Google Editions is an e-book service that will launch in 2010. Google Editions will sell e-books to readers at a price the publisher has set. When the service launches in the first-half of 2010, between 400,000 and 600,000 new books will be available.http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2009/10/15/general-eu-germany-frankfurt-book-fair-google_7004219.html

Google Editions is expected to launch around the same time Apple releases their long-awaited iPad. The iPad (which has been compared to a larger version of the iPod) has e-book reader capabilities. Along with Apple's new iPad, they also have their own e-book outlet, called the iBookstore.http://mac.blorge.com/2010/03/09/books-now-outnumber-games-in-app-store/ Google Editions also faces competition from the Amazon.com website, where many Kindle owners download their books.http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/the_web/article7026793.ece

No decision has been made on the millions of scanned books contained in Google Books in which limited number of pages can be viewed. Copyright issues in selling those scans are still being worked out.

Google Editions has the potential to revolutionize book-selling and potentially the demise of the e-book that is just gaining popularity with such platforms as Amazon's Kindle Dx-Kindle App Store and Apple's iBooks-iBookstore.http://www.blackplasticglasses.com/2009/06/04/google-editions-cloud-publishing/. Cloud publishing means a reader gains access to the content without ever owning it (and hence restricted to a single device).

A variant is the newly announced iBooks for iPhone (see WWDC10 page) where the downloaded ebook from the iBookstore is available on any of your Apple devices.

According to reports, the Google Editions e-book library will launch sometime int he first half of 2010. In March of 2010 Google was reportedly in negotiations with publishers over prices.http://www.godiva.com/welcome.aspx

Besides Apple's new iBookstore and Amazon.com, Google Editions will also face competition from Barnesandnoble.com's e-book website, Nook.com.http://www.smh.com.au/technology/biz-tech/google-to-launch-online-book-store-rules-out-kindlelike-device-20091016-h0n5.html