Mobipocket to officially close at last

pdurrant · 10-23-2016, 06:31 AM

After being moribund for several years, Amazon is finally going to close Mobipocket.com at the end of October.

The annoucnement on the Mobipocket home page reads:

"The Mobipocket website & its services will be permanently shut down on Oct 31st, 2016. Prior to that date, please ensure:
You have downloaded copies of all the ebook content you've purchased through Mobipocket. Please re-download any ebooks you need prior to October 31st.
You have activated all your Mobipocket CDROMs. You can activate CDROMs by clicking here."

I think I only ever bought one book from the actual Mobipocket.com web site, and trying to download that now just gives a server error.

But if you had used Mobipocket in the past, and you don't have current backups, it might be worth seeing if anything is recoverable from your account before the end of October.

GA Russell · 10-23-2016, 10:21 PM

I don't think I've read the word "mobipocket" since 2009!

Sweetpea · 10-24-2016, 02:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GA Russell

I don't think I've read the word "mobipocket" since 2009!

Looking at the site, that's about the last time it was updated too

I always bought via Fictionwise, and that one closed down long ago...

sadowski · 10-24-2016, 03:30 AM

I cannot even open my bookshelf since the browser thinks it is unsafe (the security certificate expired 2015)!

JSWolf · 10-24-2016, 09:58 AM

I've never bought from Mobipocket. But I did buy from Mobi format from Fictionwise and one other store (cannot remember the name but it is out of business) that only sold Mobi format.

chrisridd · 10-24-2016, 10:07 AM

That's one store that unsurprisingly hasn't done a deal to sell its customers to Kobo :-)

pdurrant · 10-24-2016, 10:12 AM

One would have thought they might have tried moving their customer libraries to the Kindle platform!

jswinden · 10-24-2016, 10:17 AM

I used Mobipocket and Fictionwise quite a bit many years ago when I read books on various PDAs. That was of course before the eInk reader and smartphone eras. I'm not sure how my eyes ever focused on words for very long on those old 160x160px square Palm Pilot screens, but I managed somehow. Then one day they introduced 320x320px color screens...woohooo! Obviously we have come a long way in the past 15 years. I just hope screen technology keeps improving to counterbalance that my old eyes keep degrading.

tovare · 10-24-2016, 12:18 PM

I thought it closed years ago. I read lots of books on my Nokia E62 from mobipocket.

Thanks for the heads up, I´ve got 10 books there it seems.

HarryT · 10-24-2016, 12:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I've never bought from Mobipocket. But I did buy from Mobi format from Fictionwise and one other store (cannot remember the name but it is out of business) that only sold Mobi format.

BooksOnBoard, perhaps?

JSWolf · 10-24-2016, 12:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

BooksOnBoard, perhaps?

I believe it was called PaperbackDigital. Theyonly sold Mobi format eBooks.

DaleDe · 10-24-2016, 04:52 PM

Is there anything on the site that we might need to archive. I already anticipated this and captured EBook HTML in our wiki for archive purposes.

Dale

pdurrant · 10-24-2016, 05:15 PM

That's a good point. There was certainly some info of interest there about the Mobipocket format and stuff.

Tarana · 10-24-2016, 10:49 PM

Gosh, I'd even forgotten I had an account there. Have my 15 books now.

crich70 · 10-24-2016, 11:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pdurrant

One would have thought they might have tried moving their customer libraries to the Kindle platform!

I agree. They should do that. I believe that Amazon owns it so it's not like it would be a big hardship for them to do. Note: I just looked it up. I had some 89 books from them (most were part of their Ultimate Classic Library collection).

