Is the iPhone the Ultimate eBook Reader?
"People don’t read anymore," said Steve Jobs last month. Try telling that to users of his company's iPhone and iPod Touch devices, many of whom seem to be using the device as an eBook reader. Our network blog last100 theorized that what Jobs' really meant was, who needs the Amazon Kindle when you've got an iPhone that does a lot more? "Will a developer write an app to read books on the iPhone or Touch?" asked last100's Daniel Langendorf. Actually, a few developers already have, and at least one is doing very well.
The TextOnPhone app launched last August, and with strictly organic growth now has 50,000 registered users. This week they announced a partnership with International Thriller Writers to bring fiction from the organizations members to the app, including top writers like James Patterson and Lee Child. TextOnPhone gives readers access to over 20,000 books and is planning to expand to support other phones later this month.
Another application, Readdle, gives users 50mb to store eBook content in a plethora of formats, include Plucker, which is the defacto mobile eBook reader format for Project Gutenberg, which houses over 20,000 free eBooks.
There are other iPhone book readers, including Free iPhone eBooks, which houses a limited selection of classics, and Scrollbox, which has a large public library and allows uses to upload their own content. With 4 million iPhones sold, and baked in development platform on the way, that begs the question -- why buy a Kindle when you could buy an iPhone or iPod Touch?
The Kindle does very few things with its black and white screen. It reads books, it checks some RSS feeds and gets the news... that's about it. The iPhone, on the other hand, lets you do all of that, and pretty much anything else you can do on the Internet. And it's a phone. And a portable media player. With sites like eBooks.com out there, which sells over 100,000 books, most in the PDF format that Readdle supports, theoretically the same content available on the Kindle is available on the iPhone.
The only things the Kindle has over Apple's device is speed (books are automatically downloaded wirelessly), and cost (you're not paying monthly for a phone service subscription but still get a constant EVDO connection). The former could theoretically be tackled by a company willing to sell eBooks directly to iPhone users, and the latter isn't a big deal since most people are paying for a phone anyway.
The only other reasons I can think of why someone might choose a Kindle over and iPhone or iPod Touch is the form factor -- is it easier to hold while reading?, the screen -- is it easier to read on?, and the battery life -- is it really that much better? Not owning either device personally, I can't make a determination on any of those points. But clearly, what Jobs meant when he said "people don't read anymore" was "if people want to read, they should just use an iPhone."
What do you think? Is the iPhone the ultimate eBook reader, or is there room for the Amazon Kindle? Which would you buy?
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Personally I think the iPhone is too large. I don't own one but I has played with a few, you cannot really slip it into your pocket and it feels big in your hand.
That said I do use my mobile phone as a book reader. My phone is decidedly middle of the road and would not support 'plucker' which is for 'smartphones'. I use http://www.booksinmyphone.com they give away classics and modern creative commons works. Their reader makes full use of the limited phone screen for reading - rather than wasting half of it on navigation widgetry as in your screen shot above. This means on my tiny phone screen I get more text than your iPhone example.
You all should give mobile phone reading a try, if more people pick it up we will all get wider choices.
For me, the iPhone is quite far from "the ultimate eBook reader" for one primary reason: no page-down (or "next page" or something to that variety).
It is a fantastic device, but when reading long articles such as on a web site, it is not a simple matter to read from the top to bottom of the screen then scroll down to the following content. While it may appear that a simple flick of the finger is all that's required, it actually takes a good deal more attention to focus on where you left off, scroll to where you want to be and not to overshoot. This isn't too much of a problem on a relatively short article. On something as long as a book however, moving from page to page using the default inexact scrolling action would become tiresome. This is perhaps the only feature I miss from my old Palm.
Most people like reading in a "book" format and size. The iPhone is not a book format/size device, whereas the Kindle is.
I think it has potential and the barrier has to do more with user acceptance and availability of books in a readable iPhone format. I have an iPhone and have red a few short stories and it works, but there is a getting use to it.
I have neither an iPhone or Kindle, however both are enticing. I have been LONGING for an iPhone for the past year but am too practical to get it yet until my Sprint contract runs out in August AND the fact that the iPhone will be much better with 3G and more storage.
