Apple Working On Content Deals?

Yesterday, I talked about how Apple may not go after Amazon Kindle right away as there were no indications that it was courting content publishers. According to numerous reports, it does seem that Apple is exploring the idea of entering the e-book business. HarperCollins Publishers has been in talk with Apple for a deal to distribute e-books on Apple tablet. So Apple could be building up its content network slowly to take a crack at the current crop of e-book readers on the market.

Apple tablet may be in a disadvantage in comparison to other e-book readers when you compare its price (expected to be in $800-$1000 range). But it can display e-b00k 2.0 content, something that can’t be currently done on a Nook or Kindle. Books that come with author interviews, sound-bites, and other dynamic content are the future. I have talked about in the past about Amazon needing to add support for video and more dynamic books (Kindle Video), and now it may have to if Apple is to get into this space.

To be fair, many are still skeptical about Apple tablet making a great e-book reader. A lot of people hate reading e-books on their computer monitors and may stay away from Apple tablet for that reason. The high price is another issue that many are already complaining about. It’s hard to make a judgement on Apple tablet until Apple announces more details on it. We also know that Kindle 3 is already in the works, so you may not even need a fancy device such as iSlate if Amazon has listened and implemented the features we have all been asking for. The next few months are going to be very interesting.