Will the iPad lead to an ebook explosion?

iantyndall · 10-10-2010, 08:22 PM

I have had my iPad for about two months and have really enjoyed using it. I have really enjoyed reading books on the device so much so, that I converted one of my recent academic papers into a book just so that I could read it using iBook. Based on that experience, I wrote my second book: How to publish an eBook: to the Apple iBookstore in less than a day because I think that there are many more people out there who will want to do the same thing. My reaction to the success of the books and the ease of publishing them is that they will probably lead to a major proliferation of new books that may be of widely varying quality. What do you think?

desertgrandma · 10-10-2010, 08:24 PM

Welcome to MobileRead, iantyndall

luvshihtzu · 10-10-2010, 09:24 PM

Personally, I think the Kindle has already done that for the eBook market. As for the iBook Store on the iPad and in iTunes, I think it is rather useless in its present form.

roebeet · 10-10-2010, 10:45 PM

x2. I think that Apple is riding off the coattails of Amazon, in this respect. I think the idea of a bigger iPod Touch-like device as an all-around content consumption is the iPad's strength. ereading is important, but it's certainly not the best device to use if your highest priority is just reading ebooks.

Joe Minton · 10-11-2010, 01:34 AM

Watch the iTouch 4G and its progress as a reader. That device is the best ereader on the market. Its screen provides remarkable sharpness and clarity. If there were a six-inch version with the same screen resolution, I think the market would alter considerably.

There are apps that allow reading virtually all formats; I haven't found any document that I can't get on this gadget and read.

It is limited in direct sunlight and must be recharged after abut 10 hours use. Its screen is small and many folks need more acreage, however, for the majority of us with reasonably 'normal' eyesight and a pair of ordinary reading glasses -- it is untouchable as a book reader.

I'm gonna combine my iTouch 4G with one of the new Sony 650s and shall have the ability to read just about anything anywhere (special thanks to calibre!)

Joe

PS: Don't wish to start a fight with anyone, just want to give Y'all a heads-up; this gadget and the software available for it are already changing how we read books.

carld · 10-11-2010, 03:19 AM

I would say probably not unless things change a lot. There are already about 8.25 Million iPads out there , and there hasn't really been much movement their way in the ebook industry. If there was going to be an explosion of ebook popularity based on the iPad we should have already seen it.

Now that might change if Apple sells a metric tonne of the 7" iPad that's supposedly on its way.

As for the iTouch, it's just too small for enjoyable reading.

Razi · 10-11-2010, 05:42 AM

iPad's biggest effect is evident on the price of 'Kindle'. They are dirt cheap now. Some models are so cheap that one would think that they are the cheapest ereaders on the market. This one fact has revolutionised ebook market more than anything else. iPad is, by far, the best ereader I have ever used (and I have used some of the best of them). £109 for a 'Kindie', you must be joking!

Joe Minton · 10-11-2010, 02:25 PM

carld:

Have you spent much or any time reading on an iTouch 4G?

I did not buy mine for reading and was completely surprised at its competence. It, with +2 reading glasses, is much easier to use as a reader than my Sony PRS-300. Never mind the complete superiority of the various reader apps available.

I would prefer and am looking forward to a larger iTouch with the "Retina" screen, however, for most of my reading -- the iTouch 4G remains the best I have.

Joe

carld · 10-11-2010, 02:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe Minton

carld:

Have you spent much or any time reading on an iTouch 4G?

No, I've tried it a few times. I also have a phone with a similar size screen, though it's not retina resolution. I don't find either of them very enjoyable to read on. It's certainly doable, but in no way superior to a dedicated ereader.

ShortNCuddlyAm · 10-11-2010, 08:50 PM

I've noticed that I've had a lot more people at work ask me about reading books on the iPad than they ever did with the Sony. These are people who read, but it's not a major part of their life - so a dedicated ebook reader makes less sense than a device they can surf the web, play games, and read on. Even if it is quite a bit more!

Last week seeing how technical PDFs display on the iPad tipped a colleague into getting one. He'd seen the same documents on a reader, and thought they were very readable, but couldn't justify buying a device just to read on.

So based on that, I think there will be an increase in people reading ebooks - but maybe not enough to call it an explosion.

MsAstoria · 10-11-2010, 09:24 PM

Even though iBooks store is limited, I am thrilled to be able to download all my book selections from Amazon through the Amazon app in my iPad. I have numerous "free" books in epub format too, so at least for me, there has been a personal explosion of books to read since getting this unit. I think the iPad, the Kindle, and other e-book readers will definitely help sagging book sales and get folks reading again! It's all good!

JimKal · 10-12-2010, 09:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MsAstoria

Even though iBooks store is limited, I am thrilled to be able to download all my book selections from Amazon through the Amazon app in my iPad. I have numerous "free" books in epub format too, so at least for me, there has been a personal explosion of books to read since getting this unit. I think the iPad, the Kindle, and other e-book readers will definitely help sagging book sales and get folks reading again! It's all good!

