After the initial palaver over Apple's iPad announcement in January, gadget-watchers seem to be settling in to their opinions about what the device will actually be able to do. As they figure out what the iPad's capabilities are, I have a very specific question for the blogosphere: will I be able to write interactive multimedia books for this device?
In the keynote, Apple showed off its new bookstore, but e-readers for print are old news, and not particularly what I'm interested in. (Call me old-fashioned, but I'd rather read my Jane Austen on paper.)
A web designer over at Soro Book Design, Jeff Barry, has what I'm feeling nailed. Something new! Something fresh! Something that uses the capabilities of the device!
Barry has concluded that the only way to achieve that publishing vision is to develop an app, and after digging through press on the iPad, I'm inclined to agree.
Apparently there's a non-disclosure agreement associated with downloading the iPad's developer kit, so it's tough to tell from the outside exactly what it's capable of (apart from the no Flash thing). But designing my own interactive book app sounds pretty wonderful.
How one funds such an endeavor, however, is another matter entirely. Somehow I doubt the App Store is going to pay my book advance.
