Steve Jobs introduced the iPad to us almost a month ago now. One of the expected uses of the iPad was as an eBook reader, and Jobs confirmed this with his elegant demonstration of eBooks via the iBookstore. Since that day, we have heard repeated praise and criticism for the iBookstore. We have also heard rumors of price hikes, and price drops from publishers. Recently more news has developed saying that rules with the iBookstore are extremely restricting to publishers. Luckily, now many of these “rules” turned out to either be misconception or have been adapted to aid the publishers. With the launch of the iPad looming out about a month, many of us are holding our breath. What will happen? Can it take over the current eBook monopoly, Amazon?
Credit Suisse analyst Spencer Wang said in a report issued Tuesday that he believes Apple’s entry into the field has created fear surrounding the monopolizing growth of the Amazon Kindle. He adds furthermore that when you include the power of Google Books that competition in this field is expected to increase. He says that market share expectations for Amazon’s Kindle are expected to drop from 90% where it is today to about 35% over the course of 5 years.
Time will tell. After the introduction of the iPad, we will see quickly how fast the iBookstore catches on to the public. Looking at past attempts by Apple, the future of the eBook business could become very solid and Apple will likely play a large roll in getting it there. At a time when online music stores were struggling, iTunes Store defied the odds and became the largest distributor of music and media. It even pushed out big box stores like Best Buy and Target and longtime competitors like Amazon.com. Then we saw the rise of the App store. Apple found a way to manage and distribute user content to millions of iPod Touch and iPhone owners. Now, it is Apple’s next chance to take the eBook business by its’ heels and turn it around. Even if they have competitors like Amazon, they will improve the industry and set new standards for eBooks that will make all of us happy. Be sure to stay tuned to what Apple and its’ iPad can do for us.
Tags: Apple, iBookstore, steve jobs