Now that Apple has put into effect its plans to include movie rentals and HD videosin the iTunes Store, what would be the next logical step for them to follow? Okay, let’s see — they have music, audiobooks, podcasts, TV shows, movies, rentals… eBooks?
Actually, the idea isn’t too farfetched. Apple already has portable players with bigger screens, such as the iPhone and iPod touch. While some may prefer bigger screens (maybe remedied with that rumored tablet Mac), actually, the idea has been successful in these devices right now. Yes, if you have a jailbroken iPhone or iPod touch, you may have heard of the eBook reader — Books. The program itself is well built, has adjustable settings, is user-friendly — but most importantly, works.
Got a Palm? Do you remember how those eBooks looked when viewed on the little device? Not much customization was available, and the screen definitely didn’t have the same quality as Apple’s. Still, to some extent, the idea worked there… why can’t it work with the current Apple devices?
The Amazon factor. The Kindle was received well enough for it to be sold out during the holidays. In fact, as of publication date of this post, it remains sold out. Not bad for a $400 reader, huh? And then again, it’s no secret that there must be some sort of rivalry going on between Amazon and Apple — just look how quickly Apple followed Amazon in adding 99 cent, DRM-free, music downloads . Will Apple try and keep up with their media dominance, somehow?
The upcoming developers factor. With the iPhone/touch SDK scheduled to reach the hands of developers sometime this month, how long will it take before someone releases an “official” eBook reader? Maybe an official Books port? And after that, how will it take for Apple step in and do what it does best: sell?
Galley on February 4th, 2008 at 8:13 am says:
Documents looked great on a 320 x 480 Palm, when converted with RepliGo.
Frank on February 4th, 2008 at 10:51 am says:
Ah, that’s another feature that’s due to be very popular when developers get working on it — mobile docs. Not just eBooks.
Ebook reader news : Ebook success: Guide to writing, marketing, delivering and selling your ebook on February 4th, 2008 at 11:25 pm says:
[...] Are eBooks next for the iTunes Store? By Frank With the iPhone/touch SDK scheduled to reach the hands of developers sometime this month, how long will it take before someone releases an “official” eBook reader? Maybe an official Books port? And after that, how will it take for Apple … [...]
Wolfie on February 9th, 2008 at 4:10 pm says:
I’ve been using my Palm (and now my Treo) for six years specifically for ebooks. Until Apple has a generic ebook facility as good as that on the Palm, I will not consider an i-anything (and this from a rabid Mac enthusiast.)
Jacek Artymiak on July 6th, 2008 at 6:28 pm says:
You can read PDFs on the iPhone and iPod Touch. Sure, it would be nice the buy them via the iTunes store, but there are various ways of delivering them to those devices. And even charging for that.