Not to denigrate the efforts of any of the fine programmers who have poured their blood, sweat, and tears into creating e-reader apps... but I'm really hoping Apple provides us little fish with some sort of framework for making it easy to make a nice ebook.
If they do it will be a feature of iWork.
I am so with you on this one though. I've been searching everywhere for a Mac ebook creator software and so far come up with NOTHING. I can't even find any real place for working out the format coding to make my own. I think if Apple is going to produce a tablet that is aimed at print content as well then they will develop software to make proper ebooks and not just PDF documents which many ebook readers still have trouble with if it is complex.
In most cases the cost of the physical media and shipping/handling is totally over-estimated. Publishers can e.g. offer packages/collections containing thousands of pages (look for e.g. Jules Verne complete editions or the complete works of Wieland... 10-15k pages across 30 or more books with hardcovers) for next to nothing and still make money (I paid the equivalent of 45 USD for a complete Wieland edition - 22 volumes hardcover plus a nice box). And these are not "hot selling" items, so warehouse space does not seem to determine the end price either. This is not only true for books. You can find collections of classical music containing 40-50 CDs in one box for under $200, and they still carry a mark-up. Content and demand determine the price, printing cost is in most cases irrelevant (except for photo books and a few other items).
Printing costs are hardly irrelevant. At the low end, you're still looking at a bit under 1¢ per page, plus producing a nice color cover and binding it all together. You end up with raw production costs of a few dollars per book.
At 30% of a $10 book, Apple would be keeping replacing those costs, but eliminating shipping, warehousing and risk.
Printing costs are hardly irrelevant. At the low end, you're still looking at about 1¢ per page, plus producing a nice color cover and binding it all together. You end up with raw production costs of a few dollars per book.
At 30% of a $10 book, Apple would be keeping replacing those costs, but eliminating shipping, warehousing and risk.
Seems like a pretty good deal for everyone.
I do agree that 30% is a good deal, especially considering that it?s considerably more generous than Amazon?s take and it eliminates the cost of physical shipping and is likely less than B&M stores get on mark up of most content, but I do disagree on the risk factor.
At least, the publisher?s perceived risk. They have to DRM the content but the closer they keep it to themselves the higher the cost to maintain the DRM protection and they really don?t have expertise in this area so they?ll likely have Apple and other vendors maintain the DRM for the same content which increases the potential for breaking DRM in other ways that they?ll have no control over.
Inevitably the content will end up cracked and available for free in the dark alleyways of the internets . Unlike the high piracy that is claimed by App Store developers which have ways of monitoring piracy despite having little to no recourse in to prevent the occurrence books, newspapers and other periodicals may find it impossible to accurately determine, much less prevent, piracy. That doesn?t mean they shouldn?t go digital?they really have no choice if they wish to survive?but that doesn?t mean it?s not without risk.
I do agree that 30% is a good deal, especially considering that it?s considerably more generous than Amazon?s take and it eliminates the cost of physical shipping and is likely less than B&M stores get on mark up of most content, but I do disagree on the risk factor.
At least, the publisher?s perceived risk. They have to DRM the content but the closer they keep it to themselves the higher the cost to maintain the DRM protection and they really don?t have expertise in this area so they?ll likely have Apple and other vendors maintain the DRM for the same content which increases the potential for breaking DRM in other ways that they?ll have no control over.
Inevitably the content will end up cracked and available for free in the dark alleyways of the internets . Unlike the high piracy that is claimed by App Store developers which have ways of monitoring piracy despite having little to no recourse in to prevent the occurrence books, newspapers and other periodicals may find it impossible to accurately determine, much less prevent, piracy. That doesn?t mean they shouldn?t go digital?they really have no choice if they wish to survive?but that doesn?t mean it?s not without risk.
No question that risk is a big factor, and is the primary reason it has taken the publishing industry so long to shift toward digital books and other content (ie. magazines, newspapers, etc...). However, the movie theater industry is currently making this shift and I have read about some of the anti-piracy initiatives launched and built into the digital content that is currently in the market. No doubt that piracy is an issue, and will continue to be an issue, but the shift to digital will happen and those content providers that find a way to maximize current sales in the digital while working to minimize piracy will end up market leaders in the digital world. It is that simple. This shift is happening and anyone not participating will likely be hurt in the long run by not moving early, although they also need to be prudent as they do so.
