Apple... Potential Kindle Killer?

[Alphapheemail]

Hello.

A lot of the members may know already that apple is whispering about coming out with its own e-reader. The news "will" come out in this year's World Wide Developer's Conference (June 8th). Usually when apple does this pre-launch launch is because of the "gossip factor" it creates beforehand.
I was searching the forum to see what the uber knowledgeable members have to say about it, since it can be potentially an amazing device. Also, the mainstream will start to pay attention.

Source
Apple will announce an e-reader device with its own brand (i.e., not an iPod or a MacBook) at the 2009 World Wide Developers Conference, which kicks off on June 8.

The criteria for this prediction coming true are the device must have a larger touch screen than an iPhone or iPod Touch, a facility to browse the pages of books and periodicals in digital format, and an Apple-designed shopping application or purchasing mechanism for individual titles and periodical subscriptions.

The device may have other capabilities as well (such as browsing Web sites and downloading other apps) but one of the main functions -- if not the main function -- is its ability to browse and purchase digital books, as described above.

I would like to see kids put down their Busta Rhymes and pick up more books of rhymes (cheesy attempt i know...).
IMO
If they really want to be the "Kindle Killer" the iRead (heehee) needs to use e-ink technology along with their touch technology. If they keep the iphone screen and just make bigger... then what's the point.

[dmaul1114]

As I've said many times, such devices won't kill dedicated readers like the kindle. The avid reader set will likely always want a small, portable reader with an e-ink (or something similar) screen.

But such devices are what is needed to real advance the ebook market. Avid readers--people who read enough to even think about buying a dedicated reader--are a niche in today's world. If ebook sales are going to go mainstream, they have to find there way to the average Joe who only reads a handful of books a year (if that). And the way to do that is for multifunction devices they buy for other reasons (Internet, Music, Videos etc.) to also be able to purchase and display ebooks.

As for it having no point if it just keeps an LCD screen--again such a device likely won't be designed as a reader. It's a multi-function tablet that happens to do books--just like the iPhone/iPod touch can use the kindle store. And LCD screen is 100% fine for reading for someone just reading a handful of books a year and hardly ever reading for more than an hour. You just have to think outside of the avid reader box to see the appeal of such devices.

[Gideon]

This rumor comes out before every Apple event.

Personally, if such a thing were true, I'd give my right arm for it!

And yes, I think it'd destroy the Kindle and like devices. I'm a big proponent of eInk and I love it and hate reading on an LCD like my laptop or my iphone, but if Apple came out with a tablet like that... most people are going to go for it. And I can't blame them, if it had a long enough battery life I'd probably switch too! Just the sheer of convenience of one device would overshadow the eInk aspect.

But aside from me... I think it would be a 'kindle killer' as most people would prefer an integrated device that isn't as good over a 400 dedicated eReader.

Dedicated eReaders are an endangered species from the getgo. Once tech comes out that can do a good job doing that and other things, it'll be over. And it's not THAT far off.

[Alphapheemail]

Originally Posted by dmaul1114

As for it having no point if it just keeps an LCD screen--again such a device likely won't be designed as a reader. It's a multi-function tablet that happens to do books--just like the iPhone/iPod touch can use the kindle store. And LCD screen is 100% fine for reading for someone just reading a handful of books a year and hardly ever reading for more than an hour. You just have to think outside of the avid reader box to see the appeal of such devices.

Dmaul,
You do have a point. I was looking at it from my point of view. But nowadays listening to music on a cd player is as archaic to people as a old turntables. So the day will come where books and newspapers will be delivered digitally to your "doorstep." If you have a device that can do that effectively and much more... then you have you next ipod-like craze.
I realize that this won't happen for a very long time, but I still see Apple grabbing a different larger market than the current reader market.

[dmaul1114]

I agree that will happen, but it will be multifunction tablet like devices that really get e-reading into the mainstream and drastically reduce paper media sales. Again, not enough people read enough to even think about buying a dedicated reader, but they may well buy some digital books if they're new gadget has that ability.

