Rewriting The Electronic Book

Ancient Sumerians wrote and communicated in the form of tablets, with drawings and impressions made by rolling the seal on wet clay. The face of the seal was cut from semi-precious stone. Such was the difficulty in the form of communication and writing in ancient times.

These days, tablets come in the form of the iPad, Kindle, or numerous generic copies worldwide. Kindle EBooks outsold real books on Christmas in 2009. Apple sold 14.8 million iPads worldwide in 2010. In this digital age, the EBook’s prominence is increasing at an accelerated pace.

But what’s the difference between Ebooks and real books? For sure, u can carry a hundred books digitally in your iPad, do without all that paper, and reduce your carbon footprint. But still, both are essentially of the same form: wordy.

With the advent of high-tech imaging, video and animation, what’s in it for a next-generation digital book? Mike Matas at Push Pop Press has also demonstrated that we can push the boundaries of new media further. The Plaza Hotel New York’s digital concierge with the iPad is an interesting example.

For sure, the tablet PC is emerging as another separate platform for companies to further engage their clients. Can companies capitalize on this technology to engage with their existing or potential clients through visually compelling new media? It’s your call.

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