However, the movie theater industry is currently making this shift and I have read about some of the anti-piracy initiatives launched and built into the digital content that is currently in the market.
Speaking of, in an off-topic round about way, I read that Blu-ra player sales were up 67% for 2009. That seems quite low considering the drop in price for Blu-ray players. I seem to recall that when CD and DVD players reached a sub $100 point in their product history that their growth rate was many times year over year. I wonder if digital downloads and streaming media, from various sources from ad-supported to paid sources are growing considerably faster due to their inherent convenience factor for many people.
I'm sure piracy is a concern, hopefully it won't slow college textbooks being put on the tablet. I must admit though, if the college textbooks are pirateable, students are just going to pirate them unless they are at a reasonable price (ie, not 200$).
Yup. This remains yet another big question what would be available abroad. Upon having been waiting since always for movie rental capabilities in French iTunes Store I'm somewhat pessimistic about whether this new amazing product would do any good for me.
And personally I'm not that much interested in any creative painting facilities....
Yup. This remains yet another big question what would be available abroad. Upon having been waiting since always for movie rental capabilities in French iTunes Store I'm somewhat pessimistic about whether this new amazing product would do any good for me.
And personally I'm not that much interested in any creative painting facilities....
As with all Apple products the primary focus will always be the US at first. This is even moreso if the product is intended to be used with media services from 3rd-parties that don?t cross international borders with ease. Personally, I think it?s all bullocks since it limits the distribution and therefore the sales, but it?s not my call. \
As with all Apple products the primary focus will always be the US at first. This is even moreso if the product is intended to be used with media services from 3rd-parties that don’t cross international borders with ease. Personally, I think it’s all bullocks since it limits the distribution and therefore the sales, but it’s not my call. \
I accept. But they just can't sell the product nude at Apple price. We may eventually have some piece of action too.
P.S. Frankly, what I'd readily consider is some kind of subscription to the special tablet version of some weekly (Paris Match, for one) of superior typographic quality, including the access to their archives. E-books come only second.
Speaking of, in an off-topic round about way, I read that Blu-ra player sales were up 67% for 2009. That seems quite low considering the drop in price for Blu-ray players. I seem to recall that when CD and DVD players reached a sub $100 point in their product history that their growth rate was many times year over year. I wonder if digital downloads and streaming media, from various sources from ad-supported to paid sources are growing considerably faster due to their inherent convenience factor for many people.
Their rate of growth will be higher as digital downloads is a smaller market.
I accept. But they just can't sell the product nude at Apple price. We may eventually have some piece of action too.
P.S. Frankly, what I'd readily consider is some kind of subscription to the special tablet version of some weekly (Paris Match, for one) of superior polygraphic quality, including the access to their archives. E-books come only second.
This tablet may be very different than a product like the AppleTV that currently relys heavily on the iTunes Store to make it work for many users. Not many want to use it for a audio jukebox, image screensaver or convert video.
We?ve heard very convincing reports that Apple has talking to newspapers and magazines from other countries about a subscription service and I think Amazon has already broken ground in many countries for eBooks, so the issue doesn?t look nearly as difficult as getting digitally streaming movies and TV shows.
Plus, there was talk of a standard model among publishers, Apple?s iTunes Extra and iTunes LP use an open-standards design, and there are already many ways in which eBooks can be had, even if they are in an unfriendly PDF form.
How is the iTunes Store for music in France? Even with the boundaries isn?t the selection good? If so, how long did it take to get to that level?
This tablet may be very different than a product like the AppleTV that currently relys heavily on the iTunes Store to make it work for many users. Not many want to use it for a audio jukebox, image screensaver or convert video.
I second the point they should have got started with rerouting media distribution channels and with detaching them from iTunes Store.
Quote:
Originally Posted by solipsism
How is the iTunes Store for music in France? Even with the boundaries isn?t the selection good? If so, how long did it take to get to that level?
