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The iTablet Cometh

January 26, 2010 by Nathan Bransford 106 Comments

You’ve probably heard the news, unless you have been living under a rock that blocks all incoming internet signals as well as the Apple nerd at work and even then HEY YOU UNDER THE ROCK, tomorrow is the big day that Apple announces the worst best-kept secret in the multiverse: the mythic iTablet or iSlate or iSomething that promises to be a game changer or not or who the heck knows.

Already this is shaking up the publishing business. Publishers have been rumored to be in discussions with Apple, and Amazon recently announced a (caveat heavy) deal whereby people who publish with the Kindle will receive a 70% royalty provided they meet certain criteria, which some have viewed as a preemptive response to Apple’s dealmaking (via reader Brandon).

With rumors rampant about what the tablet will look like, what it will cost, and whether it will be the most awesomest most awesome thing in the world or merely awesome (or even not awesome), I’ll leave all that to the rumor sites.

But it seems clear to me that the days of grayscale e-books are likely coming to an end. While the iTablet will probably be too expensive to change things immediately, it’s a harbinger of things to come: color and video and audio are coming to e-book readers near you.

And it’s going to be interesting to see how it shakes out. Who will be the first author with an animated cover? Will people crave enhanced e-books or do people want their e-books to remain static and moving-part free? Will Apple come to dominate the e-book business the way they do e-music, or will other competitors like Amazon remain strong? Will dedicated devices still appeal to core audiences?

I personally think a big question is: will people still read books on a device so eminently capable of distracting you with movies, the Internet, games, and anything the geeks of tomorrow invent?

We’ll see. But I suspect the future of publishing is about to take another lurch forward.

What about you, any predictions?

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: E-Readers, iPad, publishing industry

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Scott says

    January 27, 2010 at 7:59 pm

    Okay, the IPad is official and . . . well, it's pretty much just a bigger version of the IPhone, except you can't make phone calls from it! It looks neat, love the ereader feature, but not enough to fork over the money for a bigger version of what I have now. Dang!

    Reply
  2. Anonymous says

    January 27, 2010 at 8:25 pm

    I MUST have this one!
    I was not tempted by the other tablets. This one just wows me!

    Reply
  3. Nathan Bransford says

    January 27, 2010 at 8:26 pm

    I'm excited as well. We're discussing in the forums.

    Reply
  4. Anonymous says

    January 27, 2010 at 8:32 pm

    Thanks! Meet you there!
    It's just INCREDIBLE!!!!

    Reply
  5. onewriterslife says

    January 28, 2010 at 8:49 pm

    Nathan, this post was fall off your chair funny! So wait a sec, while I pick myself back up.

    I mentioned on my blog yesterday that I like the old-fashioned BOOKS..the kind you and your kidlets can snuggle up with for storytime. Snuggling up with an ereader, no matter what the geeks call it, isn't going to cut it for Parent & Child bonding, IMHO. But, hey, if you don't have kids, and have $499 just burning a hole in your pocket, go for it.

    I haven't shelled out the money for a Kindle because I was waiting for them to design one with color, but now that the iPad (snickering over the name) is out…I might have to get one. It's way more than an ereader…so that's a plus until tomorrow morning when some other geek company launches theirs.

    Reply
  6. Jenifer Fox Your Child's Strengths says

    January 29, 2010 at 2:15 pm

    Content will continue to be king.

    Reply
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Hi, I’m Nathan. I’m the author of How to Write a Novel and the Jacob Wonderbar series, which was published by Penguin. I used to be a literary agent at Curtis Brown Ltd. and I’m dedicated to helping authors achieve their dreams. Let me help you with your book!

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