As some of you may have heard, Apple had their big tablet announcement today. What? Apple tablet announcement? Crazy, I know. And, no, Steve Jobs didn’t ride out on a unicorn as we all (ok, maybe only the BookNetters) had hoped.
Here’s a breakdown of the details plus a more extensive look at the ebook element.
Adam Hodgkin of Exact Editions has an insightful blog post that ties in the mythic Apple tablet with App store as bookstore business model. In light of that I thought if that happens then inevitably they will need a robot to help shelve the books—preferably one that can jump stacks and stacks of unpacked inventory and returns! Behold Kyoto-based Robo Garage has unveiled Ropid [JP] today, a mini robot that runs on two legs and can jump as high as 8cm:
While it’s not exactly a new thing for publishers to publish game manuals (whether of the video variety or other, like Magic: The Gathering which all the SUPER-cool kids were really into when I was growing up and, frankly some of my friends kind of still are), the game (punny!) changes when big entertainment companies like Nintendo start opening up shop within bookstores.
IndieBound.org was founded almost a year ago by members of the American Bookseller Association looking for a way to work together with other indie booksellers and other locally owned businesses.
BookNet Canada is a non-profit organization that develops technology, standards, and education to serve the Canadian book industry. Founded in 2002 to address systemic challenges in the industry, BookNet Canada supports publishing companies, booksellers, wholesalers, distributors, sales agents, industry associations, literary agents, media, and libraries across the country.