Well, it should probably be called not bad for general taste and common habitudes to seek quickly through all available tunes and to pick the newest and the hottest things and then to abandon them in just one week.
It's not much when comes to what I'd like to have for myself; yet I still manage somehow to find tracks, which I think are quite rare. What is definitely missing is French (and outdated) video materials. Few to nothing of clips. Only TV series, no movies.
I'm really looking forward to seeing what is happening on the print/book front with the new devices. Most of you have covered the important topics, but here's what's important for me:
1) Content Presentation: I really think that there should be an "iPod" style app produced by apple as part of the base OS4.0. Just as the iPod app handles video/music/audio-books/TV etc, the "eReader" app should handle novels/textbooks/magazines/newspapers/periodicals etc. The presentation of the content within the "eReader" app can be done in whatever way the publisher wants (within a framework such as iTunes LP provided by Apple to enable a consistent development approach for content producers), so long as it is all combined into a single "shelf" for access. The last thing I want to see any more of, is single app ebooks.
2) Costs: This depends on the media, but as a rule,
a) I would want to pay less than the RRP for a novel for the equivalent eBook. I can buy the latest bestsellers with RRPs of £7/8 from Tesco for under £4. I'd love to see the price match the market pricing, but so long as it's less then the RRP, I *might* be tempted. If it's the same, and certainly if there is a premium attached, I won't buy at all. I have about 630 novels (estimated for insurance recently, hence how I know), and I'm perfectly happy to carry on buying physical books.
b) The same goes for magazine and newspaper type media, with the proviso that I would be willing to match the street selling price (something which never get's undercut, unlike for books) on the assumption that there are no adverts. If the adverts stay in, I'm paying less. I'll pay the same to have them removed. I am far more likely to buy subscriptions to magazines and newspapers than I am to buy a book, as unlike with books I don't feel the need to keep the physical article and present it nicely on a shelf, so if they get this right it coul dbe a good earner for them
c) For textbooks, and professional publications that get updated and revised etc, this is the area where they need to do something clever. These things are high cost because they are low volume and specialised, but that needn't be the case in an online store. I'd want to pay a lot less for the 1st copy, but then have the option of subscribing to updates for a minimal cost, or have the ability to keep the edition I have, and pay a one-off cost for a point in time update to the latest edition (say 10-20% for obtaining the current edition of a textbook you have that is backlevel)
I really, really hope that Apple won't release a $1000 tablet...
They won't. It'll be $999. That's what they consider a price under $1000.
I really hope that device won't cost $1000, not $900, neither $800. The price should be between $500 and $700. Otherwise, with all this crisis, I don't think they're going to sell too much of those tablets at $800-$1000.
I really, really hope that Apple won't release a $1000 tablet...
Me to. I don't see the point in it if it costs the much. The only use I can think of, is for it to be a handy device to use in you home. E.g. Play iTunes content to airport express base stations, quickly go on the internet and check your mail. The job that's currently being done (in my case) by either my iPhone which isn't great due to the lack of screen size and flash or my 5 year old iBook which I dont mind keeping under the sofa but takes ages to turn on.
If it costs any more than £300 though then I might as well get somethign else.
Printing costs are hardly irrelevant. At the low end, you're still looking at a bit under 1¢ per page, plus producing a nice color cover and binding it all together. You end up with raw production costs of a few dollars per book.
At 30% of a $10 book, Apple would be keeping replacing those costs, but eliminating shipping, warehousing and risk.
Seems like a pretty good deal for everyone.
These prices discount authors, editors, and other human resources required to generate publications. A textbook can easily require 10 years to go from an idea to a spot on the shelf of a bookstore. This is a single-author book. Modern freshman textbooks are collaborative efforts that involve 2-3 authors on the binder and 10-15 others named in the foreword. You simply cannot justify that level of effort if the book is priced at 1¢ per page.
I really hope that device won't cost $1000, not $900, neither $800. The price should be between $500 and $700. Otherwise, with all this crisis, I don't think they're going to sell too much of those tablets at $800-$1000.
