iPad Hands on with the iPad - Page 7

Harmon · 01-31-2010, 12:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dragonbone

hehehe.... durian...

P.S. I WANY an iPad NOW!!!

Me, too. I can't wait to find out which one I'm going to decide to order...

dragonbone · 01-31-2010, 12:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Harmon

Me, too. I can't wait to find out which one I'm going to decide to order...

That's the only problem I have too

. I don't really care if it weighs more (or less) than a durian.... I'm getting it anyway!

Krystian Galaj · 01-31-2010, 08:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Harmon

Except that you are overlooking the one-stop shopping convenience of the iBook store.

Well, not completely because iBooks won't have every book in existence, probably not even a fraction of what people want to read, so ultimately people who read more than 1-2 books a year, or who want to read specific books, and not just what's on bestseller list will have to find all those other readers and options - and when they have found them and familiarized themselves with them, the convenience may count less than prices.

But in general I agree with you, and certainly Apple wants to sell as many iPads as it can. Besides, the news about shared folder feature makes it quite probable that this time Apple will choose to allow competition of e-book formats and readers on iPad. Which I'm happy about

robinson · 01-31-2010, 09:34 AM

Say, in all this Amazon vs. Apple speculation--and whether Apple would permit other readers to run, especially as they plan on selling ebooks for $15 instead of $10, there's another player that's left out! The publishers!

They could simply say to Amazon-- our ebooks are now going to be $15 if you want to carry them. Before Amazon had them over a barrel, now with the Apple iBooks store, they'll have Amazon over the barrel.

So, Apple can sit back, let a thousand flowers bloom, permitting all ebook reading apps on the iPad, knowing that the publishers will be kept happy, and that customers will buy the iPad because it's a more versatile device than the Kindle. As stated here several times, Apple's focused on selling iPads and hardware, not ebooks.

daffy4u · 01-31-2010, 09:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by robinson

They could simply say to Amazon-- our ebooks are now going to be $15 if you want to carry them. Before Amazon had them over a barrel, now with the Apple iBooks store, they'll have Amazon over the barrel.

Not necessarily, remember Amazon is a book seller first, paper and ebooks and a huge seller at that. Apple just sells hardware.

As ebook readers the last thing we may want to cheer for is Apple selling higher priced ebooks.

Harmon · 01-31-2010, 12:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Krystian Galaj

Besides, the news about shared folder feature makes it quite probable that this time Apple will choose to allow competition of e-book formats and readers on iPad. Which I'm happy about

I've missed seeing anything about a "shared folder" feature. Is that in iBooks, or is it a more general thing, like Dropbox?

Harmon · 01-31-2010, 12:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by daffy4u

Not necessarily, remember Amazon is a book seller first, paper and ebooks and a huge seller at that. Apple just sells hardware.

As ebook readers the last thing we may want to cheer for is Apple selling higher priced ebooks.

I dunno. I'd pay higher prices for greater access. Higher prices may be the...uh...price we have to pay to minimize the inconvenience, or even ultimately get rid, of DRMed ebooks.

If Apple allows price competition via apps, it will make it harder for various vendors to keep prices high. I have a Sony, and books in the Sony store seem to always be higher than at Amazon. And right now, short of owning both a Sony Reader and a Kindle, there's not much I can do about it, except read the Amazon version on my iPhone. Doable, but not optimal.

But with apps on the Pad, I'll have the option of using the Kindle app on the Pad to read the Amazon version. If Sony wants to sell me the book, they had better (1) meet the Amazon price, (2) have a Sony app up pretty quick and (3) let me have copies of the Sony version on both the Pad & the Reader. Otherwise, I buy at Amazon because it offers a better buying experience for the same price.

(Apple should have named it the iTab. Just think of the great advertising slogan: "Put it on your Tab.")

DrFyzziks · 01-31-2010, 12:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Harmon

I've missed seeing anything about a "shared folder" feature. Is that in iBooks, or is it a more general thing, like Dropbox?

See my earlier post for full details. But basically the iPad SDK documentation references a shared folder on the iPad that is accessible by all applications. Like a "My Documents" folder. This is in contrast to the iPhone and iPod, where each application is walled off into its own directory & can't access files elsewhere on the device.

Also different (and good): the docs mention that the iPad can be mounted on a computer as an external drive. Presumably, it'll be that "shared folder" that mounts.

But no, we're not talking a network-shared folder here.

daffy4u · 01-31-2010, 12:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Harmon

I dunno. I'd pay higher prices for greater access. Higher prices may be the...uh...price we have to pay to minimize, or even ultimately get rid, of DRMed ebooks.

Has there been confirmation of no DRM? If not, then why would agree to pay more?

DrFyzziks · 01-31-2010, 12:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nekokami

Thank you, DrFyzziks, for your informed comments. And welcome to MobileRead!

