An iPod e-book reader?

[ottocrat]

Very interesting rumour being reported by the Hindustan Times (via Macworld UK) - Link.

Apple seems set to introduce an iPod for books, a news report claims.

The Hindustan Times reckons Apple is developing a next-generation widescreen video iPod with a book-reading mode, designed to make print easy to read.

Apple has reportedly asked a number of the world's major publishing houses to commit their full libraries of books to their electronic archives. Customers will be able to download text versions of the world's bestsellers to the memory of their video iPods.

The implications are very significant for the e-book market though it would create an even bigger dilemma for me as I'm currently vacillating between buying a dedicated e-ink reader or using an iPhone as an e-reader! The devil will be in the details no doubt (assuming the rumour has legs...).

[Barcey]

Cringley is speculating about Apple's entry as well. He has it as a tablet PC though.

http://www.pbs.org/cringely/pulpit/2...07_003573.html

The fact that an iTablet could be a great e-book reader, too, is not a driving reason for such a device, I don't believe. But it's a nice capability. Read the book and watch the movie. Then watch Amazon's new Kindle go up in flames.

I personally think the publishers would be leary of Apple after the $0.99 song thing.

[Liviu_5]

Originally Posted by ottocrat

The implications are very significant for the e-book market though it would create an even bigger dilemma for me as I'm currently vacillating between buying a dedicated e-ink reader or using an iPhone as an e-reader! The devil will be in the details no doubt (assuming the rumour has legs...).

Use the iPhone, it's very, very nice as an ebook reader both for txt/html with Books (it's still not polished to Fbreader standards, hopefully it will be when they release officially the kit) and Safari for pdf's.

Just jailbreak, several quick installs, one quick modification in Apache to read files from the big partition not the small operating system one (2 lines modified), then for Windows there is Iphone Browser to transfer files directly from your pc and you are set.

It took me about an hour to set up my iTouch last week and since then I've read about 4 full pdf books and partially from several more , though for txt based books I still prefer my 770 by and large since Fbreader has more functionality and nicer fonts and colors than Books.

[JSWolf]

Liviu_5, do you know how to jailbreak an iPod Touch with firmware 1.1.2?

[ottocrat]

Originally Posted by Liviu_5

Use the iPhone, it's very, very nice as an ebook reader both for txt/html with Books (it's still not polished to Fbreader standards, hopefully it will be when they release officially the kit) and Safari for pdf's.

Thanks. Though I'm now holding on to see whether this ultra-light laptop turns out to be the fabled iTablet...

Good times.

[nekokami]

Ah, the perennial prediction of an Apple tablet...

I truly wish Apple had a tablet, but I couldn't afford it now anyway. Still, if the form factor were somewhat like an iLiad, maybe just a bit larger, with a high-speed display, pressure-sensitive input and HWR, I'd be sorely tempted. I don't know as it would make a very good ebook reader, though. It's likely to have a backlit LCD display and hence would have poor battery life, even compared to the iLiad. I need my "universal device" to stay functional all day without being plugged in.

[csmith75]

I've tried reading books on my iPod touch and I really don't care for it. I prefer having a hard button to turn to the next page.

[chef]

Originally Posted by Liviu_5

Use the iPhone, it's very, very nice as an ebook reader both for txt/html with Books (it's still not polished to Fbreader standards, hopefully it will be when they release officially the kit) and Safari for pdf's.

Just jailbreak, several quick installs, one quick modification in Apache to read files from the big partition not the small operating system one (2 lines modified), then for Windows there is Iphone Browser to transfer files directly from your pc and you are set.

It took me about an hour to set up my iTouch last week and since then I've read about 4 full pdf books and partially from several more , though for txt based books I still prefer my 770 by and large since Fbreader has more functionality and nicer fonts and colors than Books.

Geez, the iphone screen seems AWFULLY SMALL to read books on. Ok for quick maps or internet search but not to read books on. Imagine the eye strain and the battery draining quicker than you can say 'apple'. Why hasn't anybody mentioned Apple making an e-reader using E Ink's Vizplex? That way you can have the design aesthetics of an Apple device and the long battery life and easy readability of an E Ink device all rolled into one. Nobody said Apple was tied to used the energy-hog LCD tech. Oh and since it's an Apple device, it would get immediate mass adoption.

[ronnn]

I hope that they will use E-Ink or something similar.
I have used an Ipod for 3 years, and -now- when fully charged, the battery only lasts at most 2 hours ...
When it was new, it lasted 8 hours ....
I consider battery lifespan a problem with Ipods.

And, as for today, Ipods screen are too small to be comfortable to read books

[Brad]

I would love to have ebook reading capability added to the iPhone. I don't think reading on it would be any worse than reading on my Palm TX. Even so I doubt that it would be my main ebook reader because of battery life, screen size and lack of physical buttons for page turns (good point that), but I would like to have a couple of ebooks on it for when I get stuck waiting or am otherwise on the go.

I'm guessing that the Mac tablet, if it ever comes out, would be bigger, with a touch screen and a GUI derived from the iPhone. It would be a more general purpose computing device somewhere between a Newton and a laptop in power.

The trick would then be to see who adapts ebook reader software to run on it and if anyone adapts ebook reader software like eReader, Adobe or Mobi, to run on it and accept DRM'd ebooks or if Apple would get into the ebook biz via iTunes.

It's all vaporware, but fun to speculate on it.

[edsohsmith]

I also use the Books app to read ebooks on the iPhone. I like the application much better than I thought I would. The small screen is not ideal, but the resolution is good, so the eye strain is not too bad. The multitouch scrolling works quite well with ebooks in my opinion. Set the iPhone to "Airplane mode", turning off the network and WiFi functionality, and the batterry will last for several hours.

I will soon be an owner of the Sony PRS 505. Looking forward to buying books in the MS lit format, converting then loading the book both on the Sony Reader and on the iPhone when i need an ultra portable option.

Sorry John, I did the jailbreak from an older iPhone software version, so I cannot give you the step by step for the newer version. You could try looking on TUAW.com for more details.

[nekokami]

I doubt Apple would use the current generation of e ink, due to slow refresh rates. I think they will want a display that supports more types of applications. Maybe bi-stable LCD.... but I think they'll want color, too, and with the current generation of displays, that still requires a backlight. Unless they're talking with Fujitsu. But anything other than LCD would probably price out of the potential market.

[nekokami]

I wonder if you could simulate a pressure sensitive screen using multitouch, by using a stylus with a soft nib that would spread out under pressure?

[nathantw]

If Apple came out with a reader you can be assured that it'll cost a small fortune. That's Apple's way.

[Liviu_5]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Liviu_5, do you know how to jailbreak an iPod Touch with firmware 1.1.2?

Not really; you have to get back to 1.1.1 and proceed. I have 1.1.1 and until there is a one click jailbreak I do not intend to upgrade. I use the following forum for all things about iTouch (you may need to register):

http://www.modmyifone.com


The big difference between 770 and iTouch is indeed in navigation, the touch scroll, no fixed page turn on the latter is different, but it's easy to get used to.

For me the selling point of the Touch as reader is the very fast rendering of pdf's under 10 Mb with Safari. I have been looking for such for a long time and never found it until now in a portable device. For text based books, 770 is better because Fbreader is much more sophisticated than Books and somewhat faster overall, but I've read large parts of 2 novels with Books too and I like it.