Apple has a large installed base of fans who will pay huge prices for a new Apple product. After exploiting those folks, Apple often adds capabilities and slashes the price. At least, that's what they did with their prior groundbreaking product, the iPhone.
Comments
Not to denigrate the efforts of any of the fine programmers who have poured their blood, sweat, and tears into creating e-reader apps... but I'm really hoping Apple provides us little fish with some sort of framework for making it easy to make a nice ebook.
If they do it will be a feature of iWork.
I am so with you on this one though. I've been searching everywhere for a Mac ebook creator software and so far come up with NOTHING. I can't even find any real place for working out the format coding to make my own. I think if Apple is going to produce a tablet that is aimed at print content as well then they will develop software to make proper ebooks and not just PDF documents which many ebook readers still have trouble with if it is complex.
In most cases the cost of the physical media and shipping/handling is totally over-estimated. Publishers can e.g. offer packages/collections containing thousands of pages (look for e.g. Jules Verne complete editions or the complete works of Wieland... 10-15k pages across 30 or more books with hardcovers) for next to nothing and still make money (I paid the equivalent of 45 USD for a complete Wieland edition - 22 volumes hardcover plus a nice box). And these are not "hot selling" items, so warehouse space does not seem to determine the end price either. This is not only true for books. You can find collections of classical music containing 40-50 CDs in one box for under $200, and they still carry a mark-up. Content and demand determine the price, printing cost is in most cases irrelevant (except for photo books and a few other items).
Printing costs are hardly irrelevant. At the low end, you're still looking at a bit under 1¢ per page, plus producing a nice color cover and binding it all together. You end up with raw production costs of a few dollars per book.
At 30% of a $10 book, Apple would be keeping replacing those costs, but eliminating shipping, warehousing and risk.
Seems like a pretty good deal for everyone.
Printing costs are hardly irrelevant. At the low end, you're still looking at about 1¢ per page, plus producing a nice color cover and binding it all together. You end up with raw production costs of a few dollars per book.
At 30% of a $10 book, Apple would be keeping replacing those costs, but eliminating shipping, warehousing and risk.
Seems like a pretty good deal for everyone.
I do agree that 30% is a good deal, especially considering that it?s considerably more generous than Amazon?s take and it eliminates the cost of physical shipping and is likely less than B&M stores get on mark up of most content, but I do disagree on the risk factor.
At least, the publisher?s perceived risk. They have to DRM the content but the closer they keep it to themselves the higher the cost to maintain the DRM protection and they really don?t have expertise in this area so they?ll likely have Apple and other vendors maintain the DRM for the same content which increases the potential for breaking DRM in other ways that they?ll have no control over.
Inevitably the content will end up cracked and available for free in the dark alleyways of the internets . Unlike the high piracy that is claimed by App Store developers which have ways of monitoring piracy despite having little to no recourse in to prevent the occurrence books, newspapers and other periodicals may find it impossible to accurately determine, much less prevent, piracy. That doesn?t mean they shouldn?t go digital?they really have no choice if they wish to survive?but that doesn?t mean it?s not without risk.
I do agree that 30% is a good deal, especially considering that it?s considerably more generous than Amazon?s take and it eliminates the cost of physical shipping and is likely less than B&M stores get on mark up of most content, but I do disagree on the risk factor.
At least, the publisher?s perceived risk. They have to DRM the content but the closer they keep it to themselves the higher the cost to maintain the DRM protection and they really don?t have expertise in this area so they?ll likely have Apple and other vendors maintain the DRM for the same content which increases the potential for breaking DRM in other ways that they?ll have no control over.
Inevitably the content will end up cracked and available for free in the dark alleyways of the internets . Unlike the high piracy that is claimed by App Store developers which have ways of monitoring piracy despite having little to no recourse in to prevent the occurrence books, newspapers and other periodicals may find it impossible to accurately determine, much less prevent, piracy. That doesn?t mean they shouldn?t go digital?they really have no choice if they wish to survive?but that doesn?t mean it?s not without risk.
