iPad the catalyst

Book publishers will have more control over digital book prices after a push-back by major publishers against Amazon recently. Pundits see the Apple iPad as the catalyst to the movement.

Business Week has the background.

Amazon.com Inc., the world’s largest Internet retailer, will have to give publishers more control over the prices of digital books to match an agreement forged with Macmillan, according to the Authors Guild.

After saying that Macmillan could set prices for Kindle versions of its electronic books, Amazon.com set the stage for the other five biggest publishers to negotiate new terms, including getting a higher cut of the retail price, said Paul Aiken, executive director of the guild.

Amazon.com, which offers best-selling e-books for $9.99, said this week that Macmillan could sell its titles for as much as $14.99. Amazon.com has sought to keep prices of digital books low to maintain the popularity of the Kindle. The concession shows a “chink in Amazon’s armor” and may make the Kindle more vulnerable to competitors, according to Collins Stewart LLC. Amazon.com shares dropped 5.2 percent yesterday.

“There are at least five other publishers who can get this deal from Amazon,” said Aiken, whose New York-based group advocates on behalf of writers. “The other publishers are going to follow suit. It would be irresponsible for them not to.”

ZDNet looks at how the Apple iPad may have changed the digital print industry even before it hits the shelves.

Apple’s agency model and its iBookstore have upset the applecart at Amazon, who sells books via a more traditional “wholesale model” where the it sets the price and gives the publisher a commission. In a previous post I described the benefits of the “agency model” that Apple uses with App developers. In essence, the developer sets the price and Apple collects a flat 30 percent off the top

In the days following the iPad announcement, print publishers have begun bailing from Amazon in droves. Hachette’s Book Group is now the third major publisher, following MacMillan and HarperCollins, to push for the agency model.

Gizmodo reports that the move could mean the end of the $9.99 book. The conventional wisdom is that publishers will set the ebook prices first proposed by Apple—from $12.99 to $14.99. I suspect that Penguin and Simon & Schuster will follow suit and that Amazon will be forced to migrate to the agency model and match Apple pricing.

Apple’s iPad has already begun shifting the dynamics of print publishing, putting price control back into the hands of publishers—and its not shipping for two months.


Source : Before Its News

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Kindle versus iPad

Not only will the Apple iPad compete with the Amazon Kindle as an e-reader, but because Apple's new tablet will run iPhone apps, it will compete with Kindle's software, too. People who buy the iPad can choose to use Apple's new iBooks app and bookstore, or they could opt to run Kindle's iPhone app on the device instead.

The decision might just come to down to the book stores. The iPad's iBook store may be new, but the concept behind it is not; it's not all that different from Amazon's Kindle store for iPhone.

What's interesting is that the Amazon Kindle book store will work on the iPad from day one, albeit only in 2x mode (pixel doubling to fill the larger screen). However, as the SDK for the iPad is out today, Amazon has plenty of time to prepare its store for the larger screen of the iPad over the next 60 days.

Books and magazines for the iPad

In theory, if you already own a Kindle (or ebooks purchased from Amazon) you will be able to enjoy them straight away on the iPad. But the best part of having two (three if you count Barnes & Noble in as well) book stores on the iPad will be diversity and choice. All of the apps are free to download; you pay only for the titles you want to buy, so there's little to prevent users from switching between all three.

My colleague Nick Mediati was commenting last night how the iPad iBookstore is lacking periodicals. But then it struck me - it doesn't matter if the iBookstore don't have magazines, the Kindle store does.

Yet, what's interesting about the iPad is that publishers don't have to rely on book stores for distributing their static content. Instead, they can create their own full-fledged application from the App Store, like The New York Times does on the iPad.

Kindle DX loses to the iPad, Kindle stands a chance

The Amazon Kindle goes for almost half the price of the iPad and comes with free wireless and a full keyboard. The iPad starts at $499, but brings in loads more storage, a larger color touchscreen, Wi-Fi, and a familiar interface to those who ever used an iPod touch or an iPhone.

Battery life on the Kindle is superior though, up to two weeks. Yet the Kindle is a single-purpose device with a grayscale screen. Perhaps it would be best to compare the iPad with the Kindle DX, which incidentally also has 9.7-inch display, and it's only $10 cheaper than an iPad. Here's where the comparison gets tough on Amazon.

