Another Missed Opportunity for Bookstores — Hardware Lessons from the E-Reader Space
Traditional bookstores are missing a huge e-reader opportunity, proving that, sadly, they are not the customer-focused retailers they once were.
The Editorial Fallacy
In a disruptive publishing environment, publishers cannot rely on a purely editorial strategy, as many of the issues now facing them are not editorial in nature.
Teaching the End of Print — Using Books Poised on the Edge of Oblivion
A teacher publishes a syllabus contemplating a print era bounded by two inventions — the printing press and the networked screen. It’s part of a sweep of interesting observations.
Measuring Reading Speed on E-Readers Teaches Us That Speed Isn’t Usability
A Nielsen usability study confuses speed with usability, raising many questions in so doing.
The POD Booby Trap and the Lure of Open Access Books
Using POD (print on demand) as a means to support open access is not a viable business model.
Apple’s iPhone 4 and iOS4: What Do They Mean for Publishers?
Apple announces a new model iPhone and an updated operating system for all iPhones/iPads/iPod Touch devices. What impact will these new technologies have on publishers?
iPad Usability: Confusing, a Prevalence of Print Metaphors, and Weird Interaction Models
Jakob Nielsen releases his first usability studies of the iPad. Bottom line? Users are not being served, interfaces are “wacky.”
Financial Times Hits the iPad: A Video Tour
A short video tour of the Financial Times’ new iPad app — and a question.
E-Readers Will Take Centerstage If Prices Drop, Yet Publishers Still Have Two Left Feet
E-readers are poised to go mainstream, yet publishers continue to be wallflowers. Haven’t we learned to dance at all during this last digital decade?
Short Stories and Comics: Niche Markets with Core Lessons for STM Publishers
The failure of the traditional music industry has become the standard cautionary tale for content industries adapting to a digital era. But for scholarly publishers, many factors make the music industry a poor comparison. We have more in common with smaller niche markets. Watching their electronic experimentation and new business models may be more informative as we seek new strategies for presenting and selling content.
Mobile Devices and Privacy — Why It’s So Easy to Swap Personal Information to Satisfy an Itch
Mobile computing is the norm, but it also creates easy trading ground for our privacy. Is this just the new normal?
Clouds, Gestures, and Incumbents — Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad
Major trends are at work in information exchange technologies and interface design, but publishers remain hampered by incumbent traits.
Four Days with the iPad
Four days with the iPad reveals a landscape of possibilities and some real functionality pros and cons.
The Scholarly iPad — First Impressions, Relevance for Publishers
The iPad is a superb design realization of the tablet computer. But that still leaves the question: “What is it?”
The Next E-book Device Is Already Here
The next new e-book reading device is already here. (You may already own one.)