The Daily, Rupert Murdoch's new iPad newspaper, was launched today, offering iPad users a way to get their news from a completely digital newspaper…minus the paper.  It is offering stunning graphics, video, animations, up-to-the-minute news, celebrity news, and more.  Mr. Murdoch believes that the iPad is a game changer with regard to how people consume their information.  He feels that we are entering a new day of content delivery as more and more tablet computers come to market.  The iPad is hot today, but tablet PC’s aren’t limited to the iPad, there are many Windows 7 based tablet PC’s either on the market now or coming very soon.  Some of these newer devices will have lower prices as well. 

So how will the Daily affect eBook reading?  eBooks are still relatively new; people are still getting warmed up to the idea of reading digitally, and using a device of some sort to do that reading.  It is interesting to note that, every day, people all over the world are consuming content digitally from their computers, iPads, other tablet computers, and smart phones.  Reading a book digitally really isn’t a stretch because all of us are reading a great amount of content in digital form right now.  As digital publications like The Daily come to market, more and more people are being introduced to consuming their content digitally using a digital reading device of some sort.  The convenience of digital becomes apparent, and people are more likely to embrace other forms of digital content, like eBooks.   

Will eBooks replace the print book?  No, and that isn’t really the point.  Digital content is great, because of the flexibility it offers the reader.  But it is fairly safe to say that traditional print books will always have a place.  Have you completely stopped buying CD’s?  Most likely the answer is no.  Although you may get most of your music digitally today, you still pick up a CD from time to time, I know I do.  But I do get about 90% of my music digitally, mainly because of convenience and access.  The same will prove true about digital eBooks.  It’s a convenience and access thing.  I can quickly go to NOVO Ink, find a few Christian eBooks, purchase them, download them, and be reading them within minutes.  Furthermore, I can quickly put those into my library on my iPad and take off to the airport where I have all the eBooks I have purchased available to read.  It is true; I can literally take hundreds of eBooks with me on a trip, for example, and instantly flip between them to the exact page where I stopped reading.  It is that convenience and access that make it a winning combination for me…and for many others too. 

The Daily is a great example of what can be done with digital content in terms of video, animation, audio, interactive capabilities, etc.  You will start to see this coming to the Christian eBook market very quickly, as NOVO Ink is about to introduce an interactive eBook by a major Christian publisher by a major Christian author.  Feb. 15 is the release date, so stay tuned, we will keep you updated.  The enhanced eBook is the next step for publishing, and it really does change the entire reading experience.

Til next time,

Bryan Cole

NOVO Ink