Ebook vending machines now showing up in Japan
Nate Hoffelder in the Digital Reader:
From what details I can glean, you select and pay for the ebook on screen. The machine will print a receipt with a QR code and other info you’ll need to download the ebook.
Am I missing something here? Is the whole point of an e-reader not to eliminate the need for any kind of printed … anything?
Hang on:
The system is geared towards smartphones, which makes sense. There aren’t any ebook readers that can support downloading 3rd party DRMed ebooks in this manner.
Oh, right, that makes more sense. Or at least it would make more sense if most (if not all) smartphones didn’t already allow you to buy and download ebooks straight to the device.
Still, it will be interesting to see if this whole vending machine idea does take off. When can we use one?
There’s no word on when the system will be available or if it will make it out of Japan.
Marvellous.
