American Graphics Institute
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The iPad is like the baseball diamond in the cornfield – someone had a crazy idea to build it, but no one is sure if the content creators and customers will flock to it. So now that Apple has built it, will publishers come? Will they invest in adding multimedia to books, performing the XML coding necessary to get more books into the correct format, and find a revenue model that is good for them and Apple too?

The iPad needs traditional book, magazine, and newspaper publishers. People aren’t going to buy a tablet running the iPhone OS if they can’t make calls with it, and we don’t need a larger iPod if something 1/10 the size is easier to take to the gym or on the commute to work. So the iPad needs something different – and a better e reading experience is what can set it apart from being an overpriced movie player or underpowered laptop.

Enter the iPad: a platform for publishers to distribute enhanced books and content. This is the way of the future for publishers. Simply digitizing static text isn’t really leveraging everything that electronic publishing can offer. Interactivity, zooming, multimedia – these should make learning, reading, and exploring subjects an immersive experience. So Apple has provided the platform. The multi-touch screen on the iPad is a big step up from the Kindle’s no-touch screen. I pinch and touched the Kindle so often, forgetting that it didn’t work like my iPhone, so this will be a nice upgrade.

But without the iPad, publishers wouldn’t have ever made the leap of faith into pushing more content into a digital format. The Kindle format for media isn’t supportive of widespread adoption of the platform, the pricing model for content bothered many publishers, and even consumers that liked having so many books on a small device still didn’t like the Kindle interface. It’s difficult to buy books or navigate around the screen using a controller that was better suited for a 1970’s Atari game of Pong rather than a 21st century e-reader. The screen is acceptable for reading, and the black and white didn’t bother me – but the Kindle needed some competition.

So Apple needs publishers, and we will be waiting to see if that Apple library gets filled up with novels, textbooks, magazines, newspapers, and more. Because without a library of great content it’s like a giant iPhone that can’t make phone calls.

Apple faced a chicken – egg issue; without the content, the device is useless, and without the device (and audience) no one would have made content for tablet distribution. It’s good that Apple took this first step, and publishers will likely start to invest their resources to make more content available electronically, taking full advantage of the platform.

In short, it looks like we now have a better ereader platform, but with a much smaller set of content that should grow and start to give the Kindle some serious competition.

Earlier this week I wrote about the expanded use of e-readers. This growth is good news for publishers, authors, consumers, and the environment.  Publishers will have more control over their digital content.  Early digital books were often distributed in Adobe’s ebook format, which had many problems that limited the acceptance of ebooks. The user experience of reading on a desktop or laptop was one issue, but the biggest problem faced by publishers was Adobe’s lack of security and digital rights managements. It’s not that Adobe didn’t try to secure ebooks – but unfortunately their efforts weren’t good enough. Adobe’s e-reader format involves a modified PDF format with a “light” form of security. The security stopped technical neophytes from pirating books, but many publishers found that distributing books in the Adobe ebook format is the equivalent of posting your books on-line for free. This is because Adobe’s ebook security is quickly and easily bypassed or cracked by a user with even modest technical capabilities, and many books distributed in the ebook format end up posted on free streaming sites within days and sometimes only hours of being offered for sale on-line. Some cracked ebooks then get sold by pirates on sites like eBay, so the pirates profit and the publisher and author don’t receive anything for their efforts.
The new ereaders appear to provide more control over who can view a book, and they operate within a more controlled environment providing an additional level of security that Adobe never achieved with their ereader format. While Adobe has made some attempts to create proprietary readers for newspapers to help distribute the AIR player which competes with Microsoft’s Silverlight – but I view this as misguided, as reading is moving to devices and off the desktop and laptop. The winner in the eBook arena appears to be eInk, who is making the displays used by many of the readers.
Some of the new ereaders, like the Nook from Barnes & Noble, will allow users to share books –similar to what occurs with paper versions of books. If someone wants their own copy for extended use, they will purchase it. Increased sales and reduced piracy is good for authors as well, and consumers are able to obtain books instantly. The reduced cost of printing and distributing books likely won’t trickle-down to consumers right away, as companies recover their investment in these new technologies, but eventually this cost savings may find its way to consumers.
Who is at risk from ereaders? Printing companies, paper manufactures, and traditional print layout and production artists. I’ll write more on this in a future post.

As I sat down with my morning cup of coffee and my Boston Globe, out dropped a full color insert promoting the Globe Reader. The Reader is an application for viewing the Globe on a computer and works on-line and can download stories for viewing off-line as well. The idea of news readers isn’t new – the parent company to the Globe, the New York Times, recently tried a reader using a similar technology that runs on Mac and PC based upon the Microsoft Silverlight platform. What interested me about this was two things: First, a large Adobe AIR logo is on the brochure and it also appears prominently on the site to download the Reader. While it isn’t stated, I’m guessing that Adobe has underwritten this effort in an attempt to get the AIR application installed on more desktops and build a bigger following. Secondly, someone at Adobe – and possibly at the Globe – thinks that I’m going to read my newspaper on my computer, which is flawed. The Globe / Adobe is solving a problem that doesn’t exist. I like my Globe – and my Wall Street Journal in print. If I need an update, I can get it on my iPhone without cracking open my laptop, or I can do an RSS feed from any number of news services. I don’t need another application such as the Reader. My family might appear to be the perfect candidate for this – my wife and I both carry laptops, we’re tech savvy – we write Dummies books and the Digital Classroom books – and we have more computers at home and the office. The last thing I want to do is crack open my laptop first thing in the morning, and if I want updates on the news, I want them quickly – without another application on my computer. An iPhone ap makes sense, but on the desktop the last think I need is another dedicated application.

So, if the Globe wants people to download an application like this, they need to give me something that I don’t already have. Maybe show me stories connected to user comments, a Twitter stream, or FaceBook. Or show me video and commentary, and aggregate content from multiple sources  –  simply put, they need to use the full power of an RIA. If the Globe is going to take money or support from Adobe, they should be upfront about it.  Let us know that the technology is being funded by someone that has a stake in which platform we’re using, and a company on which they report. There is nothing wrong with the Globe choosing one platform or another – but full disclosure helps maintain trust. In full disclosure, American Graphics Institute works with companies to help them create applications using both Microsoft Silverlight and Adobe AIR