How Good Will Selection Be in the iBookstore?

Pete Mortensen ()

How Good Will Selection Be in the iBookstore?

One of the most crucial announcements of today’s iPad introduction was the launch of iBooks, Apple’s e-reading application, which has a bundled iBookstore that allows users to purchase e-books on the go. By all accounts, the experience is compelling and fun.

But there’s a big question here around content access. Though Steve Jobs listed off about 8 book publishing partners for the platform, he didn’t mention access to a specific book store partner like Borders, Amazon, or Barnes & Noble. And that’s pretty troubling. Even though Apple’s going with the open-source ePub format, which means books from Barnes & Noble should work, there’s no direct mechanism yet for connecting the two, and the import experience remains to be seen.

And I’m not confident in Apple’s ability to populate an amazing bookstore on their own. The movie selection of iTunes leaves a lot to be desired, and I fear the same for books without a partner on-board who really knows the field. Janky as the Amazon Kindle is, its library selection is unmatched.

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11 comments »

About the author

Petemortensen

Pete Mortensen is a design strategist for consulting firm Jump Associates and the co-author of Wired to Care: How Companies Prosper When They Create Widespread Empathy, a book and blog that are significantly more interesting than you might initially think. Pete's particular Apple avocations are both around design--interface and industrial. Follow him on Twitter!

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Posted in iPad, Opinions |

  • dave

    Um, it’s not like Apple is picking which movies to add to the store and when they are added… Of course, no smut, so that leaves out all the paperbacks by checkout stands aimed at women…

  • chano

    Now don’t be skanky in your turn and getting too ‘previous’ about this. It’s not out yet and you want a full book catalogue? Very realistic.
    It takes time to flesh out a eBookshop. There are still holdout music companies on iTunes. You need cooperation to build an e-Store. You should know that.
    Based on what I saw, they don’t need a bookseller. They might open the door to them but Apple will have an iTunes style book store.
    The paucity of movies and tv shows is the studios fault, not Apple’s.
    Lest we allow our jaded appetite’s numb our senses, this is a sensational device. It will create a new category and forge a new market. I don’t rush into purchases, even Apple stuff. But I will be in the queue for the 3G iPad 64GB.
    By the time it launches, I expect the spec to change and most of the required publisher partnerships to be in place.

  • CoBrit

    I think Amazon, Barnes & the like will come. Remember, 60 to 90 days until product availability. I think the most exciting thing here is that the eBooks store will hopefully open the flood gates to independent publishers and authors – just like iTunes does for those with no recording contract. Also remember that when the iPhone launched – there were really no apps out there. Now look. Patience I say.

  • http://www.sorodesign.com Jeff

    The publishers mentioned are among the biggest in the industry. The tablet has gotten a lot of talk in the publishing blogosphere in the last week. There’s definite movement.

  • http://megal.ophono.us Dan

    Haven’t any number of applications been rejected from the App Store because they “duplicate functionality” of an Apple-provided tool? What’s the status on Kindle or B&N apps if there’s already an Apple-provided bookstore?

  • Drew Caster

    Why would Apple want to partner with another reseller to sell you books?

    Last I heard the iTunes music store and the app store were the model everyone else was trying to emulate.

    Also, you’re forgetting that Amazon is losing money on best seller Kindle books. Great business model.

    I think you make this stuff up just to be funny.

  • http://www.aktivnett.no David Todd Watson

    Dumb question…

    What about recently purchased books?
    Any way to add them to your Book Shelf on the iPad with a proof of purchase?

    Just a thought…

  • Mike Segroveswil

    Apple says that all of the current iPhone apps will work on the iPad, in the usual size or pixel doubled. So all of the current eBook apps should work okay, except it’s not clear what a typeface that’s optimized for a 3.1″ screen will look like when it’s pixel doubled.

    The question is will Apple approve a iPad optimized version? Apple doesn’t make any money on the sales of those Kindle or eReader books so why should they let them onto the iPad? How many music retailers are there on the iPod/iPhone other than iTunes?

    If I were running the iBookStore business there isn’t any way I’d let another eBook reader/retailer onto the iPad. And the same day that I opened that iBookStore I’d release an iPhone version of the iBook app.

    You have to remember that none of the NYC publishers like Amazon’s, and by extension, B&N’s, pricing model. Apple is offering them something a little better. They almost get to make the same amount of money that they do on a new hardcover release. All of the major NYC houses except Random House have already signed on. And if Apple is successful in selling a boatload of the iPads, Random House will have to come aboard sooner or later.

    If Apple can find someone who understands that book retailing is very different than music retailing to run their bookstore, they should do very well.

  • http://www.mr2.org.nz John

    Doesn’t matter, Kindle for Iphone will still work fine, at native or x2 resolution.

  • Mattzook

    Steve Jobs finally got one concept right, which the other PC tablet wanna-be’s never understood: IT’S THE CONTENT, STUPID.

    Even tho Microsoft had Windows tablets for years, they failed and sucked donkey and never became successful because they never gave a full effort as far as content.

    Jobs learned this lesson from the success of iPhone App Store. Let there be tons of content (apps) and the hardware will sell itself.

  • Grawlix

    Steve Jobs listed off 5 book publishing partners, not 8. He didn’t mention specific book store partners like Borders, Amazon, or Barnes & Noble because… you see…they’re not partners yet. The import experience will never be seen, because Apple will manage publication to the iBookstore just like they manage publication of songs to iTunes and Apps to the App Store.

    Did you actually watch the Keynote? – because this was all laid out so you “journalists” could report it just the way Apple wanted you to.

    Sheesh.

    Gr@w\!x