BookBrunch

So - Apple has finally launched its tablet device, the controversially named iPad. The consensus is that we are looking at an enlarged iPod Touch. Many commentators have been left disappointed that there is no great software innovation on the iPad, and others have complained that the hardware lacks functionality - for example, there's no camera. Such was the degree of expectation that the iPad faced an almost impossible task, although Apple usually delights in stunning even close watchers. 

Everyone seems to agree that the pricing is more competitive than expected: the cheapest model will retail for $499, the most expensive at $830, with varying degrees of memory and 3G connectivity being the difference. A US launch is planned for the end of March. Meanwhile, more information can be found on Apple's website, as well as at crunchgear.com, engadget.com and techradar.com. 

          

Far more interesting - indeed, the element that has attracted the most interest - is the announcement that the iPad will come pre-packaged with a bookstore, iBooks. Apple's two existing stores - iTunes and the App Store - have been nothing short of transformational, so the expectation is that this will follow. Without doubt this is the most important launch yet for digital publishing - iBooks will offer one-touch purchasing through user's Apple accounts for a seamless retail experience.

Five major US publishers are already signed up - Penguin, Simon and Schuster, Macmillan, HarperCollins and Hachette. Rumours had circulated in US publishing circles, but nothing was confirmed. As of Wednesday, iBooks has been opened to all publishers. The Bookstore itself will be recognisable to anyone conversant with iTunes, although perhaps more sophisticated. Each iPad owner has a bookshelf, pages are off white, and there is a "page turn" graphic when you flick between pages. (There is a slideshow of pics here.) iPad takes the EPUB format, which is excellent news for publishers: this is what everyone has converted into, and EPUB is an open format - which means control of it lies outside the remit of Apple (for once).

Steve Jobs has actively claimed iBooks is better than the Kindle, so they clearly see this as being very big. 

A UK launch date for iBooks is unknown. June looks the likeliest date, although US models will ship as of the US launch, albeit without 3G. So far, though, there has been zero mention of an international rollout of the store, which unfortunately points to a Kindle-style situation of massive US launch and success followed by a damp squib everywhere else. On the screens we have seen so far the cheapest book was $4.99 (The Lovely Bones), the most expensive $14.99 (Ted Kennedy, True Compass), with most people assuming the price will settle at $9.99-$13.99. There is already much talk of textbooks and the like retailing for $50, and Apple is definitely trying to get back into education. It is believed that Apple, unlike Amazon, will allow publishers to set the price. On the App Store, Apple takes a 30% discount from the retail price, and it is understood this will also apply to iBooks, which would be very welcome. 

For some context, iTunes has had (as we all know) a massive impact on the music industry. It's now the single biggest music retailer in the US and has been since 2008. Since launching in 2003, it has sold over 9bn songs, with the number of daily downloads literally increasing every day. iTunes almost single-handed killed the singles CD market, which is now non-existent. The App Store has over 140k apps, which have been downloaded 3bn times since launching in mid-2008. Apple has a strong emphasis on copyright protection - welcomed by producers but often decried by users; we can expect this on iBooks. 

Caveats: there are a few potential issues with iBooks. Unlike iTunes, it is not the first major legitimate source of ebooks, so Apple does not have first-mover advantage. Secondly, it has no e-ink screen. The initial scepticism around ebooks was because it was argued, correctly, that most people did not want to read long form works from a computer-style screen. Thirdly, there are many question marks over the device - does anyone need another item that basically replicates their phone and their computer? Sales are forecast at 2m for year one, modest by Apple's recent performance. Fourthly, the experience will be tethered, as with all Apple products - people will not have the freedom to do what they want with their books, and Apple will no doubt interfere if and when the need arises. Lastly, we have no real knowledge of what the publisher agreements will be: as Apple is gunning for Amazon, these are likely to be relatively favourable, but at this stage we don't know. As an industry we need to be careful to avoid the over-reliance on Apple that the music industry. For most of the past decade, it has been beholden to Apple for all digital revenue, an unhealthy situation, although now new business models are emerging. At least this provides a counterpoint to other ebook devices.

Digital publishing has given rise to a host of book industry start-ups and models, notably an industry in providing content optimised for the iPhone and increasingly other mobile devices. It remains to be seen whether this will be viable in an ecosystem dominated by the iPad. Rolling out iBooks to the iPhone and iPod Touch would give it access to hundreds of millions of potential readers. If that happens then we can really expect a Big Bang moment. Until then, we have a Pretty Big Bang moment. Only not until June.