I'm in agreement with MsAstoria. While I'm not sure any one e-reading device changes the market, the sum of all the e-readers available is making a difference. Recently, Amazon announced that they are selling more e=books that hard backs. That signals a market change that I think will continue. I've found that I am experiencing new authors, getting collections of some favorite authors that I read in my youth, and getting some low cost or free books that were not available at the bookstore.

The point is not to argue over which is the best e-reading device. When you find one you like, that is the best device (for you). The market is changing and all the devices are contributing to that change.

mgmueller · 10-12-2010, 10:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe Minton

Watch the iTouch 4G and its progress as a reader. That device is the best ereader on the market. Its screen provides remarkable sharpness and clarity. If there were a six-inch version with the same screen resolution, I think the market would alter considerably.

There are apps that allow reading virtually all formats; I haven't found any document that I can't get on this gadget and read.

It is limited in direct sunlight and must be recharged after abut 10 hours use. Its screen is small and many folks need more acreage, however, for the majority of us with reasonably 'normal' eyesight and a pair of ordinary reading glasses -- it is untouchable as a book reader.

I'm gonna combine my iTouch 4G with one of the new Sony 650s and shall have the ability to read just about anything anywhere (special thanks to calibre!)

Joe

PS: Don't wish to start a fight with anyone, just want to give Y'all a heads-up; this gadget and the software available for it are already changing how we read books.

In my personal experience, quality never has been the main hurdle.
Neither the quality of the hardware, nor the content.
Personally, I was absolutely fine with the quality on PocketPCs and started reading eBooks in 2000.
But I'm still surprised, how many of my friends (>>80%), although being gadget freaks in other areas, simply can't accept eBooks or downloadable movies.
Most of the times, I hear the very same answer: "I want to have my book respectively DVD in my shelf. I want to be able to touch it".

Personally, I'm exactly the opposite. I've gladly replaced my ca. 1000 DVDs by iTunes movies (even bought lots of them again, as for $ 9.99 it's hardly worth the effort). But I have to accept, that majority of users simply seems to have another mindset.
Maybe eBooks and other digital content would expand more rapidly, if they'd be considered an addition, not a replacement, for the "classic" media.
For example, in lots of DVDs you find codes for downloading the very same movie for free...

BTW: I don't have iTouch4 but iPhone4. I prefer reading on Dell Streak though. The additional 1.5" are surprisingly convenient.
And I really don't understand, why Apple went for another design for iTouch than for iPhone. I prefer the "flat" one from iPhone. And I hope, Apple will go for the very same design for iPad, iTouch and iPhone...

pagansoul · 10-12-2010, 02:08 PM

I have been reading ebooks off my computer for over 10 years. I used to have hundreds of paperbacks around but since my Kindle 1 (I got it right away) I started getting rid of the books. I didn't do that when I was reading off my desktop. Now I have a Kindle 3 and well over 100k ebooks on CDroms and my computer. I nolonger by paperbacks at all. I keep mostly comic books on my iPad and not so much ebooks. I would have to say that the my old computer and Project Gut lead the way and my Kindle solidified ebooks in my world.

10-10-2010, 08:22 PM	#1
iantyndall Junior Member Posts: 1 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2010 Device: iPad	Will the iPad lead to an ebook explosion? I have had my iPad for about two months and have really enjoyed using it. I have really enjoyed reading books on the device so much so, that I converted one of my recent academic papers into a book just so that I could read it using iBook. Based on that experience, I wrote my second book: How to publish an eBook: to the Apple iBookstore in less than a day because I think that there are many more people out there who will want to do the same thing. My reaction to the success of the books and the ease of publishing them is that they will probably lead to a major proliferation of new books that may be of widely varying quality. What do you think?

10-10-2010, 09:24 PM	#3
luvshihtzu Groupie Posts: 194 Karma: 39390 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Tucson, Arizona Device: Kindle DX Graphite, Sony 950 and iPad	Personally, I think the Kindle has already done that for the eBook market. As for the iBook Store on the iPad and in iTunes, I think it is rather useless in its present form. Last edited by luvshihtzu; 10-11-2010 at 12:33 AM.

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10-10-2010, 08:24 PM	#2
desertgrandma Enjoying the show.... Posts: 14,270 Karma: 10462841 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Arizona Device: A K1, Kindle Paperwhite, an Ipod, IPad2, Iphone, an Ipad Mini & macAir	Welcome to MobileRead, iantyndall

10-10-2010, 10:45 PM	#4
roebeet Connoisseur Posts: 67 Karma: 770 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Pennsylvania, USA Device: Kindle 4 Basic, Kobo Aura	x2. I think that Apple is riding off the coattails of Amazon, in this respect. I think the idea of a bigger iPod Touch-like device as an all-around content consumption is the iPad's strength. ereading is important, but it's certainly not the best device to use if your highest priority is just reading ebooks.

