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iPad Mini Event Said to Focus on iBooks
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There's a lot of people out there who would rather spend a week laying on a beach relaxing somewhere instead of upgrading their iPhone 4s to an iPhone 5.
Scary, but it's true.
Likely Apple will not allow apps to run on the mini unless they are specifically designed for the mini. That would be a brilliant move by Apple, because people will have to buy all of their current apps a second time.
Of course, Apple will state that they are doing so for the benefit of consumers, because they will have a superior user experience with apps that are designed specifically for the small screen.
Apple is masterful at siphoning up money and getting its users to argue that supplying high profit margins is the best way for them to enjoy their new stuff.
Apple is a brilliant, innovative company who can endow ordinary people with good taste. They can easily acquire good taste by giving money to the hedge funds and other institutional investors who own Apple. It is a win/win.
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I take it from your comments that you never were allowed to hang out with the cool kids in school. But now, you can be part of the cream of the crop by buying Apple products instead of the tasteless crap produced by Amazon.
It is your choice what sort of a person you want to be. The mini will be a low-priced way to gain some much-needed self esteem for otherwise ordinary schlubs. If you want to continue to brand yourself as a loser, then buy a Kindle. If you want to hobnob with the elite, the iPad is the way to go.
Just sayin'.
I think Apple is taking a longer view on this. They may not be able to compete with Amazon on books today, but if they can get the "Mini" in the hands of millions of young school kids, loaded with text books, then they have created a new generation of consumers who will be buying Apple products for years to come.
Your average adult may not need one but if they can create a standard for school use then everything else will follow.
Your average adult may not need one but if they can create a standard for school use then everything else will follow.
If the rumors are true and it has no retina display, I'll be extremely disappointed in Apple. Basically it will have taken all this time to bring something to market that has been available for over 2 with the nook, kindle and other android based devices. I'm REALLY hoping I'm wrong.
Or a second hand market for that matter. (this is most certainly factored into the cost of a physical book)
Apple could be more competitive. For instance, by releasing desktop iBooks apps.
There's not much else they can do - they've given authors great tools and a framework for creating next-gen eBooks. The publishers set the prices.
They could perhaps do something like the lending library, but it all depends on publishers and their demands. Perhaps an iTunes-Match like model with a subscription fee being split between publishers would work. They could also try and use publisher resistance to Amazon by having them print unique barcodes in each paper copy which could be used for redeeming an iBook copy (similar to digital copy for movies). Perhaps it could be on a leaflet inside the book (so bookstores could remove them from display copies), and could be snapped with an iPhone camera.
Check a weather forecast sometime. If people here aren't outside in summer it's because of a heat alert.
And why would you assume I haven't traveled? It's Americans who are known for not even having passports.
Do you realize how much sense your entire post does not make? Or do you always think that highly of yourself?
We are all carried over by the comparison's to Kindle and Nook and Nexus etc and then Eddie Cue adds fuel to the fire by saying how he would love to READ something on that small device.
This is just a marketing ploy to negate the effects of how Amazon has always promoted its products.
"A Reader FIRST and then OTHER things"... After all they are the iTunes of Books.
Behind the haze of marketing jargons and excitement the real intention of Apple I think is the price point. If they can persuade all the people who are willing to pay no more than say $299.00 and were thinking about the Nexus/Kindle, then hey we got you covered.
So now what about the so called "Reading Experience"? Will we have an iBooks app for Mac/Windows so that we can buy once and read anywhere?
If Apple decided to write iTunes for windows (Of course after Steve Jobs said he might as well rot in hell or something, rather than write it for Windows).. What is stopping it from doing the same for iBooks?
Its just a play of words on it being a cheaper iPad, thats all. Which I understand appeals to a large section of people for its price, size and portability.
No universal iBooks app, any talk about it being a reading device is BS.
Unless Apple in stealth mode wants to promote Amazon's Kindle app.
This is just a marketing ploy to negate the effects of how Amazon has always promoted its products.
"A Reader FIRST and then OTHER things"... After all they are the iTunes of Books.
Behind the haze of marketing jargons and excitement the real intention of Apple I think is the price point. If they can persuade all the people who are willing to pay no more than say $299.00 and were thinking about the Nexus/Kindle, then hey we got you covered.
So now what about the so called "Reading Experience"? Will we have an iBooks app for Mac/Windows so that we can buy once and read anywhere?
