Find eBook Readers Blog   Reading in the Digital Age

The wait is finally over;  Steve Jobs presented the iPad today,  and it is a pretty impressive giant iPod Touch.

Just to recap the features, which you have probably already seen:

• 9.7 – inch backlit LED multitouch display with a fingerprint – resistant coating; 1024 x 768 resolution
• 16GB, 32GB or 64GB flash drive
• Lots of formats supported, including MS Word, PDF, MS PowerPoint, EPUB
• Language, keyboard and dictionary support for European languages as well as Japanese and Simplified Chinese
• Video playback up to 720p
• Battery life of up to 10 hours playing video, using Wi-Fi, etc. Up to one month standby
• Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n), Bluetooth 2.1; optional 3G

The most surprising thing for me is the pricing: $499, $599 and $699 depending on the size of the flash drive.  3G will cost an additional $130 plus a monthly data plan.  I was expecting pricing starting at around $700.  Unfortunately (for me anyway), Apple has decided to go with AT&T again for the 3G, which would be unacceptable for me.  If I buy an iPad I guess I will have to just get the base model with Wi-Fi.

Some things that the iPad doesn’t seem to have (at least not yet):

• No Flash support for internet browsing
• No Multitasking
• No expandable memory
• No non-backlit screen for ereading 

So is the iPad going to make the dedicated ereader extinct?  Am I going to rename my favorite gadget the ereaderosaurus and make plans to visit it at the museum?  I think not.

I think that the iPad will probably appeal mostly to fans of multifunction devices and, as far as ereading goes, to casual readers.  It will be great for reading magazines.  Textbooks and other graphics–rich material should also be well suited to the iPad, at least until a color Kindle comes along.   Schools will not be embracing the iPad or any other ereading device that does not include accessibility features,  but students who choose to do so should still be able to utilize a digital version of their textbook on the iPad rather than the paper version. The iPad does have a VoiceOver screen reader and full screen zoom features, but not sure if this will be enough to satisfy the NFB.

For serious readers who want an ereader to read a lot of books that are mostly text a dedicated ereader will still be best.  The iPad’s LCD screen does not compare to e-ink or other non-backlit ereader screens for reading.  There are also reports that Apple is letting publishers set the prices of their ebooks,  so they will likely be more expensive than versions from the Kindle store.  It’s not clear yet if Kindle iPhone apps will be okay on the iPad.

Obviously larger format ereaders will feel more competition from the iPad than the smaller ereaders with 5 or 6-inch screens.  The one ereader that I see taking the biggest hit form the iPad is the Plastic Logic Que.  At an announced price of $650 and $800 the Que just doesn’t seem to be a viable business plan after today.  I hope I’m wrong, of course, we’ll have to wait and see.  I can’t imagine that there are many smiling faces at the Plastic Logic compound today.

Multifunction devices such as the Entourage eDGe and even the Spring Design Alex will also probably stand to loose sales to the iPad.   Prices will have to come down on these devices as well as the larger format ereaders such as the Kindle DX for them to stay competitive for some shoppers.  Netbooks are probably also going to be under pressure from the iPad although most of these are $100 -$200 less expensive.

It also remains to be seen what Amazon has up its sleeves.  If we can get a non-backlit color Kindle later in the year with something like a Mirasol or LiquaVista display that would certainly be much better than the iPad for my ebooks.

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