Google to launch eBook store

Google has announced plans to launch its own eBook store in the Summer of 2010, setting the battlefield for what could be a gory outcome with Amazon and Apple.

Google Editions will hit the internet in June or July, offering digital versions of the titles on its book search service. Google said the ebooks will work across various devices, and, unlike the ebooks of iPad and Kindle, any device with a browser will be able to view the books. All you will need to access the service is a Google account.

The market for books online is undergoing a collosal transformation with sales tripling in a quarter v quarter (annual comparison) in the USA and no signs of that trend not crossing the oceans Europe.

Customers will be able to buy digital copies via Googles book search and book retailers will be able to sell Google Editions on their own sites, getting most of the revenue from sales.

And the winner is...

That is the million dollar question. Apple has made a mark with a million iPad sales in the USA but the Amazon Kindle has a keen following too - but Google Editions tackles the competition by offering books for any device.

If we were to be pushed then we would suggest the Kindle would suffer at the hands of the iPad anyway, but there are other devices on their way that could transform usability because of new display technology.