Apple's iPad with the iBooks App
When Apple introduced the iPod in 2001 they set off a chain of events that would go on to change the music publishing business. Back then, CD sales were dropping and music files were available to download illegally from shady file sharing networks. Apple figured out a way to bridge that gap and give people a legal option to download the music that they wanted through the iTunes Store. This store has matured to the point that it may be responsible for one quarter of the worldwide music market by 2012.
With that in mind, Apple’s announcement of the iPad and their partnership with major publishers to provide electronic versions of books, magazines and newspapers makes for a host of intriguing possibilities. The device draws immediate comparisons to Amazon’s Kindle eBook reader. But unlike the Kindle, the iPad is not a simple uni-tasker, the color screen and robust processor allow it to play games, watch videos, surf the web and much more. To the tune of over 140,000 iPhone/iPod Touch applications available to download from the Tunes Store that will all run on the iPad right now.
While it is difficult to say how the iPad will affect the publishing business, and I personally have been very resistant to eBooks in favor of traditional analog tomes, Apple has a good record of targeting a new device to fit an underserved consumer need. After they introduced the iPhone in 2007 developers flocked to the platform creating new and innovative uses for the device. I expect the same kind of energy and vigor around the iPad. This device has something for every end of the equation.
Developers will be able to leverage their experience creating apps for the iPhone but will be able to take advantage of the larger screen and faster processor. End users will know that the device can be used for many different purposes making their dollar go further. Music and video providers have one more platform for their media. But what about book publishers?
The publishing industry seems to be in a similar position as the music business was more than a decade ago. Creating, moving and selling a physical product is seeing diminishing returns. What will happen when ads for books are seen in the iTunes Store? New markets will be opened to publishers. Will teens looking to download the soundtrack to Twilight or New Moon then see related media and be able to easily download electronic versions of the Vampire Academy series? Will other sites reviewing books, ours included, be able to include a link to a novel so readers can download and start reading right away? This happens with music, movies and TV shows now. This can only help expand the potential market for authors and publishers while decreasing costs.
I look forward to testing out the iPad. The device has a ton of possibility, I might even make it through my first electronic book.
We have the Kindle, the Nook, Sony’s E-reader and now the iPad–plus the previews of all the new great things on the horizon. It has made for an interesting few months watching folks compare products, reading about publishers disputes with Amazon, and trying to figure out just how these e-books are going to fit into the mainstream book market. The debates have been endless, and I finally am finding myself interested in the business side of an industry. The iPad looks pretty awesome, just as the Nook looked so much better than the Kindle three months back, but this is still a new industry. Like you I am reluctant to move away from the physical copy, but as I learn more it seems that this is going to be the way the industry moves. There will always be people who want to hold a book, just as there are still those who have telephone landlines, write checks, and drop off letters at the post office, but eventually most people are going to be swayed by the convenience of the electronic reader. For now I am just going to let the product become fully developed, the kinks work themselves out, and let the publishers and distributors hash out their differences before I make a decision on what to buy.
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This post was mentioned on Twitter by paulvaughnmac: Will Apple’s #iPad shake up the publishing industry just like the iPod revolutionized music? I think so. http://trim.li/nk/1cIg...