Amidst all this hype about iPhone, isn’t it curious that none that of the technology reporters have mentioned using iPhone as a portable reading device?
I realize there’s no external memory, and that it’s so far a closed platform for application developers. But Apple is selling it as a kind of net-enabled tablet for reading. It won’t be long before early adopters tire of using the Edge network to turn a page.
Kindle Versus The iPhoneChief Executive Jeff Bezos has created a reason to switch from bound paper books to bits — a device with a wireless connection able to download digital books on the go. The problem: Low-cost laptops and smart phones, such as Apple’s iPhone, coupled with a rich array of online content, may have already made Bezos’ $399 device obsolete.
In a breathless cover story in Monday’s Newsweek, Steven Levy profiles the device, which is the latest attempt to take the book industry into the digital age. Sony (nyse: SNE - news - people ), Matsushita Electric Industrial (nyse: MC - news - people ), Hitachi (nyse: HIT - news - people ) and Fujitsu are all trying to crack the market. Yet each has had only limited success. Now Amazon.com (nasdaq: AMZN - news - people ) will try with a device coupled with a wireless service, dubbed Whispernet, which will allow users to buy best sellers for $9.99, and older books for just a few bucks. Expect more details from Amazon later Monday.
Reinventing the book is a big challenge, but Amazon has been on a roll. Its shares are up 99% so far this year. Analysts say that’s in part thanks to Bezos’ success adding digital content, such as movies and music, to the mix alongside electronics and paper books. Kindle promises to build on that success.
The device has some real advantages over other electronic gizmos. To mimic the readability of a paper book, Kindle uses a system dubbed E Ink, developed by E Ink Corp., that is used in other electronic books, such as Sony’s Reader. Another edge: Newsweek reports the device will get 30 hours of reading out of a single charge. By contrast, the iPhone’s battery can sustain just six hours of Internet use.
Yet those advantages, plus the Kindle’s ability to tap into content from Amazon, coupled with its wireless connection, may not be enough to make it a winner. At $399 it’s not only pricier than a small library of used books, it’s more expensive than Asustek’s 2-pound, $299 Eee PC laptop. Another catch: Amazon, according to Newsweek, is going to charge subscription fees for blogs, magazines and newspapers. Yet most magazines and newspapers — and practically every blog — can be had online for free.
There are also big questions about the device’s wireless connection. The device will tap into fresh content via an EV-DO (Evolution-Data Only) wireless network. Will there be a monthly subscription fee? How much of the Web will users be able to surf? Newsweek’s Levy was able to download a copy of Charles Dickens’ Bleak House from Amazon for $1.99, but anyone with full Web access can get the same title from Google (nasdaq: GOOG - news - people ) Book Search for free.
The ability to grab free books online points to the device’s real competition: not paper books but Internet-friendly laptops, tablet computers and smart phones. The amount of content available online is growing fast, and devices for accessing the Net are getting better and cheaper quickly. One such device is already here. It’s called the iPhone.
And Apple (nasdaq: AAPL - news - people ) Chief Executive Steve Jobs has a not-so-secret weapon when it comes time to load up the iPhone with content: Google. The search giant’s chief executive, Eric Schmidt, sits on Apple’s board of directors. And Google has already fused online services such as maps, e-mail and its YouTube video service with the iPhone.
Google’s Book Search project has already pumped much of the world’s printed matter into Google’s servers. Downloads of classic titles, such as Bleak House, can already be had for free. Mix Apple’s iTunes content distribution smarts with Google’s vast storehouse of content, and you’ll have an instant competitor to Kindle — one with a touch interface and the ability to play movies and music, too.
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