10-23-2016, 06:31 AM	#1
pdurrant The Grand Mouse 高貴的老鼠 Posts: 72,435 Karma: 309060442 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Norfolk, England Device: Kindle Voyage	Mobipocket to officially close at last After being moribund for several years, Amazon is finally going to close Mobipocket.com at the end of October. The annoucnement on the Mobipocket home page reads: "The Mobipocket website & its services will be permanently shut down on Oct 31st, 2016. Prior to that date, please ensure: You have downloaded copies of all the ebook content you've purchased through Mobipocket. Please re-download any ebooks you need prior to October 31st. You have activated all your Mobipocket CDROMs. You can activate CDROMs by clicking here." I think I only ever bought one book from the actual Mobipocket.com web site, and trying to download that now just gives a server error. But if you had used Mobipocket in the past, and you don't have current backups, it might be worth seeing if anything is recoverable from your account before the end of October.

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10-23-2016, 10:21 PM	#2
GA Russell Bombers clinch first. Posts: 7,627 Karma: 31487351 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Raleigh, NC Device: Paperwhite, Kindles 10 & 4 and jetBook Lite	I don't think I've read the word "mobipocket" since 2009!

10-24-2016, 03:30 AM	#4
sadowski Connoisseur Posts: 84 Karma: 1142796 Join Date: Jul 2009 Device: Sony PRS 350, Kobo mini, PB mini	I cannot even open my bookshelf since the browser thinks it is unsafe (the security certificate expired 2015)!

10-24-2016, 09:58 AM	#5
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 76,305 Karma: 136006010 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	I've never bought from Mobipocket. But I did buy from Mobi format from Fictionwise and one other store (cannot remember the name but it is out of business) that only sold Mobi format.

10-24-2016, 10:07 AM	#6
chrisridd Guru Posts: 973 Karma: 2209358 Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: London, UK Device: Kobo Aura, Kobo Aura ONE, PocketBook InkPad Color 3	That's one store that unsurprisingly hasn't done a deal to sell its customers to Kobo :-)

10-24-2016, 10:12 AM	#7
pdurrant The Grand Mouse 高貴的老鼠 Posts: 72,435 Karma: 309060442 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Norfolk, England Device: Kindle Voyage	One would have thought they might have tried moving their customer libraries to the Kindle platform!

10-24-2016, 10:17 AM	#8
jswinden Nameless Being	I used Mobipocket and Fictionwise quite a bit many years ago when I read books on various PDAs. That was of course before the eInk reader and smartphone eras. I'm not sure how my eyes ever focused on words for very long on those old 160x160px square Palm Pilot screens, but I managed somehow. Then one day they introduced 320x320px color screens...woohooo! Obviously we have come a long way in the past 15 years. I just hope screen technology keeps improving to counterbalance that my old eyes keep degrading.

10-24-2016, 12:18 PM	#9
tovare Addict Posts: 221 Karma: 1133312 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Oslo/Norway Device: PRS-600, Kindle kb Wifi, new Kindle NT, PW2, Kindle Oasis	I thought it closed years ago. I read lots of books on my Nokia E62 from mobipocket. Thanks for the heads up, I´ve got 10 books there it seems.

10-24-2016, 04:52 PM	#12
DaleDe Grand Sorcerer Posts: 11,470 Karma: 13095790 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Grass Valley, CA Device: EB 1150, EZ Reader, Literati, iPad 2 & Air 2, iPhone 7	Is there anything on the site that we might need to archive. I already anticipated this and captured EBook HTML in our wiki for archive purposes. Dale

10-24-2016, 05:15 PM	#13
pdurrant The Grand Mouse 高貴的老鼠 Posts: 72,435 Karma: 309060442 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Norfolk, England Device: Kindle Voyage	That's a good point. There was certainly some info of interest there about the Mobipocket format and stuff.

10-24-2016, 10:49 PM	#14
Tarana Wizard Posts: 4,007 Karma: 38840460 Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Minneapolis Device: PWSE, Voyage, K3, HDX, KBasic 7 & 8, Nook Glo3, Echos, Nanos	Gosh, I'd even forgotten I had an account there. Have my 15 books now.

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