E-Books present several problems for me.
I like to read and then pass the books on
to family & friends. Anyone can read
them without needing equipment in the
proper format.
I also keep books around to be read later.
I'll reread them from time to time and they
will still be around when my grandkids are
old enough to enjoy them - without
regards to what format they are in.
Then there is the enjoyment of finding
new writers at a good price. Major
booksellers have bargain sections that are
basically warehouse clearances. For $4 to
$6 you can pick up a new writer and give
them a try. if you like them you'll buy
more - if not then give it tot eh local
library.
I'm old enough to enjoy sitting down with
a book - not starting at another display. I
don't have to worry about the battery
running down, I can take it with me while
I wait at the doctors office, or waiting to
pick up the grandkids from school.
Apple may et seriously into selling books
through iTunes, but I don't see it being a
smashing success, especially on a long
term basis.
With Tribune Company’s announcement yesterday that it is seeking bankruptcy protection it’s hard to find much good news in the world of print publishing these days. One glimmer of hope is the migration of traditional media from atoms to bits.
The combination of rising cost and the worldwide economic slowdown are forcing print publishers to find ways to reduce expenses and many are re-inventing themselves as digital publishers. Two major book publishers recently announced mobile phone initiatives as part of the transition to a digital future.
Penguin Group USA has launched Penguin Mobile (iTunes) a free iPhone application which enables users to read about new releases from the company and listen to the Penguin Podcast. Unfortunately the application falls short of being able to download and read full books, instead you’ll have to settle for downloading chapter excerpts of select titles.
Random House Publishing Group jumped on the digital bandwagon yesterday making several book titles available for free on the iPhone, including works by Alan Furst and Arthur Phillips. The free books are available for download from within Stanza (iTunes) the free eBook reader application for the iPhone.
The AP reports that HarperCollins, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and Simon & Schuster also offer digital book downloads to mobile phones.
With the handwriting on the wall for traditional ink and paper publishers it’s surprising that Apple hasn’t made an effort to capitalize on the digital book market. Especially given the surprising success of the Amazon Kindle.
It would be trivial for Apple to add a “books” category to iTunes and perhaps buy/or license Stanza and roll it into iTunes. The hard part would licensing the content from the publishers, but if Apple did it with the music labels the book publishers should be easy by comparison.
Apple should spend some of its vast resources on building out the nascent eBook market. It needs to swoop in and rescue the print publishers like they did the record industry – which had one foot in the grave before iTunes arrived on the scene.