Thanks nekokami. I've been a long-time lurker, but given all the interesting stuff going on in ebookland these days, I thought it was time to participate.

Looking forward to seeing exactly how the iPad fares against my Sony PRS-505 as an eReader.

WT Sharpe · 01-31-2010, 01:08 PM

My apologies if this has been posted elsewhere.

http://www.techcrunch.com/2010/01/30/ipad-v-a-rock/

(Of course, the folks at techcrunch.com are the geniuses who named the Nook "Best New Gadget of 2009.")

Harmon · 01-31-2010, 01:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by daffy4u

Has there been confirmation of no DRM? If not, then why would agree to pay more?

That's not what I meant. DRM isn't going away for a while.

As I see it, the Pad, with competing ebook apps, makes it possible to read DRMed books from various providers without owning their dedicated reader. This reduces some of the impact of DRM.

But it also introduces the element of price competition between books having different flavors of DRM (and file format.) The fully apped Pad will let me read books from most any seller, no matter what the DRM or format. So price and convenience become the important distinctions.

For the primary reader, DRM is reduced to being a nuisance in this context.

Personally, I'd be willing pay more for ebooks in general to be able to get ebooks from any source. Because if that situation comes into being, prices will go down. So there's a paradox - by being willing to pay more if more books are accessible, I will likely wind up paying less.

daffy4u · 01-31-2010, 02:19 PM

I see. I'm sorry for misunderstanding. For me, I'll continue to buy less expensive books and liberate them. I rather invest a bit more time than money (liberating is getting easier and faster).

nekokami · 01-31-2010, 02:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Harmon

But it also introduces the element of price competition between books having different flavors of DRM (and file format.) The fully apped Pad will let me read books from most any seller, no matter what the DRM or format. So price and convenience become the important distinctions.

Since DRM adds cost, an open market would provide the opportunity for some genius to lower prices by eliminating DRM. If that proved to be attractive to the market, it could cause publishers to finally shift their demand for DRM. An open market in ebooks is likely to lead to lower costs, in any case-- possibly even lower than Amazon's current prices.

dmaul1114 · 01-31-2010, 04:08 PM

Yeah, that's the real benefit of devices like this. You get e-books and e-books stores in the hands of non-avid readers who buy a multi purpose device mainly for other reasons that reading and expand the market.

And the devices can have multiple e-reading programs, providing more competition not just by expanding the market but by expanding the options of each person who owns the device. Vs the average Sony or Kindle owner (not the more savvy users here per se) who mainly only buy from the store attached to their device.

Both of those are good news for all of us who read ebooks, regardless of the interest you personally have in a tablet or other multifunction device.

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01-31-2010, 09:34 AM	#94
robinson Zealot Posts: 142 Karma: 997293 Join Date: Jan 2003	Say, in all this Amazon vs. Apple speculation--and whether Apple would permit other readers to run, especially as they plan on selling ebooks for $15 instead of $10, there's another player that's left out! The publishers! They could simply say to Amazon-- our ebooks are now going to be $15 if you want to carry them. Before Amazon had them over a barrel, now with the Apple iBooks store, they'll have Amazon over the barrel. So, Apple can sit back, let a thousand flowers bloom, permitting all ebook reading apps on the iPad, knowing that the publishers will be kept happy, and that customers will buy the iPad because it's a more versatile device than the Kindle. As stated here several times, Apple's focused on selling iPads and hardware, not ebooks.

01-31-2010, 01:08 PM	#101
WT Sharpe Bah, humbug! Posts: 39,073 Karma: 157049943 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Chesapeake, VA, USA Device: Kindle Oasis, iPad Pro, & a Samsung Galaxy S9.	My apologies if this has been posted elsewhere. http://www.techcrunch.com/2010/01/30/ipad-v-a-rock/ (Of course, the folks at techcrunch.com are the geniuses who named the Nook "Best New Gadget of 2009.")

01-31-2010, 02:19 PM	#103
daffy4u I'm Super Kindle-icious Posts: 6,734 Karma: 2434103 Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Long Drive, Calinadia Candafornia Device: KDXG, KT, Oasis	I see. I'm sorry for misunderstanding. For me, I'll continue to buy less expensive books and liberate them. I rather invest a bit more time than money (liberating is getting easier and faster).

01-31-2010, 04:08 PM	#105
dmaul1114 Wizard Posts: 2,300 Karma: 1121709 Join Date: Feb 2009 Device: Amazon Kindle 1	Yeah, that's the real benefit of devices like this. You get e-books and e-books stores in the hands of non-avid readers who buy a multi purpose device mainly for other reasons that reading and expand the market. And the devices can have multiple e-reading programs, providing more competition not just by expanding the market but by expanding the options of each person who owns the device. Vs the average Sony or Kindle owner (not the more savvy users here per se) who mainly only buy from the store attached to their device. Both of those are good news for all of us who read ebooks, regardless of the interest you personally have in a tablet or other multifunction device.