No question that risk is a big factor, and is the primary reason it has taken the publishing industry so long to shift toward digital books and other content (ie. magazines, newspapers, etc...). However, the movie theater industry is currently making this shift and I have read about some of the anti-piracy initiatives launched and built into the digital content that is currently in the market. No doubt that piracy is an issue, and will continue to be an issue, but the shift to digital will happen and those content providers that find a way to maximize current sales in the digital while working to minimize piracy will end up market leaders in the digital world. It is that simple. This shift is happening and anyone not participating will likely be hurt in the long run by not moving early, although they also need to be prudent as they do so.
However, the movie theater industry is currently making this shift and I have read about some of the anti-piracy initiatives launched and built into the digital content that is currently in the market.
Speaking of, in an off-topic round about way, I read that Blu-ra player sales were up 67% for 2009. That seems quite low considering the drop in price for Blu-ray players. I seem to recall that when CD and DVD players reached a sub $100 point in their product history that their growth rate was many times year over year. I wonder if digital downloads and streaming media, from various sources from ad-supported to paid sources are growing considerably faster due to their inherent convenience factor for many people.
And personally I'm not that much interested in any creative painting facilities....
Yup. This remains yet another big question what would be available abroad. Upon having been waiting since always for movie rental capabilities in French iTunes Store I'm somewhat pessimistic about whether this new amazing product would do any good for me.
And personally I'm not that much interested in any creative painting facilities....
As with all Apple products the primary focus will always be the US at first. This is even moreso if the product is intended to be used with media services from 3rd-parties that don?t cross international borders with ease. Personally, I think it?s all bullocks since it limits the distribution and therefore the sales, but it?s not my call.
As with all Apple products the primary focus will always be the US at first. This is even moreso if the product is intended to be used with media services from 3rd-parties that don’t cross international borders with ease. Personally, I think it’s all bullocks since it limits the distribution and therefore the sales, but it’s not my call.
I accept. But they just can't sell the product nude at Apple price.
P.S. Frankly, what I'd readily consider is some kind of subscription to the special tablet version of some weekly (Paris Match, for one) of superior typographic quality, including the access to their archives. E-books come only second.
Speaking of, in an off-topic round about way, I read that Blu-ra player sales were up 67% for 2009. That seems quite low considering the drop in price for Blu-ray players. I seem to recall that when CD and DVD players reached a sub $100 point in their product history that their growth rate was many times year over year. I wonder if digital downloads and streaming media, from various sources from ad-supported to paid sources are growing considerably faster due to their inherent convenience factor for many people.
Their rate of growth will be higher as digital downloads is a smaller market.
I accept. But they just can't sell the product nude at Apple price.
P.S. Frankly, what I'd readily consider is some kind of subscription to the special tablet version of some weekly (Paris Match, for one) of superior polygraphic quality, including the access to their archives. E-books come only second.
This tablet may be very different than a product like the AppleTV that currently relys heavily on the iTunes Store to make it work for many users. Not many want to use it for a audio jukebox, image screensaver or convert video.
We?ve heard very convincing reports that Apple has talking to newspapers and magazines from other countries about a subscription service and I think Amazon has already broken ground in many countries for eBooks, so the issue doesn?t look nearly as difficult as getting digitally streaming movies and TV shows.
Plus, there was talk of a standard model among publishers, Apple?s iTunes Extra and iTunes LP use an open-standards design, and there are already many ways in which eBooks can be had, even if they are in an unfriendly PDF form.
How is the iTunes Store for music in France? Even with the boundaries isn?t the selection good? If so, how long did it take to get to that level?
This tablet may be very different than a product like the AppleTV that currently relys heavily on the iTunes Store to make it work for many users. Not many want to use it for a audio jukebox, image screensaver or convert video.
I second the point they should have got started with rerouting media distribution channels and with detaching them from iTunes Store.
How is the iTunes Store for music in France? Even with the boundaries isn?t the selection good? If so, how long did it take to get to that level?
Well, it should probably be called not bad for general taste and common habitudes to seek quickly through all available tunes and to pick the newest and the hottest things and then to abandon them in just one week.
It's not much when comes to what I'd like to have for myself; yet I still manage somehow to find tracks, which I think are quite rare. What is definitely missing is French (and outdated) video materials. Few to nothing of clips. Only TV series, no movies.
