Quote:
Originally Posted by Sydney's Mom
The discussions about the ipad have puzzled me. People have said they will probably allow the Kindle app, because Jobs just cares about music, the book market is not that big.
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I think that what Jobs cares about is not so much the book market but the
reading market - because they're not the same thing.
The market for traditional books - whether in paper or ebook format looks comparatively static. The real expansion has been taking place in general reading online - news, emails, forums, reference sites, blogs, Facebook, and so on. The Internet still has enormous potential to expand into more areas, both geographically and in content and style.
Apple (and all the other makers of tablet style devices) firstly want to be the preferred hardware provider for all that. Making a secondary buck through the software is good too, but easier if you already control the hardware.
Where it's all heading is devices that can be unshackled from desktops, plugs and weighty keyboards and bring not just books but the whole Internet experience to your armchair in a light and convenient way. That's not just an Apple goal, there's a whole pack of companies heading that way now.
