Although Amazon’s Kindle was the mainstay of the eBook readership market, Apple has quickly caught up owning to the fact that the IPad has sold more in less time than the Kindle. Apple’s IPad’s share has increased from nothing in April 2010 to a good 30% of the market. It is no secret that Apple wants more, thus it is tapping into the emerging trend of publishing and reading eBooks on a Tablet rather than the conventional paper book.
The IPad comes with iBook, an IPad application that will serve as your virtual bookshelf. This application will be your go-to-place to read and manage your ebooks. The same app will give you access to iBookstore, where you can browse through books, which will allow you to buy or get free ebooks off the Internet.
Reading eBooks
The IPad boasts having a high resolution, LED-backlit screen in which the displays are always sharp and in rich color, so reading is easy. Even in low light, the back lit screen doesn’t disappoint and the result is a reading experience that lives up to its expectations.
As mentioned earlier, ebooks can be obtained from the iBook app. A user normally has the option of choosing from thousands of eBooks from the online store. Since the eBooks are in the EPUB format, the user is not just limited to the iBookstore, users can also download eBooks from other sources as well as the format is widespread.
Another great advantage of having an IPad is the Kindle app. Amazon has released an IPad app for Kindle eBooks so that every IPad can virtually become a Kindle; but you still have to buy or order Kindle eBooks from Amazon.com.
Publishing eBooks
The real scope of the eBook revolution is the number of people that are now connected when reading a book. iBookstore is now available on around 7.6 million IPad devices alone; add up users from Amazon’s Kindle, Barnes and Nobles Nook and Kobo, and you can imagine the kind of reach that these tablets provide.
According to the companies that produce the tablets, nowadays, it’s more important to sell the book rather than produce the device that enables the user to read it. Thus they are all coming up with publishing softwares to attract authors towards them.
At the moment, Only Barnes and Nobles and Borders have come up with publishing software for their devices. But publishing on IPad is very simple and easy with services like iPadapplicationsdeveloper.com and fastpencil.com. By using these services, authors don’t have to worry about formatting, publishing and distribution; instead they have more time to concentrate more on the content of the book. Authors can also make use of the numerous templates and free formatting to refine their book and reach many users.
What to get?
When it comes to eBook sales, Kindle still leads the pack but Apple is close behind. At the Apple’s iBook store the price of the ebooks is similar to Amazon’s but the initial cost of the IPad starts from $499 compared to the Kindle’s starting price of $139. Also the Kindle has an edge over IPad due to its E-ink Screen. But the IPad makes up for its shortcomings with all the functionality you expect from an iPhone or an IPod Touch, i.e. the ever increasing and amazing apps. The IPad is also easily readable to someone sitting beside you due to its size.
But getting an IPad or a Kindle is more a question of convenience rather than their shortfalls. Both devices are almost the same for an eBook reader. If carrying the device around in a bag is your thing then the IPad is for you but if you prefer that you carry your device around to wherever you want in your purse then go with the Kindle.
