Did Apple Solve Music and Software Piracy?
I think this article may nail it on the head – Apple just took a huge first step to solving piracy of music and software with the introduction of their iCloud service with wifi sync.
Archive for the ‘iPad’
Apple Embraces Self Publishers
I love this announcement from Apple that they will open their iBookstore to those who self publish. I can think of a few friends and colleagues that will be able to take advantage of this change and use it to make money for their art and reach a larger audience. Kudos, Apple!
To take advantage of the service, you must first have an International Standard Book Number (ISBN) for each work you wish to make available for sale. Obtaining an ISBN isn’t as difficult a process you might think; it can take as little as two weeks. Second, you must have a copy of the work in ePUB format. There are a variety of different ways to convert text into ePUB format, many of which are free (a list can be found on the LexCycle website). You must also have a valid iTunes Store account as well as a US tax ID.
The last requirement is that you, as the author, must have access to a modern Mac. In order to participate, you must encode your eBook with Apple’s software, which needs an Intel Mac running at least OS X 10.5. The encoding process most likely adds Apple’s very own brew of DRM to the book, ensuring that your writings won’t be distributed outside of the iPhone or iPad.
Digital Native with iPad
The generations to come will be digital natives, so accustomed to technology as an integrated and integral part of their lives that many of the struggles older generations have with changing tech will become moot. Perfect example? This 2.5 year old’s first time playing with an iPad:
iPad: A First Step To Many Destinations
Even as people in the tech world deride the iPad, newly released by Apple this week, I see it as a first step to a variety of things.
Yes, it’s true that the techies were hoping it would basically be the Air without a keyboard. It’s also true that to many it seems like a giant glowing paper weight right now. It’s even true that right now it is just a glorified reader – an Apple Kindle meets Internet, if you will. I think those expectations and that initial concept are limiting what Apple has in mind for this device, which is not so much innovation now, but innovation to come.
First, I think the iPad may be set to replace the iPod Touch in future, as the iPod Touch is hurting iPhone sales and the iPhone may be more available on other carriers sooner rather than later. Apple has always been about maximizing their bottom line while still creating beautiful, intuitive products – one reason why they have the ready cash to innovate.
Second, I think the iPad is the first baby step toward a new type of computing altogether. One where we leave folders, files and boundaries behind. I’d written a whole post detailing that, then I read this one and decided it was much better than I could produce, giving a much clearer picture of computer and tech advancement, so I highly suggest you go read it.
Am I going to buy an iPad right now? No. Do I like the name? No (iTablet might have been better – iTouch and iPad both lend themselves to too many sophomoric jokes online). Do I see myself owning a future generation of this product? Yes – I think we all will, we just don’t know it yet.
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