The wait is over.
After no shortage of hype and consumer outpouring of interest, Google has finally opened the digital doors to its very own “eBookstore.”
And what a grand opening it was.
With more than three million titles already available, Google isn’t shying away from the competition at all. Taking direct aim at popular ereaders and analogous digital bookstores, Google calls today “the first page in a new chapter of our mission to improve access to the cultural and educational treasures we know as books.”
Google Books first launched in 2004.
Through its new digital bookstore, Google makes it possible for readers to buy, store and read Google eBooks in the “cloud,” meaning all content is stored remotely and remains accessible 24/7 via a free, password-protected Google account.
There is unlimited ebook storage available from Google.
Debuting in an environment largely dominated by Amazon’s Kindle, Barnes and Noble’s Nook, and the Appe iPad, Google hopes to offer up both the hottest titles of today and yesterday and also the lesser known works equally deserving of an audience.
Google continues to profess the strength of its relationships with “independent booksellers,” a commitment that will enable smaller publishers and publishing houses to avoid being altogether dwarfed and overshadowed by the biggest names and most marketed brands in print.
In addition to a full-featured web reader, says Abraham Murray, Product Manager, Google Book, free apps for Android and Apple devices “will make it possible to shop and read on the go.”
To read more about the formal unveiling of Google’s eBookstore, check out the official Google Blog.
