Neil HughesWith anonymous information from people within various facets of the publishing world, Gizmodo has said that Apple has been reaching out to print publications about putting their products for sale on iTunes via a new piece of hardware. The report cited people familiar with The New York Times, publishers McGraw Hill and Oberlin Press, and a trip that "several executives from one of the largest magazine groups" took to the company's Cupertino, Calif., headquarters.
Apple's tablet has been through a number of different iterations, and the project has been reset numerous times by company co-founder Steve Jobs. The report said that Jobs was presented with a tablet device that ran a modified version of OS X years ago, but the device was shelved because the company could not determine what use people would have for the hardware.
The focus of the hardware now is said to not be the playback of media, which the iPod and iPhone lines already handle well. Instead, Apple is reportedly working to have publishers place their print content on iTunes.
"The eventual goal is to have publishers create hybridized content that draws from audio, video, interactive graphics in books, magazines and newspapers, where paper layouts would be static," the report said. "And with release dates for Microsoft's Courier set to be quite far away and Kindle stuck with relatively static e-ink, it appears that Apple is moving towards a pole position in distribution of this next-generation print content. First, it'll get its feet wet with more basic repurposing of the stuff found on dead trees today."
Gizmodo also corroborates what sources have told AppleInsider — that the device will debut in early 2010.
Two people from The New York Times were allegedly contacted by Apple in June about putting their product on a "new device." And McGraw Hilll and Oberlin Press are said to be working to put their textbooks on iTunes, possibly in a DRMed format that would allow use for a period of time. And magazine executives are alleged to have presented their ideas on the future of publishing on Apple's campus. Given the evidence, the report asserts that Apple is looking to go beyond e-readers, like Amazon's Kindle, to "redefine print."
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155 Comments
If I were these companies, I'd be careful to cede so much control to one company, especially when your industry is failing. If this "Apple product" succeeds so much that it has no viable competition, then Apple can hold you by the balls.
Apple's tablet has been through a number of different iterations, and the project has been reset numerous times by company co-founder Steve Jobs. The report said that Jobs was presented with a tablet device that ran a modified version of OS X years ago, but the device was shelved because the company could not determine what use people would have for the hardware.
I hate to say that such thinking is where the future lies, but so much garbage is dumped out there without so much as a *hint* of this kind of questioning. The fact so few companies even bother with this step is why s many cool, but eventually useless items leave their labs.
I think this is the best green thinking that any company can hope to achieve in its senior executives...to realease products that you intend to see becomes very successful, and that people have a use for. Bravo!
I know, I'd love to see my Newton come back too. I bought it when all I had was a 1000 bucks. Beautiful piece of hardware even if it wasn't a commercial success. However I have to bow to reasonable thinking if it means a long-awaited product comes along that I plan on using all the time. My iPhone has replaced every gadget I used to own for casual use - GPS, Photos, Cell phone, Day Planning (PDA), etc.
If Apple is making the same case for their netbook being a true reader I'm in! I'll have one small bag and two devices to replace every gizmo and book I can carry.
I believe a study said it was cheaper for the NYT to give each subscriber a Kindle and an e-subscription over a period of a year than to print and deliver a physical paper.
However don't underestimate the readability of the Kindle's ePaper display. Except in dark rooms, of course!
An Apple tablet targeted for magazines and papers could have a display optimised for low power consumption rather than quality, even if it stayed with being an LCD.
The end of traditional print media is inevitable. I would be most interested in digital subscriptions to my favorite newspapers and magazines.
I believe a study said it was cheaper for the NYT to give each subscriber a Kindle and an e-subscription over a period of a year than to print and deliver a physical paper.
However don't underestimate the readability of the Kindle's ePaper display. Except in dark rooms, of course!
An Apple tablet targeted for magazines and papers could have a display optimised for low power consumption rather than quality, even if it stayed with being an LCD.
ePaper is great...I like the readability and long battery life. Kindle lacks the interactivity option (you can't put notes into your text, which is important "feature" of plain paper and marker or pencil) and is too attached to Amazon's content (I'd like to be able to view my own PDF files, plus webpages).
It would be great to have a tablet as complimentary device to iPhone (connected through bluetooth), all the "brain" would be in the iPhone, tablet would serve as extra screen estate for iPhone..but I doubt this is going to happen.