Quote:
Originally Posted by Moejoe
Third, the 'amateur' publishing industry will be crushed as Apple will more than likely have a strict 'vetting' policy in place like it does for the app store - and I'm betting that's how they got the publishers on board in the first place. If you're an independent writer, be prepared to have your work scrutinized and rejected like so many app developers in the past, before it even gets near the iBook level.
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I don't think so. Apple uses standard EPUB with its custom FairPlay DRM, so any open EPUB files should work fine. I have been buying indie music without DRM on eMusic for years and it naturally works fine on my Apple devices. As long as the amateur publishing industry stays out of DRM, and that's what I'm assuming, they have nothing to worry about but rather a mayor opportunity.
Apart from that, I agree with you.
Personally, I think that eBooks will only then become really mainstream when they can be read on multiple purpose devices. I wouldn't buy a device for several hundred Euro that can do nothing else but display books (yes, I'm a casual reader). So I think the iPad is the ideal eBook reader for the casual reader, no matter the backlit display. I've been using my iPhone for reading before, but that was a bit too small.
Plus, and that's a really BIG plus for me, the iPad can not only display books, but also magazines and newspapers in a more sophisticated fashion than the Kindle. Has anyone seen the Times applications? It looks AWESOME. Like the paper version, but with interactivity. Really cool!
I think that the Kindle is really good for novels only. It might be the best for them, but that's not the only thing I want to read. Everything else, from academic books / specialist books to magazines to newspapers, is superior on the iPad. AND I have my complete multimedia collection and PDA programs on it as well!
I'm sure that the iPad will have a big influence on the eBook industry and will finally push it into mainstream. I guess Amazon agrees on that, since it changed its revenue model from 70/30 to 30/70 just recently.