Apple’s tablet — the savior of traditional publishing?
January 25, 2010
The Wall Street Journal reported that Apple reps have been meeting with publishers ahead of its expected release of its tablet on Wednesday. Which could be amazing news — absolutely amazing — for the struggling publishing industry.
Apple representatives have been in New York this week talking to the largest trade publishers, according to industry executives. They said Apple had proposed an arrangement under which publishers would get to set the price of their books, with Apple taking a 30 percent commission and the publishers keeping the rest. Steve Dowling, an Apple spokesman, declined to comment on what he called “rumors and speculation.”
Depending on whether Apple sets an upper limit on pricing, its model could be much more appealing to publishers, who resent how Amazon has aggressively discounted their books. Typically, Amazon charges $9.99 for new releases and best sellers, a price that other e-book vendors, including Sony and Barnes & Noble, have effectively been forced to follow.
Apple revolutionized the electronic music market with the iTunes store, and with the New York Times preparing to charge for content, I can’t help but think the iTunes model can blow the lid on this awful publishing industry — both traditional book and newspapers. With the sheer size of the tablet versus the iPhone, you could buy and comfortably read newspapers online. Think a portable version of Politico‘s digital print version.
Great post.
What do you think of the Apple Tablet?
I tell ya, I was disappointed this thing could have been awesome instead Jobs settled for a cheap device.
iPad
It has so much potential. But I’m disappointed; I’ve never seen the benefits of early adoption. For me, the lack of multitasking is a deal-breaker. Even WebOS on my Palm Pre can run more than one app at a time.