News of Oyster, a new book subscription app, has surfaced. The following article compares it to the likes of Netflix and Spotify, as it gives users the ability to read whatever they want (on the app), for a monthly fee.

This app may not be the first app available for reading, but it incorporates the already popular subscription-style usage, with the convenience of your smart phone. Oyster plans to focus on creating an app specifically for your smartphone instead of competing head on with tablet apps and e-readers. In my opinion this is a smart idea because it gives Oyster an opportunity to create a name for themselves in a slightly less competitive market. This creates the opportunity for them to expand in the future to another, more tablet-focused app. Noting that if their app for smartphones is successful, they have a kind of safety net. They are incorporating methods that other companies have used and perfected, but have employed these methods in a new and different way. I thought of access to libraries causing problems for Oyster, but the choice of having over 100,000 titles to read, from the convinience of your phone, creates a much different environment for getting and reading books.

Article: http://business.financialpost.com/2013/09/06/at-last-the-netflix-for-books-is-here/