{"id":460858,"date":"2010-03-22T19:15:55","date_gmt":"2010-03-22T23:15:55","guid":{"rendered":"tag:contentnext.com,2010-03-22:article\/419-with-ipad-looming-amazon-barnes-noble-push-the-platform"},"modified":"2010-03-22T19:15:55","modified_gmt":"2010-03-22T23:15:55","slug":"with-ipad-looming-amazon-barnes-noble-push-the-platform","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/460858","title":{"rendered":"With iPad Looming, Amazon, Barnes & Noble Push The Platform"},"content":{"rendered":"

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After the hardware holiday battles, Amazon (NSDQ: AMZN<\/a>) and book-selling rival Barnes & Noble (NYSE: BKS<\/a>) are eager to remind users, potential buyers and analysts that they offer platforms in addition to e-readers. And they should be: the multi-tasking<\/strike> more versatile iPad may not appeal to everyone but it’s already siphoning attention away and dollars are sure to follow. The two already have their own following for software and hardware so are in better shape than those still trying to gain a foothold. Still, they need to come up with strong contenders for the iPad and the other next-gen tablets on the way, especially if they want to keep iPhone\/iTouch users who add on the iPad.\n<\/p>\n

Amazon’s approach<\/strong>: convince people it offers “the best reading experience available on your tablet computer including the iPad. No Kindle required.” A few days after launching its moderately in-your-face Kindle for Mac app, Amazon is already showing off its tablet approach via an official page<\/a>. The current Kindle apps offers splashes of color. The tablet version embraces it, as much of it as we can see. Like the other Kindle apps, it’s limited to books but last page read, notes and highlights can sync across devices. (Those of us who subscribe to magazines, newspapers or blogs on Kindle can only access those version on the e-reader.) Readers will be able to switch between animated page mode and basic reading. When I asked Amazon if the Kindle iPad app had been approved yet, a spokesman replied: “We look forward to making Kindle for iPad available very soon. I\u2019ll have to ask you to stay tuned on specific timing.” As for the emphasis on tablets as a category: “There are going to be many general purpose tablet computers and we want to show customers what they can expect for the category in general.”<\/p>\n

Barnes & Noble<\/strong> sent a strong signal about its digital ambitions last week with the promotion<\/a> of BN.com head William Lynch to CEO. The company has yet to go public with looks but it’s already promised an app<\/a> “specifically” for iPad, a different take from Amazon’s tablets-and-iPad strategy. It’s also promising to enhance the other B&N eReader apps for “an enhanced on-the-go reading experience.” Also unlike Amazon, B&N is promising iPad access to everything sold in its eBookstore. <\/p>\n

B&N told the NYT<\/a> it has 14 developers working on the app in a windowless room. The reimagined app will offer finger swiping, a customized look and possibly multimedia.<\/p>\n

Update<\/b>: I substituted “more versatile” for “multitasking” after a note from Slate<\/em>‘s Jack Shafer reminding me that it wasn’t the right choice in this context. The iPad offers multiple tasks but doesn’t allow multitasking, a distinction with a difference.\n<\/p>\n

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