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Apple to Launch 'Garageband for e-books' on Thursday? [Updated]
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It Will Be Interesting, but why Guggenheim for Books?
Part of my is curious, and part of me could not care less.
There is definitely a need for changes to the textbook market, but I doubt very much if this would hurt Amazon in any significant way since most students are expected to purchase books through the campus store. Textbooks usually come in strange packages that include notes and codes and all manner of things that do not exist on the Amazon store. We get a small number of students who buy their book on Amazon (or rent) and then get a nasty shock because they now need to pay full price for the other parts and end up paying more in the end.
The current problem with eBooks is that they are mostly just PDF files that the company slaps a charge on along with a time limit. They are frequently tied to a device and not all devices support the different technologies. Right now, as iPad users, we are in the position of market share majority, but we do need to think about students who do not have iPads. Looking around my campus, this is the vast majority of them. Most of our students still prefer a laptop because you really can't do serious science and engineering on an iPad. They certainly cannot do homework because most online homework uses Flash.
What is it about the Guggenheim that makes people think this is about textbooks? Perhaps if it was at the Gutenberg museum, I could understand that, but the Guggenheim is about Art. Including some seriously freaky modern and contemporary work! It is not the first place I would think of for books.
Part of my is curious, and part of me could not care less.
There is definitely a need for changes to the textbook market, but I doubt very much if this would hurt Amazon in any significant way since most students are expected to purchase books through the campus store. Textbooks usually come in strange packages that include notes and codes and all manner of things that do not exist on the Amazon store. We get a small number of students who buy their book on Amazon (or rent) and then get a nasty shock because they now need to pay full price for the other parts and end up paying more in the end.
The current problem with eBooks is that they are mostly just PDF files that the company slaps a charge on along with a time limit. They are frequently tied to a device and not all devices support the different technologies. Right now, as iPad users, we are in the position of market share majority, but we do need to think about students who do not have iPads. Looking around my campus, this is the vast majority of them. Most of our students still prefer a laptop because you really can't do serious science and engineering on an iPad. They certainly cannot do homework because most online homework uses Flash.
What is it about the Guggenheim that makes people think this is about textbooks? Perhaps if it was at the Gutenberg museum, I could understand that, but the Guggenheim is about Art. Including some seriously freaky modern and contemporary work! It is not the first place I would think of for books.
Yay!
The current state of ebooks is terrible. The industry is in need of a great set of software tools to make interesting and interactive books...I hope Apple makes it happen. Instead of an iWeb/Garageband type program though I would like for them to go professional-level instead. In order for the software to take off it'll need to be more than just a toy. I'll keep my fingers crossed.
The current state of ebooks is terrible. The industry is in need of a great set of software tools to make interesting and interactive books...I hope Apple makes it happen. Instead of an iWeb/Garageband type program though I would like for them to go professional-level instead. In order for the software to take off it'll need to be more than just a toy. I'll keep my fingers crossed.
Unless Apple wants to create a way to export and easly deliver annotations from one device to another it's going to fairly useless, as well as have them creatable/readable on actual computers, it's going to be a hard sell.
#1 problem, with iBooks and the ePub3 is there is no agreed upon method for dealing with annotations and Apple current system sucks great hairy ape... dangly parts... when it comes exporting and distributing annotations. If you say "so what, students should take thier own notes anyways," then you miss the point that TEACHERs (K-12) will have a hard time creating custom notes and clarifications to distribute to students that would be embedded in eTextbook.
There are many ways Apple can screw this up or make this excessively onerous.
#1 problem, with iBooks and the ePub3 is there is no agreed upon method for dealing with annotations and Apple current system sucks great hairy ape... dangly parts... when it comes exporting and distributing annotations. If you say "so what, students should take thier own notes anyways," then you miss the point that TEACHERs (K-12) will have a hard time creating custom notes and clarifications to distribute to students that would be embedded in eTextbook.
