A Kindler, Gentler Tablet? The Future of the eBook…
So, the Kindle has had it’s moment in the sun. It was Amazon’s most gifted item this year. eBook sales outweighed physical book sales on Christmas Day. But what does it really mean? Are physical books dead? Are brick and mortar book shops a thing of the past? Well…. wasn’t that a total given? I’m not really interested in debating those facts. Brick and mortar shops of all kinds have been on the decline for the last decade. That’s npt news, or even interesting to me. Physical Media of all kind is a holdover from the last generation. But we knew that… What I want to talk about is the short life and impending death of the Kindle.
That’s right, I said it. The Kindle is a dead device walking.
I know, heresy right? Every device should be allowed at least 2-3 years before becoming completely obsolete, especially if it’s popular. It should be given it’s chance to shine…. Well, guess what, it had it. That’s right, this Christmas was all the joy that will be seen in Kindleville. It’s downhill from here on out. And no, it’s not the Barnes and Noble Nook that will do it in…. that’s a completley stillborn product. What will do it in will be Apple’s tablet, potentially to be called the iSlate.
What’s this, you ask? Apple makes a tablet? Impossible! I would have seen it at one of my many trips to the Apple store. But my friends, it isn’t out yet. It has been a hot rumor in the apple rumor mill for 3 or 4 years, but now it’s a white hot rumor that is considered by many to be imminent.
It’s still a rumor, but not for much longer. Apple recently announced a special event on Jan. 26 to announce a new product. Very few Apple pundits have a doubt as to what that new product will be. Finally…..
What is the tablet? It is a 10″ multi-touch touchscreen (simmilar in style, touch and technology to the iPhone). It will run iphone apps, as well as apps specifically made for the tablet. It may even run full Mac apps. It will have a camera and a mic for easy video-conferencing, and a gorgeous screen that will be perfect for looking at photos, and watching TV shows or movies… it will also be perfect for (you guessed it) reading books. Full color, light and touch sensitive with a full screen (rather than the Kindle’s combination screen and keyboard). It is an instant Kindle killer.
For years, everyone has tried to make the iphone killer or the ipod killer, but it is Appe that is the master of killing off other devices. They have rarely been the first to the market (there were hundreds of mp3 players before the iPod), but they have consistently been the best, the most intuitive, the easiest to use, the most aesthetically pleasing, and by far the most user-friendly. This philosophy has killed dozens and dozens of companies and products. The iPod eliminated it’s competition early on, causing huge companies like Creative to simply stop trying. The iPhone forced hundreds of handsets into obscurity and forced hundreds more to try and catch up by implementing touch screens to fairly consistent and disappointing results. The tablet will be no different. Mark my words, the Kindle will barely be a comma in the history of the ebook reader. Why would you want a device that can ONLY read books when you can have one that can do it all? Books, music, movies, make movies, read websites, write documents, take photos, view photos, the list goes on and on and on and on and on………
Category: The Mac Whisperer
