Apple’s Literary Lockdown
Apple has begun its literary lockdown a bit earlier than I expected, with today’s news that popular iPhone app, Stanza, was required to remove USB ebook transfer functionality.
To recap:
Previous versions of Stanza enabled transfer of ePub and eReader books to the iPhone via USB. According to the Techcrunch article linked above, a source at Stanza’s parent company (owned by Amazon) stated that Apple requested a version update with this specific functionality removed. No further details have been disclosed.
With the launch of the iPad and iBook imminent, I anticipate more actions like this, some overt, others more insidious.
Speculation Time!
At worst, since iBook can be considered core functionality on the iPad, they could elect to ban other e-reader apps entirely. Strongarm tactics like that would undoubtedly garner a fierce initial reaction, but that hasn’t stopped them in the past (see: Google Voice.)
A more likely approach would be to subtly devalue the non-native reading apps, perhaps by offering extended multitasking privileges for iBook that are simply unavailable to 3rd-party developers through the SDK. Let’s call that semi-tasking for now ;)
We’ll all have to wait and see. I’ll try to keep this post updated with the latest. As an avid reader, kindle owner and future iPad owner, I’ve a vested interest in the outcome of the impending eBook format wars.
No matter what transpires, I expect it to be difficult to tell if Apple’s interference with 3rd-party developers is caused by new relationships with ever-paranoid publishing companies or based upon their own grand plans to win in the eBook space.
This post is tagged: amazon, apple ipad, appstore policies, ebooks, ibook, kindle, literature, stanza
3 Responses to “Apple’s Literary Lockdown”
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Interesting read, especially considering the iBook Store will be US only at launch. Continued moves like this by Apple are only going to cause further frustration to the developer community. If I had to list the reasons I don’t like their developer program I think with this added it would then start to look like quite a large list unfortunately.
I think Apple have realised they are in such a strong position with the iPhone and iPod Touch that they can monopolise more areas of content delivery other than just music. It’s the reason why the iPad isn’t just a small laptop running Mac OS. They are locking you in and not letting you get away. A monopoly has to be their goal and they’d probably get there easier if they supported the free ebook formats in iBook but I don’t like it. I much prefer being able to use anything thing on the hardware I have.
I can see where you’re coming from James. As a bleeding edge adopter of the iPhone, I love how they’ve driven the mobile space towards NUI, but I’m worried that my stuff will end up locked in little digital boxes before too long with no access. Books are of particular concern to me since the greatest time span occurs between reads for me.
Out of curiousity, do you run anything on the Mac platform or are you a Linux or Windows guy?