Paper media won't go away, just like CDs haven't. All the stores still have big CD sections. Personally I still buy all my music on CD even though I do all my listening outside of the car on MP3s.

Paper books will stay as they are better to collect--I'll still buy paper books for the books I want to keep and re-read over the years. But sales will decline just like CD sells have declined as more purchases are of MP3 albums.

[JSWolf]

If it's from Apple, the battery life will be awful. Apple blew that big time with the iPod Touch and iPhone. Apple makes good looking hardware with poor performance in the real world.

[dmaul1114]

Battery life isn't really that key for most people. Chargers are small these days and there are outlets most everywhere.

If they can get the battery life around 6-8 hours it will be fine for most people's usage.

Of course, it would be great to be better, but battery technology just isn't there to have super long life with LCD touch screens yet. I'm no apple fan (hate the iPod line--does less and costs more), but I wouldn't blame them on that front. It's just that batteries are one area of technology that is advancing too slowly industry wide.

[DesiLinguist]

Like Gideon already said, this rumor comes up before every Apple event. I personally am skeptical of Apple launching a device like this and marketing it as a book reader. If I think about it a bit, I don't have a hard time coming up with a hypothesis that the Touch OS that Apple has put so much time and effort into will probably be used for tablet-style device. However, I believe it will be very different from the traditional Tablet PCs. However, I doubt that they will be able to make it as affordable as people seem to think they would. If such a device comes out, I predict it will not have a price point lower than $599-$699 because it's such a niche device. Of course, all of this is pure speculation on my part. I could be completely wrong but I don't think I will be.

[Alisa]

Originally Posted by dmaul1114

I agree that will happen, but it will be multifunction tablet like devices that really get e-reading into the mainstream and drastically reduce paper media sales. Again, not enough people read enough to even think about buying a dedicated reader, but they may well buy some digital books if they're new gadget has that ability.

Even though most people don't read books, they do read things that are best in color like magazines and that's the sort of ephemeral publication which is ideal for electronic distribution.

[katysax]

This device is not going to be an ebook reader, it is going to be a "media pad". It will have a 5.5 inch or 7 inch screen and otherwise be like a large form factor iPod Touch. It will be able to download apps from the Apple App store, and will be compatible with the Kindle software.

It won't be any kind of a Kindle killer. Instead, it will put the technology to read Kindle books in the hands of many more people. Amazon wants to make its money off the books, not the reader. I bet they'd give the Kindle away for free if they could get it cheap enough. Their real chance to make serious money is off people downloading the books.

I want one of those media pads because it would be great for playing with at home and mobile computer access when not at home, but I would rather read a book on the Kindle. I cannot tolerate reading books for an extended period of time on the iphone. It isn't the size of the screen, it is the nature of the screen, too fatiguing.

[dmaul1114]

Originally Posted by Alisa

Even though most people don't read books, they do read things that are best in color like magazines and that's the sort of ephemeral publication which is ideal for electronic distribution.

Definitely. And such a tablet device is what will really spark sales of e-versions of magazines etc.

They're not very good on e-ink readers IMO as the smaller screens make the format too different from print versions, and for magazines the lack of color is a killer. I still have a print subscription to Newsweek as I didn't like the Kindle version at all.

So I could definitely see e-subscriptions of magazines rising if some kind of multimedia tablet devices takes off in the mainstream.

Though I wouldn't expect that to happen for the first few generations of such a device. They really need to make it functional enough to be able to replace people's laptops/netbooks for them to really take off.

IMO the ideal would just be to have a nice dock that you could hook a keyboard and mouse too and use it like a PC or laptop at home, and then be able to take the tablet itself out and use it with styus etc.

Originally Posted by katysax

It won't be any kind of a Kindle killer. Instead, it will put the technology to read Kindle books in the hands of many more people.

