Introducing the Apple iPad
Apple has finally put an end to the speculation with the launch of the iPad. We hope, like us you enjoyed the spectacle of last night’s event. Of course, the most interesting aspect for bookworms is the launch of iBooks – the online book store which Apple hopes will revolutionise the publishing world just as iTunes shook up the music industry.
The iBook app can be downloaded for free from the App store and will allow iPad users to buy any book available from the built-in iBookstore which uses the ePub format, as many predicted.
You will be able to create a virtual bookshelf on the iPad screen and simply tap the book icon to read the book you’ve bought. There’s a stylish page-turning function and you can change the book’s font to suit you. Apple says, ‘the high-resolution, LED-backlit screen displays everything in sharp, rich, colour, so it’s easy to read, even in low light.’
Apple has done a deal with publishers including Penguin, Macmillan and Harper Collins to allow e-books to be downloaded directly to the iPad. Interestingly one publisher, Random House, didn’t sign saying the company ‘would look forward to continuing conversations’.
So has Apple made dinosaurs out of Amazon’s Kindle and other e-readers already? We’d love to know what you think, and whether you’d buy an iPad over a stand alone e-reader?
For more details on the rest of the iPad features here is a round-up of reviews and news stories:
Stephen Fry’s iPad blog – he attended the event and posted this excellent blog shortly after. He also did the best tweets of the night!
Apple iPad – details and full demo from the creators themselves.
The Bookseller’s blog – Philip Jones, deputy editor of The Bookseller on ‘That iBook moment’
NY Times article – Books on iPad offer publishers a pricing edge.
Guardian article – Apple iPad: the wait is over – but is it future of media or oversized phone?
Cnet news – Apple’s iPad: what you need to know
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6pm Wednesday 27 January… It’s official! We’re sitting watching and listening to live streaming from the Apple event, and Steve Jobs has just revealed the hugely anticipated Apple iPad. Apple’s founder and CEO held up the device to thunderous applause from the audience – many of whom are tweeting and blogging away furiously!
Steve went through some computing and Apple history then spoke about creating a ‘third category of device’ something between a phone and a laptop.
It was unveiled and basically looks like a giant iPhone. It has a virtual keyboard, iTunes, photos, YouTube, Google maps, and of course is web-enabled.
Nothing yet about content, or specifically books – apart from iTunes audiobooks obviously.
We’re watching Engadget’s live blogging from the Apple ‘latest creation’ event.
Enjoy, and we’ll have a review round-up for you tomorrow.
The BookRabbit Team
I’m sure you’ve all checked the iPad out already and know by now that there will be an iBook store for downloading ebooks onto the iPad.
This is one sexy piece of technology and, although I was initially very interested in it, the fact that it cannot multi-task is a severe disadvantage in my opinion.
So, you won’t be able to be reading your ibook then pop over and make a note, or play some music in the background. Shame really, but once apple have added the expected video camera to the next version as is their natural development, and of course given us the ‘option’ of any colour under the apple tree, then we may hopefully see some operating system development work to push it into multitasking.
Let’s hope that once all the apples have dropped, they will see the light of day.