Books For The Road - The New iPad

Yesterday the big announcement was made by Steve Jobs of Apple concerning the new product, the iPad. It looks to be a combination laptop and iPhone and e-reader all in one. It is about a 1/2 pound lighter than my current travel netbook I use on our trips for checking email, downloading pictures, and working on some writing while I'm away.

While the familiar iPhone Apps seem to be the biggest deal on the iPad with the iBookstore the other big spine tingler, there was not a whole lot said about how it functions as a computer--although Jobs is quoted as saying that "It's a dream to type on."

Being in publishing, the standout feature for me is the iBookstore. I love my Sony Reader. It so easily packs as many books as I want into one little binder that takes up little space in my backpack. E-books also offer opportunity for another marketing outlet for books. I understand that Apple has made a 30/70 deal with publishers to offer books in their store with the publisher getting the bigger cut. That has got to be appealing. And the cost of putting together an e-book I am assuming is somewhat less that printed pages.

It's a whole new world. I can remember my parents talking about having to get out and crank up the old Ford to get it started. I can remember a time in my own life when there was no such thing as a cell phone and pages of books were turned by hand not by a finger on a button. Imagination turned to innovation. What next?