Ereaders are literally changing the way we read. But for all the efficiency and portability they offer, they lack the curious romance of reading a book in its hard, physical form — not least the charms that lie on the cover.
We’ve heard of hate-reading — the kind of reading you do out of disgust or loathing or contempt for the author. Now, it seems that a new type of reading style has emerged: call it “shame-reading”.
Following Microsoft’s investment in a Nook spin-off and the continued success of Barnes & Noble’s ereading empire, we can expect to see some serious changes in the future. In fact, William Lynch, who heads up Nook, has already let a few of them slip.
In what some may consider an odd move, Microsoft has just announced that it’s investing $US300 million into a “strategic partnership” with Barnes & Noble to develop the future of ereading.
Not only is Charlie Stross a published sci-fi author, but he is also an advocate for DRM-free ebooks. As such, he’s put together a thoughtful argument as to why DRM-free eBooks will be good for the publishing world…
The ACCC has shown that it’s not unwilling to take on Apple when it feels Australian consumers are getting a raw deal. With the US Department Of Justice taking on Apple and numerous publishers over alleged collusive ebook pricing arrangements, will we see similar action here in Australia?
According to Bloomberg, the US Department of Justice just filed an antitrust lawsuit against Hachette, HarperCollins, Macmillan, Penguin and Apple over the pricing of ebooks.
Since its launch, Pottermore has failed to do the obvious and sell Harry Potter ebooks. For crazed Hogwarts fans everywhere, though, the wait is finally over; now you can read about wizards on your Kindle.
My wife and I made the decision last year to equip our kids with iPads, something that might have sounded excessive only the year before. Now it only makes sense. When you do the maths, an iPad (or tablet of choice) for a child makes sense; when you have more than one child, the upfront hardware expenditure is higher, but the savings are even greater.