There are many ways Apple can screw this up or make this excessively onerous.
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I have my fingers crossed for an iBooks update that will allow you to put sticky notes on the pages of cookbooks and technical manuals similar to the notes feature that is available now for other books but that would allow you to put the note right on the page.
I have my fingers crossed for an iBooks update that will allow you to put sticky notes on the pages of cookbooks and technical manuals similar to the notes feature that is available now for other books but that would allow you to put the note right on the page.
That's already happening. Apple vets the books in the ibooks store same as all other iTunes. Which is why there's no porn in the ibooks store.
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Nothing. Everyone gets that the locale is likely just cause that's who had an open space.
it's the invite text 'lets talk education' that is making everyone say textbooks
I'm sure the tools and product will be great, but the real issue is how to bypass not the textbook publishers, but the 15th century Texas schoolboard that has a choke hold on the publishers, and insist on dumbing down the textbooks.
Find a way to make them irrelevant and we've got something.
Find a way to make them irrelevant and we've got something.
Absolutely nothing, and wouldent know how to wright a Remotly successful book if I tried lmao
This answer verges on self-parody.
Finally; maybe eTextbooks? Simple, light, and a potentially more functionality than a paper book in front of me. As someone said, even if they're just PDFs, at least it's the exact same as the book - it just won't take nearly as much physical space.
Upsides: no more tearing or bending pages, no damage to the cover, no worrying about getting them wet, no more permanent pen or pencil/eraser marks. Rentals may still be possible if they're implemented.
Downsides: no physical book to lend others, the need to be sure my iPad has a good charge for the day, and no way to return the book or sell it when I'm through.
I'd love to be able to carry my iPad in a nice, waterproof case. Instead of carrying half a dozen fairly heavy, fairly expensive textbooks to my final courses at my university, I'd love to just take my iPad and go.
Upsides: no more tearing or bending pages, no damage to the cover, no worrying about getting them wet, no more permanent pen or pencil/eraser marks. Rentals may still be possible if they're implemented.
Downsides: no physical book to lend others, the need to be sure my iPad has a good charge for the day, and no way to return the book or sell it when I'm through.
I'd love to be able to carry my iPad in a nice, waterproof case. Instead of carrying half a dozen fairly heavy, fairly expensive textbooks to my final courses at my university, I'd love to just take my iPad and go.
re original article
this so called "event"
yup = "overhyped"
yawn
wake me up when the next aapl event steps up
this so called "event"
yup = "overhyped"
yawn
wake me up when the next aapl event steps up
Endless Possibilities
If the announcement is a way for the creation of an electronic textbook, then it could completely change the way students interact too.
What if the textbook had a way to create social groups within the class and share schedules, etc.
Here is a great hypothesis of all the possibilities http://www.mactrast.com/2012/01/app...nce-new-e-book-tool-at-thursdays-media-event/
If the announcement is a way for the creation of an electronic textbook, then it could completely change the way students interact too.
What if the textbook had a way to create social groups within the class and share schedules, etc.
Here is a great hypothesis of all the possibilities http://www.mactrast.com/2012/01/app...nce-new-e-book-tool-at-thursdays-media-event/
Oh I see. Well, I'll take your word for it then. You obviously have great insight into the situation. Nevermind the hard facts that we know he actually WAS intimately involved with projects, on an extreme micro level, based on dozens upon dozens of quotes and anecdotes from Apple employees, etc. SO no, you're wrong about 'taste' being the only differentiator between jobs and any other manager. His intimate, hands on involvement in every aspect of Apple, from hardware, to software, to retail, to marketing, etc is what set him apart and made Apple what it is. There's dozens of anecdotes about CEOs being in awe of the level of involvement of every aspect of his company.
No, but you're right. He probably just stepped in the room once and told them it 'sucked'. I'm sure that's how he managed to to make Apple what it is today.
My first thought: Great idea!
My second thought: I'm surprised apple didn't launch something like this sooner.