10-11-2010, 01:34 AM	#5
Joe Minton eReader Posts: 60 Karma: 31585 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Southern California Device: Sony 650, iPod Touch 4G, iPhone 4, Nook: Touch/Glow/Color/Tablet	Watch the iTouch 4G and its progress as a reader. That device is the best ereader on the market. Its screen provides remarkable sharpness and clarity. If there were a six-inch version with the same screen resolution, I think the market would alter considerably. There are apps that allow reading virtually all formats; I haven't found any document that I can't get on this gadget and read. It is limited in direct sunlight and must be recharged after abut 10 hours use. Its screen is small and many folks need more acreage, however, for the majority of us with reasonably 'normal' eyesight and a pair of ordinary reading glasses -- it is untouchable as a book reader. I'm gonna combine my iTouch 4G with one of the new Sony 650s and shall have the ability to read just about anything anywhere (special thanks to calibre!) Joe PS: Don't wish to start a fight with anyone, just want to give Y'all a heads-up; this gadget and the software available for it are already changing how we read books.

10-11-2010, 03:19 AM	#6
carld Wizard Posts: 2,698 Karma: 4748723 Join Date: Dec 2007 Device: Kindle Paperwhite	I would say probably not unless things change a lot. There are already about 8.25 Million iPads out there , and there hasn't really been much movement their way in the ebook industry. If there was going to be an explosion of ebook popularity based on the iPad we should have already seen it. Now that might change if Apple sells a metric tonne of the 7" iPad that's supposedly on its way. As for the iTouch, it's just too small for enjoyable reading.

10-11-2010, 05:42 AM	#7
Razi Zealot Posts: 109 Karma: 494242 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: London, UK Device: Toshiba E740, Cassiopeia, iLiad, iPad, Kobo Touch, Kobo Aura HD	iPad's biggest effect is evident on the price of 'Kindle'. They are dirt cheap now. Some models are so cheap that one would think that they are the cheapest ereaders on the market. This one fact has revolutionised ebook market more than anything else. iPad is, by far, the best ereader I have ever used (and I have used some of the best of them). £109 for a 'Kindie', you must be joking!

10-11-2010, 02:25 PM	#8
Joe Minton eReader Posts: 60 Karma: 31585 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Southern California Device: Sony 650, iPod Touch 4G, iPhone 4, Nook: Touch/Glow/Color/Tablet	carld: Have you spent much or any time reading on an iTouch 4G? I did not buy mine for reading and was completely surprised at its competence. It, with +2 reading glasses, is much easier to use as a reader than my Sony PRS-300. Never mind the complete superiority of the various reader apps available. I would prefer and am looking forward to a larger iTouch with the "Retina" screen, however, for most of my reading -- the iTouch 4G remains the best I have. Joe

10-11-2010, 08:50 PM	#10
ShortNCuddlyAm WWHALD Posts: 7,879 Karma: 337114 Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Mitcham, Surrey, UK Device: iPad. Selling my silver 505 here	I've noticed that I've had a lot more people at work ask me about reading books on the iPad than they ever did with the Sony. These are people who read, but it's not a major part of their life - so a dedicated ebook reader makes less sense than a device they can surf the web, play games, and read on. Even if it is quite a bit more! Last week seeing how technical PDFs display on the iPad tipped a colleague into getting one. He'd seen the same documents on a reader, and thought they were very readable, but couldn't justify buying a device just to read on. So based on that, I think there will be an increase in people reading ebooks - but maybe not enough to call it an explosion.

10-11-2010, 09:24 PM	#11
MsAstoria Evangelist Posts: 423 Karma: 47344 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Astoria, Oregon, USA Device: Kindle Fire HDX, iPhone (yes, I read on my phone)	Even though iBooks store is limited, I am thrilled to be able to download all my book selections from Amazon through the Amazon app in my iPad. I have numerous "free" books in epub format too, so at least for me, there has been a personal explosion of books to read since getting this unit. I think the iPad, the Kindle, and other e-book readers will definitely help sagging book sales and get folks reading again! It's all good!

10-12-2010, 02:08 PM	#14
pagansoul Fanatic Posts: 509 Karma: 1098204 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Earth Device: iPhone5, iPad Gen3, Kobo, Kindle Fire, Kobo Vox. Samsung Galaxy Tab 7	I have been reading ebooks off my computer for over 10 years. I used to have hundreds of paperbacks around but since my Kindle 1 (I got it right away) I started getting rid of the books. I didn't do that when I was reading off my desktop. Now I have a Kindle 3 and well over 100k ebooks on CDroms and my computer. I nolonger by paperbacks at all. I keep mostly comic books on my iPad and not so much ebooks. I would have to say that the my old computer and Project Gut lead the way and my Kindle solidified ebooks in my world.