The iPad won't probably kill the small Kindle: it's cheaper and performs well at letting your read for an extended period of time without tiring your eyes. But the Kindle DX should prepare for a battering from the iPad if Amazon doesn't drop the price significantly. For only $10 more, the iPad delivers three times the storage of the DX, a color touch screen, and an all-round multipurpose device.

If you already have a Kindle though, things might get exciting, as Amazon is preparing to launch apps for the platform as well. Keep an eye though on book prices. Apple's iBookstore merchandise is up to 50 percent more expensive than on the Kindle, which means bigger bucks for publishers, and possibly hurdles for Amazon's store.

Source : PC World

Who do you think will win the war? Kindle or iPad? Comments below.

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Apple iPad connects to everything?

The tech world has said too much about the iPad already, and we're just getting warmed up. There are still lots of unanswered questions. Take connectivity, for instance. We know the iPad has 802.11n, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, and optionally 3G wireless support. There have been precious few accessories announced thus far, tough. We know the story with connecting the iPad to the Web, but what about making local connections?

If you want to use a Bluetooth keyboard, you're supposedly in luck, as we hear those will be supported. We would assume the same could be said of Bluetooth stereo headphones, since the iPhone 3G and 3GS support A2DP to do just that. But can you sync up a Bluetooth headset (for VOIP calls, for example) the way you would with an iPhone? The details of what works and what doesn't among Bluetooth devices is a bit fuzzy.

Then there's printing. Clearly, one would expect to be able to print from the iPad. It has iWork, after all! You'll be typing essays and epic poems expressing your love of Apple in Pages and calculating how much money you save by not buying Windows in Numbers. Still, we haven't seen a single "print" icon or menu item yet. We don't suppose you'll be able to plug a USB printer into the device (even with a dongle for the 30-pin connector) but network printers are quite common. If the iPad could print to a network printer, one would think Apple would have mentioned so.

What about all those iPod music docks? Speakers and radios and boom boxes with iPod connectors on them? Certainly the iPad won't fit into the dock itself, but might it work with these audio accessories with a male-to-female 30-pin connector cable?

At least one question has been answered - you can connect the iPad to your TV. The specs page claims "Support for 1024 x 768 with Dock Connector to VGA adapter; 576p and 480p with Apple Component A/V Cable, 576i and 480i with Apple Composite Cable." So you can hook it up to your TV and get sort-of hi def output if you have a VGA input on your TV, and are otherwise limited to standard def TV output. Pretty lame, considering the device's support for 720p video.

Among the announced accessories is a 30-pin to SD card dongle and a 30-pin to USB dongle. In other words, the iPad Camera Connection Kit. What we don't know yet is exactly what you can do with those SD card and USB ports. The description of the Camera Connection Kit makes it sound like it exists only to pull photos from your camera. What if you put documents for iWork on an SD card or USB memory stick? Can you read and edit them? If not, why not?

Source : PC World

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Apple Announcement Live

Starting at 10am Pacific time (1pm Eastern), Apple will kick off their press conference which will, in all likelihood, reveal the secrets behind the much rumored and anticipated Apple Tablet device. We'll learn the name, the price and all of the fancy apps it'll run. We may even hear about a new age for iTunes, with the rumored iCloud, which would enable people to access their iTunes music from any computer via the Internet.

We're kicking off the Apple Tablet live blog a little before 10am PST/1pm EST, so make sure you stay tuned and be the first to know about the secrets of the Apple Tablet.

10am PST
Show is starting! Here we go!

10:03
Steve Jobs takes the stage, kicking off 2010 with "truly magical products today."

10:03
But first, some updates on current sales numbers. 284 Apple stores, 250 million iPods sold. 140,000 apps in the App Store, 3 billion downloaded.

10:04
Apple has been focused on 3 product lines for mobile (laptops, iPods, iPhone).

10:05
Pic of Moses holding up the tablet of the 10 commandments with a quote from the WSJ. Um...quite the statement.

10:08
Before he discusses the tablet itself, he's going to talk about the introduction of the iPhone 3 years ago.

10:09
Is there room between a smartphone and a laptop? Something that handles Email, Photos, Videos, Music, Games, eBooks?

10:10
OFFICIAL NAME: The iPad.

10:12
Jobs pulls out the iPad. About the size of an 8.5 x 11 piece of paper. "Very thin."

10:13
On-screen keyboard, accelerometer control for landscape or portrait mode, just like the iPhone. "It is the best browsing experience you’ve ever had."

