Everyone's talking about the new IPAD, and its potential for revolutionizing how people get books - and/or - how it's going to destroy publishing. Forever!
Well, be that as it may, I am a starving artist, so I will not be buying one of those doohickeys. I like books, the real kind.
That doesn't mean you shouldn't think about getting yourself an IPAD. In the video below, see how Satan's Helper (Iggy) investigates the entertainment potential of the new technology.
Yes I would so not be letting my cat near one of those if i'd forked out for it!
ReplyDeleteI like books. Realy books. I want one to hold and touch and occaisionally eat :-P.
I dont want some hard cold piece of plastic, it won't smell or feel right.
And what about reading in the bath? You would be too terrified of dropping the damn thing in there!
Uh that was 'typo'....
ReplyDeleteI'm going to bed now......
That was 'real' books.
ReplyDeleteSorry, tpyo queen, i'm kindda stupid tonight. ;O
LOL! No posting at 2am for you, silly girl.
ReplyDeleteYou can always delete them and fix them... just sayin'. *muah*
Honestly, I'm a pretty huge proponent of technology. I'm fairly certain that the Apple iPad will do well simply by virtue of the Apple branding. One thing that Apple does really well is having an intuitive interface that is user friendly contained within a device that most would consider aesthetically pleasing. The downside is that Apple recognizes this, and they charge a premium for the branding alone while usually having less features than their competition (Given a choice between a Microsoft Zune HD and an Apple i-Pod Touch, I'd much rather have the Zune HD).
ReplyDeleteI've talked to a friend who is even more of a technophile than I am, and her view is that for similar money, you could buy an Asus Tablet style PC with far more features than the iPad. But when you put it in comparison to other e-Book readers such as the Amazon Kindle or Barnes and Noble Nook, the iPad becomes very attractive as a media interface.
I prefer reading physical books. You lose a bit of the tactile sensation you get from having a novel that you can page through with your fingers. But one area I give a huge advantage to e-Book readers is in their portability. You can easily take a personal library of 100+ books with you on vacation or on a trip in the digital format. It's far less practical to do with paperbacks (let alone hardbacks!). Although, like Raine, I would not want to drop an iPad into the bathtub. I probably would not want to drop a book I'm reading in the bathtub either, but I'd much rather have a ruined book than an electrocuted me.
I don't think it's going to destroy publishing either. There will always be a place for physical media and products. In my ideal world, there is a place for both physical and digital media. But the "traditional" form of publishing is not one that inherently favors the author very much. The percentage of a book's retail sale that actually goes to the author in royalties is ridiculously low. The money seems to come from optioning of intellectual property and merchandising. I remember reading about a NY Times Bestselling author who wrote roughly one book a year making a gross income of $20,000 to $30,000 in that timeframe, which while not bad, is still not a large amount when also supporting a family.
I agree with you, Brian. I used to DJ and Apple's ITunes is what I use to maintain my digital music list now for personal use. Apple is talented at user friendly interfaces.
ReplyDeleteI see the potential for the IPad, and maybe down the line I'll pick up something less expensive, as I do have some digital files - including my own - that would be nice to have more portability and options with.
But, yes, overall I prefer, as you put it, the tactile sensation of handling a book.
While digital media certainly had its impact upon music, and that's where the "fright" is coming from - books are a totally different style of entertainment and require much more time investment to enjoy, versus just putting a file in and hitting 'play'.
In all likelihood, digital media will broaden the opportunities for authors getting discovered and appropriate market saturation. If publishing is under threat, it's not because of digital technology, it's more likely due to ease of information via the internet. People can make much more informed choices now. Marketing and distribution has changed, but people who want a good book will still pay for them.
I have an iPad and I would never allow a cat near it! I cringed everytime those claws came out in the video.
ReplyDeleteI prefer physical books as well, however - technology is changing very fast. EBook sales have skyrocketed. I think the iPad will further the growth.
I agree with you, Alex. But it was funny to watch (wasn't MY Ipad, after all!)
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by.