E-Book Pricing War: What? Amazon Raises Its Prices?

BREAKING:

And the shocker, today, February 1, Amazon agrees to bump up its e-book prices.

Big big news, indeed. You can get more background info on this e-book pricing war in the links from the roundup below.

And now, back to our regularly scheduled blog post.

I was going to write a long, lengthy post about the book reading capabilities and usability factors of the new Apple iPad, but I think for now I will hold off on that longer piece for a bit. I realized that by writing in depth about a product I have not experienced hands on, I am contributing nothing more than white noise to the conversation. Overall, though, I can tell you a couple of things about Apple’s device, based on just its specs:

1. The ergonomic push to go beyond the constraints of a tiny mobile device with finger typing into a broader device with a larger keyboard is bold on Apple’s part. The tablet becomes an object that is easily manipulated using two hands, making it easy to pass of to another person.

2. Apple’s jumping into the book business head on. By opening the iBooks store, the war begins. I’ll post more on this later on in the link roundup below. When I can get my hands on an iPad, I’ll report on its books application. This is definitely a direct comptetitors to the Kindles and E-readers, but the Kindle may still have many advantages over the iPad on this one.

3. The vaporware quality of the news reporting  that sprang from the iPad’s announcement makes me want to stab my eyes out. I keep reading speculation about how this device “will change the game,” or fall short on expectations, etc. First lets see how consumers like the device. Next, let’s see what inventive interfaces and applications developers can invent.

I’m posting below a few interesting links to follow not just the announcements and analysis regarding the iPad, but also some more recent developments regarding the “Big Six” publishers aligned with the iBooks store and Amazon’s recent dispute with McMillan.

I don’t think there ever has been such an interesting time for books in my lifetime. Change is all around. Check it.

The Ars Technica iPad digest. It goes deep into all aspects of the iPad, not just you’re looking for book-specific posts.

Why Apple’s iPad Won’t Rescue Publishing

Accessibility Hands on in the iPad: “Typing at my normal speed was … unproductive. But if I slowed down, I could type very fast using both hands.”

Mike Cane retires his blog, based on Apple’s iPad announcement. He writes: “Apple didn’t do what I expected. Yet I still expect them to.”

In case you didn’t hear, there’s an Amazon/McMillan flap that will not end. At its core is the pricing of e-books in the Kindle and iBook stores. It’s getting ugly. You can get the full roundup here.

Lit crush author John Scalzi also sears both McMillan and Amazon.

And just today, CNET chides Amazon for its involvement in pricing. Ruh roh.