An iTunes moment?

electronic books
The growing popularity of electronic books could offer hope for newspapers
Things are suddenly hotting up in the rather obscure field of electronic books and their associated reading devices, the best known of which is Amazon’s Kindle. A new, sleeker version of the Kindle was unveiled on February 9th. Just days earlier, Google said it was making 1.5m free e-books available in a format suitable for smart-phones, such as Apple’s iPhone and handsets powered by Google’s Android software. Amazon said it was working to make e-books available on smart-phones as well as the Kindle. Plastic Logic, the maker of a forthcoming e-reader device, saesyid it had struck distribution deals with several magazines and newspapers. The iPhone, meanwhile, has quietly become the most widely used e-book reader: more people have downloaded e-book software (such as Stanza, eReader and Classics) for iPhones than have bought Kindles. Might e-books be approaching the moment of take-off, akin to Apple’s launch of the iTunes store in 2003, which created a new market for legal music downloads? Read rest
Source The Economist

9 thoughts on “An iTunes moment?”

  1. It seems Apple had sensed this rather long ago anyways. And techcrunch, had also got their spiey eyes on it quite some time ago. All rather sensibly. But something that is all set to beat the Kindle, and hopefully in this aspect (that is of e-book reading) too, could be this. If it’s true, the kindle won’t last anywhere except for its affordability… 🙂

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  2. There’s a big difference between the Kindle and an iPod touch-like device, and that is in the display. The Kindle, and other such ebook readers use the e-paper technology, which simulates paper in the sense that there is no backlight. The iPod touch meanwhile use a backlit LCD screen. Looking at a source of light for a continuous stretch of time strains your eyes, while the Kindle will use the ambient light just like a regular book. Try reading a book off your computer screen, and you’ll understand.

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  3. 1. I mentioned the iPod touch at all, cause the article itself had mentioned that the most widely used e-book reader in today’s world is the iPhone.
    2. Also, what you mention is a functional point, as in, it is well and true for those who care to purchase and use with knowledge. But as you may be knowing by now, that is not true with a majority of Apple users, seeing that Apple’s eye candy is far more appealing that any functionality they put in – and that is clearly visible in the way the iPhone has sold like mad despite having barely anything more than being cheap (in comparison to other Apple stuff).
    Thus, if the large form iPod Touch does come out with the capability to read ebooks, it’s definitely gonna sell one one account or the other…

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  5. The iPod touch/iPhone and Kindle are in the ebook market for completely different reasons.

    The iPod touch was first to have a very appealing marketplace ( the app store) and naturally some of the apps became ebooks and ebook readers.

    The kindle on the other hand is designed to be an ebook reader and is thus much better suited for this purpose. The kindle also comes with a free EVDO connection (cant remember if it has wifi too, probably does), allowing you to download ebooks and browse the internet anywhere.

    The kindle and iPod Touch/iPhone are competitors by chance, not by design.

    Also i think Amazon is much better poised to take advatage of the ebook market than Apple is.

    People dont make that mistake of buying the iPod touch or iPhone as an ebook reader. You buy an iPhone cause it a Phone with cool apps on it. You buy a kindle to read books.

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  9. But now that people will buy lesser kindles and go for the iphones, isn’t that bad for amazon? Or does having their apps sold compensate?

    Actually I guess they still gain a lot this way.

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