The Kindle seem perfect for books, magazines and newspapers. It has an upper hand on the iPhone for sreen size and readability. I am not sure how I feel about it in terms of replacing the iPhone or if the iPhone will be in direct competition with the Kindle. I think it all boils down to usability and what your needs are. LOVE technology though.
i remember reading Stephen King's Dreamcatcher (yes the entire novel) on Compaq iPAQ. (remember those?) that's about as big as the iPhone (slightly bigger). from experience, although it's doable, the form factor is a drag. too much pagination. hard to do a search. poor battery life. (though the iPhone's battery is much better than the old iPaq).
in short, i still prefer a dedicated e-book reader due to it's form factor. here's what i posted on my blog a month ago.
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I use a MacBook Pro but 75% of the time I use it as a some kind of "reader." Unfortunately, I can't take it to bed with me. My ultimate uber-reader would have wi-fi (or wi-max) internet connectivity, cellular connectivity (like Amazon Whispernet), bluetooth, browsing ability, RSS aggregator, video and music playback, and virtual keyboard with touch/swipe interface. The screen would be crisp with a Mac feel. It would be as thin and light as a MacBook Air with 24 hours (or more) battery life without the overheating problem of a MacBook Pro (which is guaranteed to deep-fry your balls off my fellow members of the male species). And it would be as cheap (or even cheaper than) the Amazon Kindle.
In many ways the features of my uber-reader are already built into the iPhone and MacBook Air. But the form factor of the iPhone and MacBook Air is still not conducive for long hours of reading/browsing, not to mention their hefty price. I don't need the power of Intel Core 2 Duo or the sophistication of OS X Leopard to accomplish my above requirements. It could be a stripped down version of MacBook Air, just powerful enough to render crisp graphics, run a browser, a RSS reader, Quicktime, iTunes, wireless connectivity, and some kind of universal eBook reader (PDF, ahem). With the launch of the MacBook Air, I think Apple already has all the technical components and design talents to come up with a slick uber-reader. I won't be surprised if Steve Jobs make that announcement in the near future.
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my two cents.
~C
Steve might be right, sure people don't read anymore, as no one has noticed it should read "People don’t read anymore," not "People don’t ready anymore".
also, the ongoing costs associated with iphone are notable.
@Victor: Touche. Nice catch. ;) (Fixed.)
I don't think the iPhone can be compared to the Kindle and other e-book readers.
E-book readers are specifically designed for reading – the e-ink technology is great and easy on the eyes – which would be the only reason why I'd buy an e-book reader. Backlit screens cause strain on the eyes, far from optimal for reading.
Great article. Few comments on comments:
- iPhone will not replace books. It is to read while you commute to work or waiting at doctor's office or at dentist, for actors to help them memorize the lines, for kids to read in the school bus before the class, between meetings etc.
- All books on TextonPhone are for free. You can add your own books and texts (unlimited storage). Moving to the Next page is easier than Kindle (just tap the sreen)
- You can not bring 20,000+ books with you on vacation, but with iPhone you can
I've had both since the first day they were out (I'm a gadget junkie, I guess :-), and I like them both a lot.
The Kindle is a great reading experience; I've probably gone through 30 - 40 books on it already. Given a choice between the two devices, if I'm sitting down to ready, I'd rather read on the Kindle.
On the other hand, the iPhone is always with me, and the Kindle isn't.
What would be really slick would be if the iPhone and Kindle would both support Mobipocket format books (which is also the Kindle's native format), and iTunes could be used to sync both devices, keeping "last read" pointers in the same way it does with audiobooks and podcasts now.
That way you could sit down with either device, and pick up where you left off.
Doubt we'll ever see it, but it'd be terrific if it happened.
Very interesting point from Chuck. I'd make a more general version of the point. We should be able to mix, match, and swap the devices from which we access the cloud.
Following on from that, I hope that iTunes does not become the dominant means of syncing. I trust that there will be more open means.
Looks like the iphone is very useful for those who read lots of books.
Personally I'd rather have a Kindle. I don't need a phone for which 70% of the services are unavailable here, and ties me to the worst phone provider around here.
