“The new deal will take place June 30, offering publishers a much higher share of revenue than the current system,” Marsal reports. “When factoring in the cost of delivery at 15 cents per megabyte, Amazon said the average $8.99 book would earn the content provider $6.25. Under the previous plan, they would have taken just $3.15.”
Marsal reports, “Recent reports have said that Apple intends to continue that [70-30 split] in providing content for its forthcoming tablet, which is expected to serve as a multimedia device that can, among other tasks, be used for reading printed content. HarperCollins and other major publishers are said to be in talks with Apple to provide their content for the tablet.”
Marsal reports, “While speculation suggests Apple’s tablet will not function solely as a device intended for reading, its alleged ability to display e-books has had some dub it a ‘Kindle killer.’ In an interview last September, Apple CEO Steve Jobs said he believes ‘dedicated devices’ like Amazon’s Kindle will remain niche products while multi-purpose devices like the iPhone ‘will win the day.'”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Kindle, Schmindle. Even without the rumored tablet, Apple already has two Kindle (hardware) killers, iPhone and iPod touch.
Apple’s current devices already offer e-reader functions, including Amazon’s Kindle app itself. And, unlike Amazon, Apple hasn’t sold just a meager 2.5 million devices with grand hopes of having added another paltry 500,000 during the holiday quarter. Apple will sell upwards of 20 million iPhone and iPod touch devices in the holiday quarter alone; 40 times the Kindle sales estimated by analysts. 40 times. To date, adding in the holiday quarter estimates, Apple has sold roughly 75 million iPhones and iPod touches combined, all of which, providing they are running at least iPhone OS 2.0, are capable of using Amazon’s Kindle app, not to mention a huge selection of other e-reader apps. 3 million Kindles vs. 75 million iPhones and iPod touches. Let’s face facts, folks, the far and away #1 electronic reading device in the world is from Apple, not Amazon.
If they haven’t already, Amazon should forget about hardware and focus all of their attention on their Kindle software for Apple hardware.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “James W.” for the heads up.]