E-books in the age of the iPad
Craig Mod has a very interesting take on how the iPad will affect book publishing which I agree with. When I talk to people about the iPad I see them nodding their heads and my guess is they’re thinking “color Kindle”. As Craig points out, nothing could be further from the truth.
An iPad (and other similar devices) will turn the traditional book-reading experience on it’s head. To the luddites of the world I can only say…brace for impact. A low barrier to entry will loosen the strangle hold traditional gatekeepers have had on the flow of content. True, we’ll have to wade through a lot of crap to find the good stuff. But that’s a task that technology makes easier and faster every day.
Craig explains this as “formless content” (like you see in a paperback) vs “definite content” (like a magazine spread). Formless content is shoehorned into whatever container is available. Definite content, on the other hand, is a small part of a much larger canvas which collectively creates an entirely different user experience. Through the prism of current technology this would be like an electronic magazine layout with video, audio and embedded apps.
Seeing how this ultimately plays out is–by way of understatement– going to be fun.
paradox place 