1) Content Presentation: I really think that there should be an "iPod" style app produced by apple as part of the base OS4.0. Just as the iPod app handles video/music/audio-books/TV etc, the "eReader" app should handle novels/textbooks/magazines/newspapers/periodicals etc. The presentation of the content within the "eReader" app can be done in whatever way the publisher wants (within a framework such as iTunes LP provided by Apple to enable a consistent development approach for content producers), so long as it is all combined into a single "shelf" for access. The last thing I want to see any more of, is single app ebooks.
2) Costs: This depends on the media, but as a rule,
a) I would want to pay less than the RRP for a novel for the equivalent eBook. I can buy the latest bestsellers with RRPs of £7/8 from Tesco for under £4. I'd love to see the price match the market pricing, but so long as it's less then the RRP, I *might* be tempted. If it's the same, and certainly if there is a premium attached, I won't buy at all. I have about 630 novels (estimated for insurance recently, hence how I know), and I'm perfectly happy to carry on buying physical books.
b) The same goes for magazine and newspaper type media, with the proviso that I would be willing to match the street selling price (something which never get's undercut, unlike for books) on the assumption that there are no adverts. If the adverts stay in, I'm paying less. I'll pay the same to have them removed. I am far more likely to buy subscriptions to magazines and newspapers than I am to buy a book, as unlike with books I don't feel the need to keep the physical article and present it nicely on a shelf, so if they get this right it coul dbe a good earner for them
c) For textbooks, and professional publications that get updated and revised etc, this is the area where they need to do something clever. These things are high cost because they are low volume and specialised, but that needn't be the case in an online store. I'd want to pay a lot less for the 1st copy, but then have the option of subscribing to updates for a minimal cost, or have the ability to keep the edition I have, and pay a one-off cost for a point in time update to the latest edition (say 10-20% for obtaining the current edition of a textbook you have that is backlevel)
i really, really hope that apple won't release a $1000 tablet...
$1000.00?
I too hope not.
I really, really hope that Apple won't release a $1000 tablet...
They won't. It'll be $999. That's what they consider a price under $1000.
I really hope that device won't cost $1000, not $900, neither $800. The price should be between $500 and $700. Otherwise, with all this crisis, I don't think they're going to sell too much of those tablets at $800-$1000.
I really, really hope that Apple won't release a $1000 tablet...
Me to. I don't see the point in it if it costs the much. The only use I can think of, is for it to be a handy device to use in you home. E.g. Play iTunes content to airport express base stations, quickly go on the internet and check your mail. The job that's currently being done (in my case) by either my iPhone which isn't great due to the lack of screen size and flash or my 5 year old iBook which I dont mind keeping under the sofa but takes ages to turn on.
If it costs any more than £300 though then I might as well get somethign else.
publishers also have to adjust the price for the amount of piracy that will occur, with or without DRM.
Why? Imagine an editor pitching publication of a book: "we likely will sell 100,000 at $X.00/each."
Their boss says: "but there will be another 100,000 pirated! So we need to raise the price!"
How does that work?
Printing costs are hardly irrelevant. At the low end, you're still looking at a bit under 1¢ per page, plus producing a nice color cover and binding it all together. You end up with raw production costs of a few dollars per book.
At 30% of a $10 book, Apple would be keeping replacing those costs, but eliminating shipping, warehousing and risk.
Seems like a pretty good deal for everyone.
These prices discount authors, editors, and other human resources required to generate publications. A textbook can easily require 10 years to go from an idea to a spot on the shelf of a bookstore. This is a single-author book. Modern freshman textbooks are collaborative efforts that involve 2-3 authors on the binder and 10-15 others named in the foreword. You simply cannot justify that level of effort if the book is priced at 1¢ per page.
I really hope that device won't cost $1000, not $900, neither $800. The price should be between $500 and $700. Otherwise, with all this crisis, I don't think they're going to sell too much of those tablets at $800-$1000.
Apple has a large installed base of fans who will pay huge prices for a new Apple product. After exploiting those folks, Apple often adds capabilities and slashes the price. At least, that's what they did with their prior groundbreaking product, the iPhone.