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Apple's Focus on Content and Possible eBook Pricing

If this is the focus of the product, I think they should fold iphoto into itunes too and release a new iWall.

"apple has always innovated with artists and now we're taking the visual arts into the 21st by completely replacing the walls in your house with drm infected LCD panels. We've made deals with all the top stock image houses so you can have literally... tens of hundreds of high quality, apple approved, stock image files for you to choose from and we only take 15 cents on the dollar! We're working on a deal with the Magritte estate.

Finally you can stop pirating images with google image search and the mc escher and van gogh estate have sustainable profitable models.

the iWall is extremely high resolution so if you have high quality images you want to display there's no more of that decade old drag and drop process. It's no simpler than authorizing your computer, copying your 20 gig raw file into the itunes library, syncing your iWall with our proprietary 200 dollar usb cable, and touch the home button. It's just works!"
 
We will probably see e-ink in the next generations as the technology improves, for me this is more of a start up gadget creating a way of selling media via a upgraded app store. No apps, poor number of choices, no e-ink? Not for me, at least not now.

Go go guinea apple fan boy pig, this one is for you!
 
Ask not what your tablet can do for you - ask what you can do for your tablet!
 
Ya know the funny thing about that is it just struck me that someone is going to make an accessory so that people can power it and hang it on a wall like a painting.
 
What frightens me

I have this frightening vision, in which every manufacturer of an e-book reading device scrambles to assemble his own library of titles by cutting his own deals with publishers. The result is that the market becomes horribly fragmented, so that if you want to read Smith's book you have to use one reader, but if you want to read Jones' book you need another. I might be able to one afford of these devices, but I can't afford a whole bunch of them, and I don't want to have to lug them around with me in a suitcase. I like the idea of an Apple tablet because every other e-book reader on the market is a one-trick pony and it makes better economic sense to buy a multi-purpose device. But still and all, I'm not going to invest in any of them until the overall e-book market shakes out and I have a far better understanding of what I'm getting involved with.
 
One word reaction: Expensive.

There's absolutely no way I'm going to pay more for an electronic copy (which costs virtually nothing to produce and distribute) than I am for a physical copy. Not only that, but it needs to be a lot cheaper than a physical copy if I'm going to be tied into a platform.
 
The new iPad better have some AWESOME battery life.. if it is to be used as a textbook replacement.
 
MacRumors said:
...
Apple is reportedly looking to set hardcover best sellers at $12.99 and $14.99, above Amazon's current $9.99 pricing...
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Pricey. I guess I can always wait and download the softcover for less. ;)
 
tomjleeds said:
One word reaction: Expensive.

There's absolutely no way I'm going to pay more for an electronic copy (which costs virtually nothing to produce and distribute) than I am for a physical copy. Not only that, but it needs to be a lot cheaper than a physical copy if I'm going to be tied into a platform.
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The big thing is dat Apple lets them sell it at there own price, in the appstore this fueled the 99 cents craze we see today. We only need the ability to self-publish and receive 70% of the revenue, the market will do the rest.
 
tibi08 said:
The hardware might not turn it to be so innovative (we will see). But the software sure as hell will be, won't it?
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I believe Apple will have discovered a way in which we interact with the device that will be very innovative. And that will be the hook. I'm not sure I believe that the device will be able to do nearly anywhere close to what I want it to, so that's the disappointment. Will the ease of use, bigger screen, and portability make up for the fact that it probably won't be much more than a bigger iPod? That's where the price comes into play. If it's like $799 for that, forget it.
 
Jelite said:
I think he's right, anyone expecting the "jesus tablet" is going to be dissapointed.
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What's sad is I think they actually had the potential to get a lot closer to such a device than what they're really going to deliver.
 
I guess the big detail I'm holding my breath on is the screen technology. Does Apple have a readable screen or is Steve going to try and convince us LCD/OLED is super comfortable for hours long reading?

As for book pricing $12 is fine IF it has no DRM and if it's a NEW book, only available in hardbound. But back catalog prices -- those in paperback -- need to take a huge price cut. Most paperbacks are $8 or so. I can't see paying more than $4-5 for an e-version.

Another issue I'm interested in seeing resolved is for publishers to guarantee same day publication of e-Books as their hardbound counterparts. A few publishers hold back e-Books to boost hard bound sales. That has to stop. They must give the two formats equal footing.
 
Welcome to the Next Generation

All along we knew that Content would drive this technology release.

This is the next chapter in the desktop, internet, ipod, iphone, evolution.
 
Truffy said:
I wonder if Mr Calacanis can spell 'NDA', or has his lawyer's number on speed dial?

That is if he isn't blowing it out his bum. I suspect he's blowing...
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Calacanis is a major player. He has zero incentive to blow it out his bum. That would only lower his standing in the tech community and get him blacklisted at Apple.

When he tweeted the info he specifically said he wasn't going to break NDA but he could give out a few facts. I suspect the info he gave out; that is printed in today's WSJ; that McGraw stated yesterday, are all facts that Apple authorized them to mention. They are minor details of the supposed "ground breaking" tablet. They don't really give anything away, only make people want to know more.


(http://twitter.com/Jason
 
Authors will finally be able to bypass Publishers...

by being their own publisher via the iTunes store.

They can concentrate on typesetting and writing in a small person outfit and start teaming up with other independent authors and produce more collaborative works, from all fields.
 
Which is something the kindle really sucks at. The way the kindle type sets books is horrendous.
 
mdriftmeyer said:
by being their own publisher via the iTunes store.

They can concentrate on typesetting and writing in a small person outfit and start teaming up with other independent authors and produce more collaborative works, from all fields.
Click to expand...

Yes and no. New authors will have a tough time getting noticed w/o a publisher unless they are super publicists too. So even if a big platform like iTunes is open to them, there is more they have to do to get people to read their works.
 
How this tablet sells is totally going to come down to price - as long as it's not too expensive, it absolutely will be a hit.

That said, it probably makes sense for Apple to set the initial price a bit on the high side. Early adopters will probably pay any price for it, and if it starts out at a mainstream price, they wouldn't be able to make them fast enough to keep up with demand.

So if it's on the high side, that keeps demand in check instead of having them sold out everywhere and people mad they can't get one. Once production ramps all the way up, prices drop and they sell piles of these things.

I'd say the sweet spot is probably $499, so they could conceivably launch at $699 and drop to $599 in the summer and $499 for the holidays for an absolutely huge year.
 
tomjleeds said:
One word reaction: Expensive.

There's absolutely no way I'm going to pay more for an electronic copy (which costs virtually nothing to produce and distribute) than I am for a physical copy.
Click to expand...

That is extremely shortsighted of you. Do you really think because they aren't printed on paper and bound that they're cheap to produce?!?! The same amount of layout, design, editing, publishing, advertising goes into book before it's EVEN printed on paper.

And given the possibility of multimedia content (say video/audio/interaction) could spell alot more creative R/D to go along with developing a new way of experiencing it.

tomjleeds said:
Not only that, but it needs to be a lot cheaper than a physical copy if I'm going to be tied into a platform.
Click to expand...

Now THIS is true... for you. ;)
 
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