Venture capitalists pour money into iPhone apps, big potential for ebooks!
The world that encompasses ebooks is huge, and expanding with each passing day. A good example of this is the number of different ebook reading applications that have recently made their debut for the iPhone/iPod Touch. The game has shifted from being focused on an "ebook-only" reading devices (think Kindle, Sony Reader), to oriented toward all-in-one devices such as the iPhone.
In fact, if we continue to focus on the iPhone and the apps that have evolved over the last few months, it’s turning into a huge cottage industry. How big? Big enough that venture capitalists are taking notice (actually, they’ve been noticing since before the Apple App Store was even open). Recently, iFund launched this blog that discusses that will "Share (and hear) perspectives around the iPhone and emerging mobile ecosystem."
What does this mean for the world of ebooks? It means that we’re on the cusp of an explosion in ereading software and ebook distribution platforms for mobile devices that will help push ebooks into the mainstream. The iPhone has really taken the first step, and as the iFund blog points out, will hopefully push others to follow:
The iPhone is a driving force that is finally pushing others in the mobile ecosystem (from developers to handset manufacturers to carriers) to move faster. Ultimately this is better for everyone as users do more on their phone, buy data plans, transact, etc.
The post continues:
While these changes have been dramatic, we have only seen the first few pitches of a 9 inning game. The iPhone has changed users’ expectations of what is possible in a mobile device and UI and the AppStore finally showed the promise of mobile data applications. This is good for the mobile industry at large and particularly for the consumer who has never before had the choice the iPhone now provides.
In other words, Apple really let the "cat out of the bag" when it comes to opening up a mobile device to developer innovation and giving consumers a choice. For example, look at the number of competing applications there are just for ebooks! All of them are different enough from one another to give consumers a real choice.
I make no secret about being a big fan of reading ebooks on my 1st generation 8GB iPhone. I wrote a comprehensive review of my preferred ebook reading app in this post and have found that reading ebooks on my iPhone is very enjoyable. In fact, I read more on my iPhone than I do on the Sony Reader. I think a lot of this has to do with the fact that my iPhone is always with me.
I’ll be interested in reading future posts on the iFund blog. You can be sure if there’s any news on the ebook front, I’ll be sure to report them here!
Related posts
- I finally have an iPhone
- iPhone Review – One Month Later
- Apple rolls out new iPhone 3GS, lower pricing
- Native ebook reading applications coming to an iPhone near you!
- iPhone is a viable ebook reader
Read More: Technology, eBooks