Makes great sense to have an ebook publishing app designed to integrate with the iBookstore. I have always felt the publishing world could be much more open and that ebooks would eventually get us there.
Textbooks is a great development. Most of the writers are free-lancers hired by the publishing company. And they make fractions of percents of the book price. Could be very good for them in the long run. Allowing them do do better financially and making them more competitive, thus yielding better texts.
My second thought: I'm surprised apple didn't launch something like this sooner.
Makes great sense to have an ebook publishing app designed to integrate with the iBookstore. I have always felt the publishing world could be much more open and that ebooks would eventually get us there.
Textbooks is a great development. Most of the writers are free-lancers hired by the publishing company. And they make fractions of percents of the book price. Could be very good for them in the long run. Allowing them do do better financially and making them more competitive, thus yielding better texts.
MacInnis also mentioned GarageBand in our interview. But what he was describing was a sample iPad textbook, produced in-house and packed with pedological bells and whistles, that would serve as a reference design for textbook publishers, much in the way GarageBand for the iPad showed iOS developers what the new platform could do.
So Fortune magazine doesn't know that the word is "pedagogical" not "pedalogical". AND it took over 60 comments before someone responded to this? Wow, this country gets dumber everyday. Let's hope there are some new textbooks to address this.
So Fortune magazine doesn't know that the word is "pedagogical" not "pedalogical". AND it took over 60 comments before someone responded to this? Wow, this country gets dumber everyday. Let's hope there are some new textbooks to address this.
I obtained one ebook where certain accented characters (particularly ones found in Polish) have been inserted into the document as bit-mapped images, instead of using the correct HTML or Unicode. Horrible!
Another feature the index straight from the paperback edition, including page numbers.
Yes, and some to address your spelling too.
Seriously, I'm amazed that even bothers you.
Garageband for eBooks = Vook
All,
I'm Matt from Vook -- we've been in digital publishing for two years, hard at work on learning everything about eBooks, distributors, file types and enhancements. We've produced over 800 titles and worked with most of the major publishers.
AND we're very very shortly releasing (it's in closed beta now) a "Garageband" style Web based application for eBooks, which makes it easy to create, style, enhance, review, publish and then distribute eBooks for all the major markets.
We're excited to see what Apple is going to release -- they've been real innovators in the space -- but you should check out our platform -- which will soon be going live. You can write me at Matthew@vook.com for more or sign up for more info at Vook.com.
Thanks!
M
All,
I'm Matt from Vook -- we've been in digital publishing for two years, hard at work on learning everything about eBooks, distributors, file types and enhancements. We've produced over 800 titles and worked with most of the major publishers.
AND we're very very shortly releasing (it's in closed beta now) a "Garageband" style Web based application for eBooks, which makes it easy to create, style, enhance, review, publish and then distribute eBooks for all the major markets.
We're excited to see what Apple is going to release -- they've been real innovators in the space -- but you should check out our platform -- which will soon be going live. You can write me at Matthew@vook.com for more or sign up for more info at Vook.com.
Thanks!
M
I feel very relieved that for once in my life I had a need for software before it existed. Finally, I can focus on content instead of code.
I'm a teacher. I've self-published for Kindle and iBooks. If I can do it, anyone can. And that was before Pages '09 got the update to export to .epub.
This new software is not a boom for publishers to get rich, btw. This is a boom for teachers to customize their curriculum. Very few of us only use textbooks. Most of us create more materials than we purchase. So no, you won't get rich because you can finally avoid coding your ebooks.
I'm a teacher. I've self-published for Kindle and iBooks. If I can do it, anyone can. And that was before Pages '09 got the update to export to .epub.
This new software is not a boom for publishers to get rich, btw. This is a boom for teachers to customize their curriculum. Very few of us only use textbooks. Most of us create more materials than we purchase. So no, you won't get rich because you can finally avoid coding your ebooks.