10:14
Interface very similar to the iPhone, but bigger. Flick and touch controls throughout.

10:15
New version of iTunes specific to the iPad, flick controls.

10:16
Opening Apple.com with the Safari browser. Goes over to Fandango to buy movie tickets. All with touch controls. Zoom and swipe, just like an iPhone. Multi-touch controls, predictably, with heavy pinching and swiping.

10:19
Showing off email now. Clicking compose brings up on-screen keyboard. Do you have to hunch over this thing to type?

10:20
Jobs is typing on his lap, slightly hunched. Not quite as natural as a laptop, but pretty close.

10:22
Cross-platform support, works with PC and Mac. Showing off new iPhoto, looks a lot like iPhone image browsing experience.

10:23
Now onto iTunes. Showing off album cover view, swiping through album covers. Tap individual cover to bring up songs in that album, tap song to play.

10:24
iTunes store, selling movies, TV shows, audiobooks.

10:25
Calendar and maps. Maps has Google street view and location sensing.

10:27
Steve Jobs starts playing a scene from the newest "Star Trek" movie. When in landscape mode it doesn't take up the whole screen, with black around the edges of the movie.

10:29
Episodes of Modern Family for sale in the iTunes store. Woo.

10:30
iPad Stats:
9.7 inch display
Touch screen
1.5 pounds, .5 inches thick
1 ghz apple A4 chip, 16 to 64 GB flash storage
WiFi 802.11n
Bluetooth 2.1 +EDR
Speaker, Microphone, 30-pin connector
Accelerometer & Compass
10 Hours of active battery life, 1 month of battery life on stand by
Earth-friendly!

10:32
Can run all iPhone apps without any software modifications. That means plenty of games at launch!

10:35
iPhone apps can be played in small, standard size or can be expanded to fill the whole screen. iPad specific apps can fill the whole screen without scaling, though.

10:37
iPad SDK available at Apple.com. New section of the App Store dedicated to iPad apps.

10:38
Gameloft showing off some of their new games. Halo-esque FPS, NOVA, being shown.

10:41
Discussing the New York Times now. NY Times app, looks like the the layout of the paper. Embedded video in some articles.

10:44
Showing off the Brushes app next. Basically Photoshop with image editing, layers, painting, and so forth. All with touch controls. Available at launch of iPad.

10:47
Travis Boatman from EA is on stage showing off some new games. Need For Speed Shift being shown off.

10:52
iBooks is next. This is where Apple tries to take on the Kindle.

10:54
Like a digital bookshelf/store, five major publishers attached so far.

10:57
iBooks store interface just like iTunes. Customer ratings/reviews, browse by genre. Turn pages by swiping, just like a real book.

10:59
Moving on to iWork for the iPad. Spreadsheets! Powerpoint! Ok, enough with the iWork. How much is this thing gonna cost?

11:05
Moving on to Pages...still in the iWork package. Gallery of different documents being shown. Yeah, not super thrilling at present.

11:09
You can make spreadsheets of your kids soccer team, determining just who you should cut. All from the field! That's just cruel.

11:11
iWork demo is over. Charging $30 for full iWork package, or $10 for each app.

11:13
Every iPad has WiFi support, some models have 3G support.

11:15
Pricing on 3G data plans:
250MB per month for $14.99
Unlimited per month for $29.99
Data plan with AT&T, free use of AT&T WiFi hotspots
No contract, cancel anytime

11:16
3G models are all unlocked, use new GSM micro SIM cards

11:17
"What should we price it at?"

11:18
iPad Prices

16 GB - $499
with 3G - $629

32 GB - $599
with 3G - $729

64 GB - $699
with 3G - $829

11:23
Showing off attachments now. Dock available. Also a dock with a real keyboard attached.

A case which lets you stand the iPad up at a good viewing angle without having to hold it.

11:27
Apple wrapping up all the info on the iPad. Thankfully you can just scroll up.

Source : MTV

What do you think?

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Apple iPad Specifications

Unless you've been living under a particularly heavy rock, you're aware that Apple unveiled its iPad today. We'll have lots of coverage of the device, but here's a quick look at the announced specs. Many of our hardware questions have been answered, but many questions still remain.

