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  • The iPad: What is a Gutenberg moment, anyway?

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allanw1ael@gmail.com Apr 10, 2010 8:08 pm

Thanks for a well-reasoned argument that carefully analyzes, and deflates the I-Pad punditry we have all been seeing. I haven't seen but a picture of this very attractive consumer product, but at its present nascent state, it does not impress me as a machine I would use for "serious work".It will surely be a commercial success, unless we miss our guesses, but you present a clear picture of what factors will shape its path.

Reply to allanw1ael@gmail.com at 8:08 pm
ipeckh1@lsu.edu Apr 11, 2010 10:11 am

I look forward to its proliferation--and to other developers aiming for the same target. Although advertising itself as a tool for business interests, MicroLogic's Que will also be an e-reader to watch.E-readers like the iPad and Que will help move forward the development e-texbooks written for the web, using all the power of the web to make hypertext and multi-media the standard for our textbooks. The previous e-readers have been hobbled by imagining that a book is a print book first & an e-book second. The iPad and its successors will turn that around, allowing writers like me to bypass the book model. I think people like me will use the iPad-like tools to do precisely what it was designed for--to consume: to read & watch. We'll use our laptops or netbooks to create. I can imagine most students will be very happy about not having to carry books around. I also think that writing for iPad-like readers will change our writing and teaching habits. These readers will also demand new models of textbook distribution and change the function of publishers.

Reply to ipeckh1@lsu.edu at 10:11 am