Plus, I prefer the size of the Kindle, it's bigger and I don't want to turn pages every 9 lines, like with iPhone.
Vote for Kindle.
Though, to be honest, when I am not in the middle of a travel, or such, I prefer paper books.
I have both, love both and travel with both.
To read text on an iPhone requires constant scrolling, and for me scrolling isn't what a book lover wants in a reading experience. On the other hand, iPhone is excellent for reading shorter content like blogs and newspaper articles. None of the romances is lost with short content.
The Kindle retains the romance of holding a book and turning the pages. It's easy on the eyes, and if you keep wireless turned off, battery life seems eternal. There are a few books I wish were available that are not, and the first generation Kindle has some hardware design flaws that take about a month to get used to, but after the adjustment period, it's become my favorite way to read.
Convergence isn't always required. I'm more than happy to carry two or three devices with me, IF each is outstanding in one area of performance. In my gadget bag, I carry an iPhone, a Kindle, an N95, an N810 and an HD Sanyo Xacti. Everything accomplished by those five devices could be converged into an iPhone, but I would still want my Kindle to be separate.
Here's a crazy idea: go out and buy some real books and stop bending over for Steve Jobs. Spending hours reading a book on an iphone is seriously bad for your eyes (cue iphone class action lawsuits...)
I have an iPhone and have read books on it. It's not perfect but it works. What I read are free downloads so the price is right. I will continue to us my iPhone as a reader but I wont pay to download books. Have you noticed in general the criticism of iPhones comes mainly from people that don't own them?
How do you know Jeff doesn't own one Willaim? By the way, don't you find it somewhat ironic that now you've bought this futuristic device, the only books you can afford to read on it were published about a hundred years ago!!
All I'm saying is, don't believe the hype - get excited about the books, not the book reading apparatuses.
It will be great for audio books too.
Mobile devices are great for reading anytime, anywhere. I've used a couple Pocket PCs, a Windows Mobile smartphone and an iPhone for reading RSS feeds and (hundreds of) ebooks. I especially like borrowing Mobipocket ebooks from New York City Public Library.
I read ebooks mostly on airplanes, so I need a built-in program, not a website. While waiting for a local app reader for the iPhone, I'll continue using my Pocket PC.
But, when not on an airplane, I'm already using TextOnPhone and will also try Readdle and some of the others mentioned in the article and comments.
Use the eBooks app to read eBook files!
A few observations on the comments...you CAN scroll through a page of HTML on the iPhone by flicking or simply tapping ONCE in the body of the type, it advances down the page for you...also, I went to textonphone and am using it now, really enjoy it, it works well. Has a variety of fonts and font sizes, and you can customize the length of page to match your screen size. I am halfway through Steven King's "The Mist", and have been reading in bed, on a bus, over lunch. I recommend it...
The iPhone is already quite good (and getting better) as a mobile reading device. I use it quite heavily with Google Reader whilst on the go.
But while it's good for short-form content, I'm not sure this particular form factor will ever be the preferred means of reading long-form content, such as a book.
When it comes to reading books, the bar is simply much higher than the iPhone is capable of reaching. The Kindle's e-ink technology is substantially easier on the eye for longer reading sessions. The Kindle's form factor is also in its favor.
Apple would have to be crazy not to be considering a larger tablet-sized device at this point. Something that could sit on my coffee table that was wireless enabled, employed the iPhone's touch interface and gave me a much larger screen would be a hugely popular product.
As much as I use the iPhone, I'd use the iTablet even more.
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I've got an iPhone. I'm reading a lot using mobile Safari but have not been willing to fork over $400 for the clunky Kindle or buying ebooks at what I think are way too high prices.
But I want an iPod tablet to read on - with color. The Kindle b&w-only seems weak. I expect a native iphone ebookreader in software by July or so.
But I've been a champion of affordable ebooks since I started blogging in 03. A better Kindle or even the current Kindle with a lot more books and great prices is interesting until Apple can do the equivalent functionality, content, downloads direct to the device with sexier hardware a more functional and better software.
Due to housing prices skyrocketing in recent years, I need to downsize my stuff including books. Physical space is at a premium and the bookshelves are full. Bring it on!