Display: 9.7 inch IPS

It's particularly interesting that Apple is going with an IPS (in-plane switching) technology. These are usually found in higher-end desktop monitors because they provide better color reproduction and wider viewing angles. Nearly all notebooks use TN (twisted nematic) panels, which are generally considered inferior. Apple didn't mention the actual resolution, which is of major importance. The screen does not look to be 16:9 widescreen format, which is a bit of a surprise. It does support multitouch, as expected.

Size and Weight: 0.5 inches thick and 1.5 pounds

It looks like the devices has a somewhat convex back, much like the iPhone 3G, making it half an inch thick in the center but "feel" slimmer on the edges where you hold it. Either way, this looks like a reasonable thickness and weight for something you're meant to hold in your hands all the time. The physical height and width was not mentioned.

Processor: 1GHz Apple A4 Chip

This is a fairly big deal, not because the chip runs at 1GHz, but because it's labeled the "Apple A4 Chip." Apple bought the semiconductor company PA Semi in 2008, this must be what they're doing with it. We know precious little about the chip besides that. Given that iPhone apps run unmodified, we can assume it's based on the ARM architecture. There's a world of difference in performance between the ARM11 cores found in the original iPhone and the ARM Cortex A9 cores just announced at CES, after all. How much RAM does this chip have? What's the 3D architecture like (does it use a licensed PowerVR core, like the iPhones)?

Storage: 16, 32, or 64GB flash

This is sort of a no-brainer. 128GB might be nice in a device this size, but it's probably cost-prohibitive.

Battery life: 10 hours battery life, over 1 month standby

Apple didn't provide details on how this number was derived, but did mention that you could watch video on the entire flight from San Francisco to Tokyo.

Connectivity: 802.11n Wi-Fi, 3G, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR

It's great to see 802.11n support, and Bluetooth 2.1 with EDR (enhanced data rate) will be useful for some accessories. Apple said there will be models with 3G through AT&T. Data plans in the US will cost $14.99 for 250MB and $29.99 for unlimited data. There is no contract commitment. The plan will come with free access to AT&T hotspots, just as AT&T does with other laptop 3G data customers. If you don't like AT&T, good news: all iPad models are unlocked, and use the new GSM micro SIMs, so you could theoretically go with another carrier.

Other Features: Accelerometer, compass, speaker, mic, 30-pin connector

It sounds as though it will use the same connector as the iPhone and iPod Touch, and includes similar internal "extras" as the iPhone 3GS with the accelerometer and compass. So what's missing? The camera! There appears to be no front-facing nor rear-facing camera. There are volume buttons and a headphone jack along the right hand side (when held vertically). There is a physical switch on top (for power? Wi-Fi?).

Price: "Starts at $499"

That's a fairly low price, but that only gets you the 16GB model with no 3G. Adding 3G to any model costs $130 more, and each tier of storage is $100 more. So that's $599 for the 32GB model without 3G, and $829 for the whole enchilada - 64GB and 3G.

Source : PC World

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Apple Tablet PC - iSlate Grand Launching

Apple Tablet PC – iSlate Grand Launching January 27, 2010 – There has been numerous rumours from different news resources that Apple Inc. will finally launch its much awaited Apple Tablet PC called iSlate on Wednesday, January 27, 2010.

According to the latest Apple’s earnings announcement, Steve Jobs said: “The new products we are planning to release this year are very strong, starting this week with a major new product that we’re really excited about.”

While previous Apple Tablet PC speculators said that the Apple Tablet PC will be launched on March 2010, this latest statement by Apple CEO Steve Jobs gave a hint. Accordingly, this so-called “new product” is the much awaited Apple Tablet PC, the iSlate.

This “new product” launching event will take place at 10 a.m. Pacific Time on January 27 at San Francisco’s Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater. Let’s all watch out if this will be the much awaited Apple Tablet PC – the iSlate.

Source : DailyBuzz

This is gonna be big! Will the iSlate of Apple beat the Kindle of Amazon? We'll find out...

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Ten Things About Apple iSlate

As we wait for Steve Jobs' announcement of Apple's new product, here's the top 10 things we can expect about the iSlate based on T3.com.

It's been the the talk of the tech town for some time now, and after months and months of speculation, rumour-mongering, potential designs spotted in the wild and unnamed sources claiming to have caught an eyeful, Apple's tablet device looks set to be officially unveiled by Apple on January 27th at the company's scheduled press conference.

As we anticipate the arrival of what is likely to be the biggest thing to come from Apple since the iPhone, we've rounded up the best of the Tablet-tales to see what we can expect to be amazed by at next week's Apple event.

