With the US Department of Justice breathing down its neck, Apple is attempting to defend itself over allegations of ebook price fixing — claiming that it’s the victim of conspiracy theories and over-analysis.
It’s a common belief that an ebook should be cheaper than a physical book, because, well, there’s no need to print the book. But do the economics of book production actually work that way? Over at Lifehacker, Gus examines the cost of product of ebooks to see if that’s actually true. [Lifehacker]
The US Justice Department has warned Apple, along with five major publishing houses, that it plans to sue them for joining forces to raise the price of ebooks, according to the Wall Street Journal. If successful, this could signal a future of affordable digital reading.
Convergence devices like tablets and smartphones are great because they eliminate the need for having a million different gadgets whose performance is only marginally better. But there are some instances when dedicated devices make more sense.
Almost 5000 ebooks have been pulled from the the Kindle Store because of a change made to Independent Publishers Group’s contract with the online seller. The move is a result of Amazon’s demand for upfront payment from publishers, required to host their books on the store. [Paid Content]
Some people still buy books — and even buy them in paper format. So Barnes & Noble’s decision to block books published by Amazon is fightin’ words! But how much does it matter, and who’s getting hurt?
Many gathered around the tube for Stephen Colbert’s feisty interview with everyone’s favourite reclusive children’s book author, Maurice Sendak. It’s always a delight when old people weight in on new technology, and the highlight of the interview was Sendak’s eloquent and nuanced condemnation of the ebook revolution.
Barnes & Noble have been in publishing since the 1970s, but in recent years they’ve been squaring up to Amazon in the world of digital reading. Now they’re selling off their paper publishing division to focus on tech.
According to The Economist, we’re entering a new age of digital consumption: Lean Back 2.0. They say tablets and e-readers are to thank, but is it all just hyperbole about hypertext?
