The Future of iPads and E-books
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
We've all heard about iPads possibly replacing textbooks, magazines and newspapers, but columnist Matthew Ingram of Gigaom sees a future for children's books.
A company called Atomic Antelope recently created an iPhone application based on Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland. The application gives interactive features to the book's original text and illustrations.
Ingram wonders if this will become standard practice for e-books. Each book will have its own application and readers can choose whether to purchase it; just like books today, except virtual and more interactive.
The current price for the Alice in Wonderland app. is $8.99, similar to what the book's price would be in a normal bookstore. Many of the newly released books for the Kindle, an e-book competitor are $9.99; again, typical pricing for traditional books.
In light of the digitization of media, many newspapers, magazines and book publishers worry about making a profit. The development of apps. could help them maintain their income without losing content.
We should watch for book publishers hiring computer programmers and app. developers. The public likes interactive media, and if companies can make money from it, they will embrace it wholeheartedly.
2 comments:
What a great idea, the iPad for text books. Ok, the iPad does have a hefty up front cost, but so do text books. One semester of books could about pay for it.
The convience of not having to carry a general book,a text book, the newspaper, and your favorite magazine around in your bag would be a benefit.
What a great marketing scheme, "Dont hurt your back or shoulders carrying that heavy load, condense everything into this small iPad. Save your back, buy an iPad."
I can see myself purchasing one as soon as I feel the kinks are worked out.
There is one good thing about iPads and E-books, it saves paper. Though their factories produce pollution, it is nice knowing that they are saving trees. I may be old fashioned, but I just can't imagine reading an electronic book to my child. It just seems odd, and even a little impersonal to me. Another thing is that I can't imagine reading a text book on something like an iPad. I think I would have a harder time concentrating.
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