Read below for T3's Apple Tablet PC rumours.

1. Apple iSlate or Apple iPad?

A cluster of names have been bandied around over the past 12 months, but it seems you should put your money on the device being annointed the iSlate, especially after Apple bought up the domain name iSlate.com last year. It saw the company’s shares reach an all-time high over the festive season. Of course, if you don’t agree with us, you can always have a flutter on one of the alternative monikers.

2. OLED and LED screens

It looks like the Tablet will be packing more efficient screen technology, since Apple was reported to have sucked up all the mid-size OLED screens that were available.

Aaron Vronko, the chief executive of Rapid Repair, a company that specializes in iPhone and iPod service repairs provides good reason why Apple will opt for OLED: “It's most likely an OLED screen but not a 10-inch, since it's doubtful any manufacturer would be capable of producing them in quantity." Don't challenge Apple, Sir. Not wise. Vronko also believes that the screen’s lower power consumption, which will allow Apple to provide iPhone-esque battery life, will see Apple opt for OLED instead.

But perhaps Apple will not abandon LED alltogether, as the screen tech was also rumoured to be bought up in droves by the company, suggesting that two models of the device might be made - each sporting a different type of screens.

3. 7-inch touchscreen

It could well be the case that two touchscreen sizes come out of the Apple bag. Many believe that an entry-level 7-inch version will launch first and a premium 10-inch version will appear some time after. An industry insider back in December claimed that it was virtually impossible to buy a 7-inch touchscreen component at the time. One source added, “If you want to buy a 7-inch touchscreen at the moment, you can’t.” The plot thickens...

4. Sexy OS

Famed for its ability to deliver such gorgeous tech offerings as the iPhone and the sleek iMac, apparently the Tablet's operating system is going to be one sexy beast. The industry source who had apparently clasped eyes on the device claimed, "The UI has a good bit of new sexy to it." It supports the claim that the Tablet will offer a distinctly new looking user interface previously not seen on the iPhone and the iPod, and not the MacOS X which some tech circles had pointed to.

5. E-reader

We are caught under something of an E-reader tidal wave of late, and Apple looks set to join the party. Condé Naste is already rumoured to be preparing a digital edition of Wired specifically for the device, while Harper Collins recently announced that talks were ongoing with Apple to work on content for the Tablet.

6. Stylus

Apple is likely to follow in its own iPhone and iPod footsteps by offering a multi-touch device, but for those who prefer a change from the usual finger-swiping, a stylus could also accompany the tablet, according to patent filed back in November. Steve Jobs did famously state at the launch of the iPhone that Apple had “invented a new technology called multi-touch. It works like magic, you don't need a stylus, and it's far more accurate than any interface ever shipped.”

That said, the inclusion of a stylus makes perfect sense: it would support handwriting recognition, which is handy in a machine designed for a host of business and work-related tasks - not just watching videos.

7. Games galore

The ebook-reading, internet-surfing, music-playing device also looks set to add a little gaming fun into the mix with reports that EA is the latest company to sign up to the Apple Tablet cause. According to the Wall Street Journal, the games publisher is set to thrust games such as FIFA, Spore and Sims into Apple's new device.

8. Apps

It’s Apple’s latest success story, and as such it's strongly speculated that when the tablet is revealed it will arrive with a selection of apps to accompany it. The Cupertino-based company has apparently asked app developers to prepare full screen resolution demos for an event in January which is likely to refer to the planned press conference.

An anonymous source told Business Insider: “They’ve told select developers that as long as they build their apps to support full screen resolution – rather than a fixed 320X480 – their apps should run just fine.”

9. Price

So how much are we going to have to pay for this latest piece of essential Apple tech? Way back in July 2009, a figure of around $500 - 800 was mooted, and rumours of acquiring the device via a series of network providers would apparenlty help subsidise a mammoth $800 price tag. On that basis, in the UK we can perhaps look at forking out for the equivalent of a high-end netbook and then pay a contract for the 3G lovin', but with the tablet expected to pack a whole lot of features it may well be justified.

10. Tablet launching in the UK

Apple is said to have been in talks with Orange, 02 and Vodafone to stock the Tablet, with the trio of operators set to bundle the device with 3G mobile broadband contracts. A French Orange executive almost managed to give the whole game away having claimed the company would stock Apple’s tablet, before hastily retracting the statement and leaving the subject very much still up for speculation.

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