Apple Pushes e-Book Price Hike

First marketplace impact of the iPad, apparently, is to raise the cost of e-books for consumers. Curiously, the deal Apple struck with publishers also costs the publishers money. The losers are Amazon, which had been selling e-books at a loss to boost acceptance of its Kindle Reader, and consumers, who will see price increases of 30-50%. The New York Times explains:

Amazon Accepts Macmillan’s Demand for Higher E-Book Prices - NYTimes.com

The Apple iPad: First Impressions - Pogue’s Posts Blog - NYTimes.com

Notwitstanding that David Pogue of The New York Times is famously an Apple enthusiast (and writes books about Apple products), his early reaction to the iPad captures the key point: it will live or die based on whether there is compelling content for it... The same way the iTunes Music Store made the iPod more than "just another music player" and the App Store made the iPhone more than "just another smartphone."

The Apple iPad: First Impressions - Pogue’s Posts Blog - NYTimes.com