Has Amazon Done It? Is This the Future of eBooks?

Amazon has released a Kindle application for the iPhone and iPod touch, and, after trying it out for a bit, I have a sneaking feeling that Amazon has just created the future of ebooks. Just as the iPod was the device that changed the landscape of music listening and distribution, I am tempted to say that the Kindle application will be the tipping point that makes ebooks a force to be reckoned with.

The Kindle itself, a $359 device, has a larger screen, can display graphics, and offers other features, but it’s still a $359 purchase. If people already have iPhones and iPod touches, they can access all these books immediately without investing in a separate device.

Part of what will make this work is the wide range of books (Amazon claims that they have 240,000 Kindle editions), and the (more or less) single price for new “hardcovers”: $9.99. You see a book review, or an ad, or someone talks about a book, and you figure, “hey, $10, okay”, and you buy it. No shipping costs, no carbon used for transportation, no trees killed. Of course, you have to like reading on an iPhone or iPod touch, which is the real test. (It’s too soon for me to be able to say if I can read books on this device.) But with multiple font sizes, bookmarks, and near-instant delivery, this is quite a package.

Now the down side. You don’t have a book, you can’t lend it to someone, give it away when you’re finished, or sell it used. You shouldn’t read in the tub, but you can read nearly anyplace else. When you’re finished, you have nothing but the experience. (You can always download the book again – Amazon keeps your “library” on line – but you probably won’t.) On the plus side, these books don’t take up shelf space, and most of us don’t re-read books. If there’s a book you really like and want to re-read, well, just buy it on paper.

I’m not convinced that the current screen size is perfect for reading books, but I am convinced by the system – an iTunes for books, in a way, that is easy to use, fast and cheap. Time will tell, but I seriously think this is the tipping point. Welcome to the new world of publishing, and of reading. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to buy my first ebook…

Get books for your Kindle app from Amazon.com