Fri 1/20 The iBooks Platform
The iPad became the dominant tablet because of the application ecosystem it shares with the iOS and the media ecosystem it shares with the iPod. It has not had a runaway hit of its own. Apple is prepared to leverage the success of the iPad and enter the textbook industry with the same controlled platform strategy that have made the Mac, iPod, and iOS a success.
Apple’s previous successes were won by controlling the platforms they created. The Macintosh rose from the brink of death to become the premier personal computer because of Apple’s tight control over the Macintosh hardware, the Mac OS X operating system, and Xcode suite of developer tools1. Apple, not Microsoft or any hardware manufacturer controls the Mac’s destiny, and this helps Apple stay one foot ahead of the competition.
The iPod became the world’s most popular music player because of Apple’s control over the iTunes software, and the iTunes Store that delivers music, movies, and television shows straight to customer’s iPods. The innovative, easy to use iPod hardware might have helped get the iPod off the ground, but its ties to accessible digital media through the iTunes ecosystem ensured users remain with the iPod platform.
The iPhone may have been destined to become the world’s most popular smartphone due to the amazing multitouch technology it introduced, but Apple’s control over the iOS operating system, Xcode developer environment, and App Store distribution model have made the iPhone the central member of a new application ecosystem that can’t be beat.
Yesterday’s introduction of iBooks 2 and iBooks Author were significant announcements because they complete the platform pyramid Apple needs to enter the Textbook Market with the same control as its previous successes.
The first point on the pyramid is the iPad. The success of the iOS application ecosystem has already the iPad the dominent tablet2, but the iPad’s 9.7 inch screen and multimedia capabilities make it the perfect host for the rich learning experience of modern textbooks. No other tablet has the popularity of the iPad, and no other technology company has the same connection to education as Apple. It is hard to think Samsung, Google, or even Amazon could produce a tablet with the same impact in schools as Apple can.
The second point on the pyramid is iBooks. Taken straight out of the pages of Apple’s iTunes and App Store playbook, iBooks is the one stop shop for users to discover, purchase, and organize their reading collection. iBooks 2 offers support for the kind of interactive experiences Apple needs to sell if they hope to close the cover on paper textbooks.
Introducing an entirely new kind of textbook that’s dynamic, current, engrossing, and truly interactive. A textbook created by publishers using a new authoring tool from Apple. A textbook brought to life by iPad.
If iBooks becomes the same smash hit as iTunes and the App Store, then its easy to purchase and DRM restricted content will keep users coming back to the iPad. It is important to remember that iBooks is only available on devices running iOS, and textbooks can only be displayed on the iPad.
The final point on the pyramid is iBooks Author, an electronic book development environment that makes it easy for almost anyone to create books for the iPad on Mac OS X.
Available free on the Mac App store, iBooks Author is an amazing new app that allows anyone to create beautiful Multi-Touch textbooks — and just about any other kind of book — for iPad. With galleries, video, interactive diagrams, 3D objects, and more, these books bring content to life in ways the printed page never could.
iBooks Author is the Xcode of book creation. It is a free tool provided by Apple for creating content specifically formatted for the iBooks ecosystems. By giving iBooks Author away Apple is lowering the barrier of entry for content creators. Even Amazon, with its long lasting relationship with book publishers, will have a hard time competing with iBooks multimedia textbooks without a content creation application of their own.
As the past has shown controlling the platform matters. Apple is prepared to enter the textbook industry as a dominent player because they control the device, the distribution method, and the content creation tools. No other company can say they own all three. Microsoft, Google, and Amazon might try to follow Apple’s lead, but until they possess a platform pyramid of their own the battle is over before it began. Game, set, match.