From Publishers Weekly:
After opening in April, the Microsoft e-bookstore, developed in cooperation with the Ingram Content Group, is steadily adding more titles to its offerings. Microsoft intended the launch to be a “gradual rollout, not a single big unveiling,” according to Marcus Woodburn, v-p of digital products for Ingram.
Titles for the store are supplied via Ingram’s CoreSource digital asset management distribution platform, and the store offers publishers both agency and wholesale business models. Since the launch, a Microsoft spokesperson said, the site has seen double-digit monthly growth in traffic and purchases.
The store is designed exclusively for the users of Microsoft’s Windows 10 operating system, on which more than 600 million devices run, though title pages of books in the store can be retrieved by search engines. Marcel Garaud, a senior director of business development at Microsoft, said that the e-bookstore is designed to “offer millions of people a great opportunity to get more value out of their PCs.”
E-books can be purchased through the Microsoft Store app or on Microsoft’s website. Customers can read their e-books using the Edge browser embedded in the Windows OS, or download them for offline reading.
“We’re currently focused on making finding, purchasing, and reading an e-book on Windows a seamless experience,” Garaud said. He cited a “simplified interface, customizable learning tools, offline support, and a growing catalogue of available titles” as some of the store’s assets.
. . . .
The store, he noted, is “investigating all publishing models, including self-publishing.”
Link to the rest at Publishers Weekly
PG says competition is good, but Microsoft is taking on a tough competitor in Amazon.
Plus PG hates the Edge browser and is annoyed whenever Windows pops it up.
I don’t and won’t use Windows 10. When this PC dies, I’ll either order a rebuilt unit with 7, or find an operating system that doesn’t force the cloud and unwanted updates on me.
Any suggestions for a polite OS?
Download a couple of the “run from CD or thumb drive” Linuxes; most of them have a “try it before installing mode.” There are three major desktops and a couple of minor ones, and differences in how some Linuxes handle “media” files due to legal situations where their home base is.
There are fairly major differences between KDE, Gnome, and XFCE, not to mention KDE and, to a lesser extent, Gnome have a huge number of configuration options. You may not know what you like, but you’ll probably quickly determine which ones you *don’t* like…
Thanks! Saved your info for later research. (I need this beast to last a few more years!)
Also Linux Mint is worth looking at
I’m with you, when my current laptop dies, I’m going to have to go the linux route. Or maybe I’ll finally cave and buy a mac. (only because I LOVE Scrivener)
Scrivener has an ongoing Linux beta program, but it’s simplest just to instill the Wine Windows emulator and run the Windows version. The install of the trial version went smoothly on my machine. The support section on Scrivener’s web site has how-tos.
This is crazy, given that Microsoft has no native mobile platform for phones any more, and while people who have Surfaces seem to love them, I’m not sure how many would want to lug one to bed for reading, even if it has a detachable keyboard.Plus if it is Windows 10 only, you’re ignoring everybody still using Windows 7 and 8.1.
And that’s not even getting into the weirdness that is the latest Windows 10 Terms of service update with language of pure mush and a banhammer that could potentially strip you of everything in your account. Presumably including the books you’re buying that are inconvenient to read.
They’re also ignoring Mac users and iPhone users. If you’re going to seriously challenge Amazon, you have to make it as easy to download and read books as Amazon does.
And what serious reader wants to read in a browser running on a PC?
PS: This article is from December of last year.
“…Very Quietly Rolls Out…”
They’d prefer the volume of laughter not get too loud and call attention to their silliness …
> And what serious reader wants to read in a browser running on a PC?
—
I read books that way.
The web browser on my desktop (Konqueror on KDE) recognizes all major ebook formats, and it’s much simpler to read books that way instead of using “ebook viewer” software that primarily seems to be written to get in my way.
My tablet is old, and the “viewer” software which came with is so nasty, I just convert books to html and use its weird little web browser. That also let me strip all the fugly fonts and sprawling, screen-eating formatting and whitespace so I don’t get RSI from continuously scrolling.
Agreed.
I’m reading this on a Raspberry Pi(3B) hooked to a 27″ HD monitor. I haven’t hit anything yet that it can’t open for me to read.
I got one of the new 3B+s in yesterday; and one of the Sparkfun “desktop” boxes with the mSATA shield. Wahoo!
I spend so much time sitting at my desk, it just doesn’t equate to relaxing with a book for me, and I guess I assumed that was true for most. Besides, I’m not sure what the two of you are talking about. 😉
Apple ignores PC users. I’m not sure why MS should cater to Apple users.
As a nobody I can have triple digit sales for months by only selling one ebook the first month, two the second … (only need 32 sales the sixth month if you just double each month!)
And as I’m not interested in using windows .10 (spy edition), this is a none starter. (And the PG isn’t the first person who hasn’t had anything nice to say about that [bleeding] edge. 😉 )