If Apple decided to write iTunes for windows (Of course after Steve Jobs said he might as well rot in hell or something, rather than write it for Windows).. What is stopping it from doing the same for iBooks?
Its just a play of words on it being a cheaper iPad, thats all. Which I understand appeals to a large section of people for its price, size and portability.
No universal iBooks app, any talk about it being a reading device is BS.
Unless Apple in stealth mode wants to promote Amazon's Kindle app.
Plus storage costs, costs of unsold copies, copies that go missing. Fewer sales because of copies being given away or sold at used book stores.
I just don't understand the people who think prices should be equal.
No. But I saw what a me-too attitude did to Apple in the 90s. A smaller iPad does NOT FIT in a lineup composed of a bigger/ideally-sized iPad, a 4-inch iPhone and a revamped iPod Touch.
Unless Apple is going for the pure ebook reader market (i.e., with an Apple-branded, sunlight-compatible reader), this is UTTER NONSENSE market-wise. I can only hope the rumors are all wrong.
Pretty much the only reason iTunes was ported to the PC was to expand the market for the iPod and later devices. Apple mostly makes money from hardware sales. Their software and media services basically exist to sell more hardware.
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i dont want things to change for the heck of it. i actually think that there is a huge amount of room for improvement in books as we know them.
The $299 rumor. And gaming.
The non-tech media says that the "iPad mini" will go for $299. I was hoping for $199 to $249, but we'll see. There is a small chance that Apple has intentionally leaked the $299 number and is actually planning a lower price. The way Apple most likely leaked the $999 price for the original iPad before they announced its unexpectedly low $499 price.
Setting public expectation at $299 then announcing a lower price would generate some positive publicity and make the purchase decision easier. To consumers, it will subjectively feel like the iPad mini is "on sale" at $249 instead of the expected $299.
But objectively, a $199 - $249 price range makes no sense. The counter-argument is the iPod touch price. How could Apple justify selling a 7" to 8" iPad mini for $249 when the cheapest iPod touch is $299? Yes, Apple could drop the price of the iPod touch, but that would anger people who bought it during October at the full $299 price. Apple has already done that with the first iPhone and they took heat for it.
And although Apple may well focus on iBooks and reading during the iPad mini event, the 800 lb. gorilla in the room will be the iPad mini's game playing ability. iPad mini could threaten the Nintendo 3DS / 3DS XL and Sony PS Vita. The 3DS XL goes for $220 and the Vita for $250, and no child or parent has any illusion about using them for reading ebooks. The iPad mini's extra screen size and functionality, as a full post-PC device, is the value add that could justify a $299 price.
Apple may be targeting the iPad mini more towards younger users. But it's the parents who will do the buying for their kids. Kids will want it for its "funness." Parents can justify purchasing it for its post-PC functionality.
The non-tech media says that the "iPad mini" will go for $299. I was hoping for $199 to $249, but we'll see. There is a small chance that Apple has intentionally leaked the $299 number and is actually planning a lower price. The way Apple most likely leaked the $999 price for the original iPad before they announced its unexpectedly low $499 price.
Setting public expectation at $299 then announcing a lower price would generate some positive publicity and make the purchase decision easier. To consumers, it will subjectively feel like the iPad mini is "on sale" at $249 instead of the expected $299.
But objectively, a $199 - $249 price range makes no sense. The counter-argument is the iPod touch price. How could Apple justify selling a 7" to 8" iPad mini for $249 when the cheapest iPod touch is $299? Yes, Apple could drop the price of the iPod touch, but that would anger people who bought it during October at the full $299 price. Apple has already done that with the first iPhone and they took heat for it.
And although Apple may well focus on iBooks and reading during the iPad mini event, the 800 lb. gorilla in the room will be the iPad mini's game playing ability. iPad mini could threaten the Nintendo 3DS / 3DS XL and Sony PS Vita. The 3DS XL goes for $220 and the Vita for $250, and no child or parent has any illusion about using them for reading ebooks. The iPad mini's extra screen size and functionality, as a full post-PC device, is the value add that could justify a $299 price.
Apple may be targeting the iPad mini more towards younger users. But it's the parents who will do the buying for their kids. Kids will want it for its "funness." Parents can justify purchasing it for its post-PC functionality.
first things first, thanks for asking before attacking me.
and the biggest issue i have with modern books is the spine. from an end user standpoint the spine of a book is so weak and is one part of the book that doesn't belong with it.
