How the iPad is shaking up publishing

This week's New Yorker brings an excellent overview by Ken Auletta of what the iPad means for the publishing industry. Auletta shows that Apple's entry into the e-book universe was about a lot more than just a new device: It gave publishers an alternative to Amazon's e-book pricing structure, a bit of leverage where they had previously had none.

Auletta details what happened when Amazon removed MacMillan's buy buttons and the role of e-books in the larger bookselling landscape.  He also goes back, trying to get at Amazon's intentions toward books: "'Don't forget,' the chief of a publishing house said, 'Bezos has declared that the physical book and bookstores are dead.'"

He talks to Markus Dohle -- the CEO of Random House, the biggest of the big six publishers -- about why his company is selling e-books only with Amazon and not with Apple. He hears from business publisher Tim O'Reilly, who says publishing's traditional business model is flawed.

And then he looks forward, at the probable coming of Google's massive book project, which has an entirely different structure. Apple's entrance has shaken up the industry, but it's not settled yet. How people get books is diversifying; the iPad is just the latest, shiniest access point.

About the only thing Auletta's marvelous piece doesn't address is the reading experience. I tackled that in our pages, and while in my estimation the iPad handily beat the Kindle, a flood of e-mails tells me that Kindle owners remain unconvinced.

-- Carolyn Kellogg

Photo: Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times

Comments

[Yoshiyahu]

I'd love to know the substance of the Kindle owners' responses, and how many Kindle owners have actually spent time with an iPad reading with it.

It's easy to find Kindle owners dissing iPad, and iPad owners dissing Kindle. What I rarely have seen is people who have used both reporting their real-world findings, rather than comparisons based solely on published specs.

[JM]

You can count me in as a satisfied Kindle owner. The Ipad has no future with me.

[James]

We have both (Kindle and iPad). The iPad is fun and does a lot, but as a basic reader the Kindle beats it. The reason is because the Kindle is lighter, more compact and easier on the eyes (reading the text). The iPad does get heavy with prolonged reading but it does a lot more than just a reading device. So before you buy really decide what you're really looking for. If you only want to read books then look no further than Kindle.

[Gerald Everett Jones]

Kindle is a device for people who are comfortable with books. In my experience the screen is easier on the eyes than the printed page, and the default narrower column width promotes speed reading. The page controls are conveniently located so you can easily operate with either hand, and single-handed.

But to use the Kindle as a Web browser (using the "Experimental" function) is downright hideous. SmartPhone and touch-tablet users will cringe in horror at the use of mechanical buttons to navigate - S-L-O-W-L-Y.

The intriguing thing about the multimedia iPad is the "nonbook" experience that for some types of content will replace books, especially for people who would rather not read. Consider the Qwiki app, which picks up your GPS location and then walks you through your locale, with digital narration "scraped" from related websites and their associated media. It's like a walk with a live tour guide. And it's handier - and more enjoyable - than using a paper guidebook.