Exactly. That's how these kind of devices can really expand the market for e-books, e-magazines and e-newspapers. It gets the tech in the hands of people who would never buy a dedicated reader, but may by some content when their new gadget can easily access it.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by dmaul1114

Battery life isn't really that key for most people. Chargers are small these days and there are outlets most everywhere.

If they can get the battery life around 6-8 hours it will be fine for most people's usage.

Of course, it would be great to be better, but battery technology just isn't there to have super long life with LCD touch screens yet. I'm no apple fan (hate the iPod line--does less and costs more), but I wouldn't blame them on that front. It's just that batteries are one area of technology that is advancing too slowly industry wide.

I took a trip to Scotland in December. If I only had 6-8 hours of reading time, I would not be happy when the battery dies and I am not near an outlet. Sure I can carry along something to top up the battery, but I should not need to. The iPhone/iPod Touch would eat way way too much power to be useful for serious reading. Apple has nice toys that don't have decent batteries. That's the real issue. The other issue I have with Apple is the antiquted music formats on the iPods. Sometime this summer I will get a Cowon portable music player that plays FLAC & OGG and has very nice battery life and better sound quality for a lot less then an iPod goes for.

[dmaul1114]

Sure, there's always cases when you need more battery life. But I was talking more in daily usage. And even with long flights, I don't think most people can stand to read for 6-8 hours straight. So a 6-8 hour battery (like in a netbook) would be fine for the Average Joe.

As for the sound issues, I couldn't care less since I just rip all my MP3s at 128kbps as I'm not an audiophile at all. I just don't like the iPod line as they always lacked features (i.e. built in fm tuner) that I could get in other players that cost less.

[Sonist]

Originally Posted by dmaul1114

Definitely. And such a tablet device is what will really spark sales of e-versions of magazines etc....
So I could definitely see e-subscriptions of magazines rising if some kind of multimedia tablet devices takes off in the mainstream.....

And I have an inkling this is what Apple is aiming at, and Apple would be one company which can certainly make it work. Even with a non-e-ink screen.

So, I would expect in June, to find a new section on iTunes, with a bunch of magazine publications, and yes, books.

Maybe this is why Amazon was in a hurry to release their iPhone app....

[Gideon]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

If it's from Apple, the battery life will be awful. Apple blew that big time with the iPod Touch and iPhone. Apple makes good looking hardware with poor performance in the real world.

I don't have a clue what you're talking about. Really, I don't... for everything the ipod/iphone does it gets incredible battery life. I've been using an iPhone since launch (1st and 2nd models) and the battery life is great. I can go days without a charge and I listen to music all the time, browse the web a lot, etc. If I DON'T use those features a lot, it can go on for days and days without running down - just like any other phone I've had. And the iPod touch is even better! It's an LCD, so it uses juice more than an eInk device but compared to every other phone or device I've ever had (and I've had everything from old school nokias, samsungs, palms, and MS mobile devices) it blows them all out of the water for how much use I get per charge.

I think this may be an issue of weird expectations, John.. no offense. But I don't know of comparable products that get BETTER battery life. And I do mean comparable - not "does everything an iPhone can do, but about 1/6th as efficiently and looking like crap while it does it." My old Samsung A320 could do almost all the main things my iPhone can do - but besides talking, I wouldn't want to have to do them on the device (and often would rather just not!)

Their laptops are also very efficient. My Macbook gets almost 4 hours per charge, and that's a lot less than the new one coming out that gets something like 8 or so.

Obviously, power consumption will be a necessary consideration with a device like that, which may be part of the reason they haven't came out with one yet. But I see no reason to go "Apple can't handle power issues."

Edit:
As an ereading device for 8 hours of use? Yes, it wouldn't have power for that probably. But it's not MADE for that, and more to the point - there isn't much that could that uses an LCD screen that size! But it gets about 36 hrs of music play, 6 of video!