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CEO Penguin: "The definition of the book itself is up for grabs"

Whilst Macmillan is being a greedy geht, and trying to imagine up a hardback ebook, some seem to get the idea of innovating off the possibilities from the iPad and future rivals).
This is the heart of it - Penguin basically saying - yes, ePub will do the book, but the definition has changed - It's the message not the medium -
They can add video, interactive games, chat, colour, feedback, updating (see pragprog.com for a good example of what might happen there).

The paper version can't do this, but that doesn't stop the online version being so much more than a pdf style equivalent in ePub format.

The definition of book will blur. Vooks, interactive books, bookgames, etc etc.
 
This is so cool. Finally instead of trying to figure out how to screw out customers someone's seeing the possibilities for the future. Very, very cool. I can't wait to see how things have changed in a year from now.
 
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Stunning stuff worth getting excited about IMHO. Thanks for postng the link.
 
That's fantastic. I've always thought children's book will be a great thing on iPad. Can't wait!
 
This demo shows why the iPad is different than a Touch, even if they share the same technology. While it's technically possible to do this on a Touch, it's not really useful from a consumer's perspective.

It also exposes the flaw in the idea that a netbook is a better tool, regardless of the situation, than an iPad. Clearly, the iPad books allow the user to immerse him/herself in the material, something not possible w/ a traditional computer if only b/c of they physical barrier presented by the keyboard.
 
This demo shows why the iPad is different than a Touch, even if they share the same technology. While it's technically possible to do this on a Touch, it's not really useful from a consumer's perspective.

It also exposes the flaw in the idea that a netbook is a better tool, regardless of the situation, than an iPad. Clearly, the iPad books allow the user to immerse him/herself in the material, something not possible w/ a traditional computer if only b/c of they physical barrier presented by the keyboard.

YES! Well said all around.

I am increasingly inclined to grab a 16GB wifi on release knowing that my kids will happily get a ton of use out of it when my 64GB + 3G arrives :)
 
Wow, very cool!

My travel experience will increase exponentially with such a travel guide. I can imagine a camping night by the fire watching the stars with a Starfinder in my iPad.

I thought I just wanted a good eReader, I'll have to think again and again.
 
Penguin's ability to look forward and move towards interactive books are one of the many things about the iPad that many of us who believe the iPad is a great step forward knew. It is too bad that so many people have no imagination and are locked in their old thought patterns of what a computer is. The iPad "fail" mentality took me by surprise, but what Penguin sees in the future with the iPad is why it will be soon seen as very useful, fun to use, and even magical.

Personally, my iPod Touch very quickly showed me how great a touch system of interfacing with a computer can be. After getting the touch, it was only a matter of days before I wanted the same thing with a large screen. I've wanted a tablet type of computer since the days of the Newton, which was good for its time, but so primitive compared to the way computer's have evolved in the last decade.

From what I've seen on the web in recent weeks from many others in many industries expressing their thoughts on the possibilities of the iPad -- photography, movies, other forms of entertainment, various areas of science, etc., a lot of people see the future in this way of interactive programs, "books," various types of media of all kinds, for entertainment, instruction, etc., there will be a really fun future in all these with the iPad. I've been working on a couple books in the geology field that were going to be minimally interactive using the hyperlink capabilities in pdf files, but Penguins efforts have shown that my initial thoughts about the iPad were correct and what I wanted to do can be done even better than I'd planned.

Have fun!
 
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