Tony gives his personal observations on tech news, gadgets, music, or whatever is bothering him at the moment.
I’m looking through previews of photos and videos from today before I crawl into bed.
I am amazed that I was asked to be part of something special. I am more amazed that in some small part, I helped make it happen.
To the universe, I say thanks.
Time for rest so we can do it all over again tomorrow.
I’ll be at Macworld Expo again this year.
I’m most looking forward to meeting up with friends from around the world that we see just once a year when we get together for a common purpose.
My goal for this trip is to interview enough vendors and attendees to put together a few podcast episodes. I’ll also be taking pictures and maybe some short videos to post here as well.
Wish me luck!
Personal note: Don’t try to write a blog post before 7am unless you’ve had your coffee.
Dave Caolo at TUAW posted a story about the long-rumored Apple Tablet device and textbook publishers. The following line caught my eye.
“As for the publishers, this type of distribution would eliminate the school’s resale of used books, which was a benefit for the students but did nothing for them.”
As a student, I tried to purchase used books whenever possible to save money for my growing collection of Yes, Genesis, and Neil Young import CDs (please don’t remind me.) I also tried to sell my used books back to the store or another student at the end of the semester.
I’m curious to see if Dave’s prediction comes true. If Apple does succeed in securing deals with the textbook publishers, I’m almost certain other device manufacturers/companies (Amazon anyone?) would soon follow. Publishers would love to reduce the used book market on campuses. I’m worried that we wouldn’t see discounted textbooks in electronic format, just like we haven’t seen discounts in other forms of electronic media*.
How many users would prefer to get their textbooks in electronic form? At first, the cost of the e-textbooks won’t be the deciding factor, due to the initial cost of the tablet and the high cost of the textbooks themselves. I think it will be convenience that drives adoption of e-textbooks. There’s also no denying that the cool factor will play into this for those that have the means.
* My claim on the lack of discounts for electronic media is not based on any real data. I only comment based on personal experience. Physical CDs and DVDs are not necessarily more expensive because you’re losing the CD booklet and the extra features found on most DVDs with their electronic counterparts.
