MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - iPad What will iPad do for e-books?

BWhite · 01-27-2010, 08:44 PM

I think the iPad will increase consumption of eBooks by casual readers (casual meaning 'not that many books a year'). I happen to feel that this will be a good thing.

I don't know that the iPad will sell "great guns", but it will sell.

I don't know why no one has yet mentioned on this thread that the iPad runs iPhone apps (maybe I missed it), and stores like Barnes and Noble have iPhone apps at the app store. Source:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/ebooks...&cds2Pid=28709

This house uses Windows machines exclusively, has zero Apple products, and considers the iPad a Definite Purchase in 2010.

Why 'definite purchase'? Because we happen to believe that e-ink is good technology but will not be around come 2015. Ten hour battery life is sufficient life for our needs - the claim is iPad has much more life in its battery on standby. So basically you are only in a jam if you want to read eleven hours on a single device, and for some reason do not want to recharge.

I am going to play some games with American English here, because English is fun to use that way. I am already seeing posts on these Forums that the iPad is not an eReader, well I am going to claim that all those e-ink readers out there are not eReaders, but the iPad is!

See what I did there? Fun with English! In this household we realized that we do as much reading on the web as with books, so in 2010 we want an eReader Device that includes a decent Web Browser. To me an eBook can be in HTML embedded on a web page on an HTML server as well as any other format.

So basically in 2010 Americans get their first decent ('decent' as defined to this household) eReader with the iPad - and also those other eReaders scheduled to come out (I think ASUS has announced such) - which include web browsers (we can live without Adobe Flash).

Current Plan: Purchase an iPad, install Barnes and Noble book app, read books and web pages on the web, purchase eBooks from Barnes and Noble, read more eBooks in 2010.

The improvement in technologies that make this possible with the iPad:
o fast, low-power consumption, processor
o improvements in high density memory (64 gigs is nice)
o improvements in battery life
o nice screen size (iPod Touch is just too small)

I got into eBooks with the advent of the Microsoft Reader in 2000 and remember thinking, "boy, they have a long way to go to make this work." Well now, a decade later, I feel I can trust my eBook library to Barnes and Noble and I have a decent (though not guaranteed) possibility of my still being able to access that library 20 years from now on some device which has not yet been invented.

There is my reasoning; your own mileage may vary.

Really happy that in 2010 I have the chance to purchase a device with specifications as announced today for the iPad.

01-27-2010, 08:44 PM	#41
BWhite Connoisseur Posts: 97 Karma: 526 Join Date: Jan 2010 Device: Sony PSP, Palm TX	I think the iPad will increase consumption of eBooks by casual readers (casual meaning 'not that many books a year'). I happen to feel that this will be a good thing. I don't know that the iPad will sell "great guns", but it will sell. I don't know why no one has yet mentioned on this thread that the iPad runs iPhone apps (maybe I missed it), and stores like Barnes and Noble have iPhone apps at the app store. Source: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/ebooks...&cds2Pid=28709 This house uses Windows machines exclusively, has zero Apple products, and considers the iPad a Definite Purchase in 2010. Why 'definite purchase'? Because we happen to believe that e-ink is good technology but will not be around come 2015. Ten hour battery life is sufficient life for our needs - the claim is iPad has much more life in its battery on standby. So basically you are only in a jam if you want to read eleven hours on a single device, and for some reason do not want to recharge. I am going to play some games with American English here, because English is fun to use that way. I am already seeing posts on these Forums that the iPad is not an eReader, well I am going to claim that all those e-ink readers out there are not eReaders, but the iPad is! See what I did there? Fun with English! In this household we realized that we do as much reading on the web as with books, so in 2010 we want an eReader Device that includes a decent Web Browser. To me an eBook can be in HTML embedded on a web page on an HTML server as well as any other format. So basically in 2010 Americans get their first decent ('decent' as defined to this household) eReader with the iPad - and also those other eReaders scheduled to come out (I think ASUS has announced such) - which include web browsers (we can live without Adobe Flash). Current Plan: Purchase an iPad, install Barnes and Noble book app, read books and web pages on the web, purchase eBooks from Barnes and Noble, read more eBooks in 2010. The improvement in technologies that make this possible with the iPad: o fast, low-power consumption, processor o improvements in high density memory (64 gigs is nice) o improvements in battery life o nice screen size (iPod Touch is just too small) I got into eBooks with the advent of the Microsoft Reader in 2000 and remember thinking, "boy, they have a long way to go to make this work." Well now, a decade later, I feel I can trust my eBook library to Barnes and Noble and I have a decent (though not guaranteed) possibility of my still being able to access that library 20 years from now on some device which has not yet been invented. There is my reasoning; your own mileage may vary. Really happy that in 2010 I have the chance to purchase a device with specifications as announced today for the iPad.