selling their book? This is google, after all…
Google=Walmart
Google. Another wannabe Apple.
I can already purchase ebooks from many different places and read them on an iPad.
Google has no focus or direction.
Apple has no content in their iBookstore.
BN nook app has a horrible UI.
Amazon is the only winner here. I love Kindle on my iPad, and I won’t use anything else.
I can see reading it in the browser now.
Reading Lolita? Ads for “Hot, steamy teens”.
Reading Catcher in the Rye? Ads for survivalist gear.
Reading The Anarchist’s Cookbook? Ads for “Hot, steamy teens”. lol
Now Jeff Jarvis has to Eat Crow again… *tsk aw……
Google should stick to being a search engine.
Already have iBook,Kindle,ManyBooks,
Stanza,ComicZeal4 on my iPad. Don’t need
another bookstore.
You have to read a book using a web browser?
And in a bus or a plane???
I just made a plane trip over Thanksgiving. My iPad was great for reading on the plane (utilizing the Kindle application). Airlines are experimenting with wireless onboard, but of course, you are going to have to pay to use it. Right now, they are offering Direct TV, but it costs $6.
Also, I don’t like having to tie my purchases to a Google Account. My Amazon and iBooks are not tied to an Amazon account or an Apple Account. I use my personal email for those. google just wants to see what you puchase, so they can shove more ads at you.
“tied to a Google account. “
That pretty much says it all. Otherwise, what’s the point of yet another store?
No, thanks.
I suppose it is typical of Google to leave half baked stolen ideas for the next best half baked stolen next big thing!
Chrome = Safari. Android = OS. Nexus 1 = iPhone. Google talk = Messenger. Picassa = iPhoto. Voxofon = Skype.
When will they ever sit down and properly create, launch and support a project to maturity in the same way that Apple inc., does? As far as i’m aware, they have only done this on search & maps.