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now that would be cool, but i think that there is the very real possibility for active and interactive text.
iBooks a ripoff vs Kindle books
All very well to focus on books, but in my experience iBooks are far more expensive than their Kindle counterparts.
I'm currently using the Big Nerd Ranch Objective C book which was a massive 57% more expensive to buy in iBook format than Kindle format from Amazon. I have the Kindle app installed on both my Macbook Pro & iPhone.
Although it doesn't have much bearing on the platform itself, Apple should address this so customers don't have to step outside their ecosystem for a good price on the media itself or even consider alternative platforms should they become an attractive proposition in their own right.
All very well to focus on books, but in my experience iBooks are far more expensive than their Kindle counterparts.
I'm currently using the Big Nerd Ranch Objective C book which was a massive 57% more expensive to buy in iBook format than Kindle format from Amazon. I have the Kindle app installed on both my Macbook Pro & iPhone.
Although it doesn't have much bearing on the platform itself, Apple should address this so customers don't have to step outside their ecosystem for a good price on the media itself or even consider alternative platforms should they become an attractive proposition in their own right.
The Officers of the Board and Steve Jobs himself found Facebook compelling enough to integrate into iOS and Mac and tried to get Facebook on Ping. Steve Jobs expressed admiration for the Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg, for not selling out and dominating the social networking space as well. Fire all of them?
I don't have a problem with Facebook per se -- if people want to waste their life playing Farmville and posting cat pictures while detailed information about their private lives is being analyzed and marketed to, that's their business. I would be okay with these Share buttons everywhere if Apple allowed users to add any social networking service they want. But that's not how it's going; Apple is re-enforcing Facebook's and Twitter's dominance of social networking by only integrating those two services and placing a competitive barrier there for all other companies. It's bad for users and it's bad for innovation.
And I have doubts that Jobs instigated FB and Twitter integration into iOS/OS X. He wasn't really very involved in the company in the last year or so of his life. He probably knew it was happening, but did he recommend it? I think after Google he would have been very skeptical of getting into more exclusive agreements with potential competitors.
Just curious how Apple can force anyone to do anything? I have a 3rd gen iPad and have zero plans to purchase a smaller iPad. Though I think it will make a great Christmas gift for my parents who don't have an iPad. In what scenario will either of us be forced to own both devices?
I don't think highly of myself. But Apple can certainly elevate people by providing to them the products that WILL elevate one in social status.
People who buy Apple products demonstrate their elevated social status and their good taste.
Reading, not just by the pool.
To all those who think you can only read properly on eink: reading is not just something you do by the pool. Reading is done everywhere in all kinds of ways. Reading is also done by:
- Students in class
- Staff in shops/showrooms/etc. (10" iPads do look a bit odd on Apple Store staff, don't you think?)
- Quick PDA-like devices in companies to check for meetings, notes, .etc while on the go
- Mechanics and workers checking instructions and procedures
Don't just think of it as an ereader, think of it has the modern PDA. For some people (especially in business), the transition from PDA's to smartphones never really worked. The iPad Mini will fill that gap.
Normal iPad: great for in house, on the couch, in bed, travel, etc.
iPad Mini: for people who use it all day every where
If you want to read on the beach or by the pool, get a cheap Kindle, Apple has nothing to offer you. However, if you want to do anything more than reading (quick document switching, taking notes, browsing, whatever), eink devices are useless.
The iPad Mini will be huge, I'm a 100% sure.
To all those who think you can only read properly on eink: reading is not just something you do by the pool. Reading is done everywhere in all kinds of ways. Reading is also done by:
- Students in class
- Staff in shops/showrooms/etc. (10" iPads do look a bit odd on Apple Store staff, don't you think?)
- Quick PDA-like devices in companies to check for meetings, notes, .etc while on the go
- Mechanics and workers checking instructions and procedures
Don't just think of it as an ereader, think of it has the modern PDA. For some people (especially in business), the transition from PDA's to smartphones never really worked. The iPad Mini will fill that gap.
Normal iPad: great for in house, on the couch, in bed, travel, etc.
iPad Mini: for people who use it all day every where
If you want to read on the beach or by the pool, get a cheap Kindle, Apple has nothing to offer you. However, if you want to do anything more than reading (quick document switching, taking notes, browsing, whatever), eink devices are useless.
The iPad Mini will be huge, I'm a 100% sure.
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