Google is intending on getting involved in the audiobook sector and they will be selling them in the Play Store sometime in the next few months. Google will likely handle the playbook of the audio through their Play Books or Play Music app, but this has not confirmed. Play Music currently handles podcasts, but many people are unhappy with the playback controls. Google would need to really get serious about a proper audiobook playback mechanism that is able to handling playback speed and skipping.
Google is the last major holdout when it comes to selling digital audiobooks. Everyone from Barnes and Noble to Tunein have their own solutions. The one big advantage that Google has is Android Auto and if they were to introduce a better player for commuters, it could be a big deal. Android is all encompassing and a viable audiobook alternative may drive people to buy content directly through Google and not Audible.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
