Today’s Top Tablet News
Is the Keyboard the Key to Microsoft’s Tablet?
The New York Times
Microsoft showed off a tablet yesterday that is about the same weight and thickness as an iPad, with a 10.6-inch screen. The device has a built-in “kickstand” that allows it to be propped up for watching movies, and a thin detachable cover that will serve double duty as a keyboard. With the detachable keyboard for Surface, known as Touch Cover, Microsoft seemed to be positioning its tablet as a more business-friendly alternative to the iPad, one that is better suited to productivity tasks that require faster typing. The keyboard has touch-sensing keys that become inactive when the cover is closed.
Microsoft Tablet Geared for Productivity
AP (via NPR)
Microsoft unveiled a new tablet computer, Surface, that attempts to take advantage of one of the few criticisms of Apple’s iPad — that it is better for consuming content than creating it. The software maker said Monday that its device will attach to a removable rubberized keyboard that also acts like a book cover. CEO Steve Ballmer said Surface will be an entertainment device “without compromising the productivity that PCs are uniquely known for.”
Tablet Users More Likely to Buy Magazines and Book Content
Poynter
New research published yesterday by the Online Publishers Association answers some key questions about what kinds of content tablet users consume, and what they’re willing to buy. The study found that tablet users are fairly willing to pay publishers for content that is entertaining and highly visual (magazines, books and movies), less so for straight news and newspaper content.
Inside the E-Book War Between Amazon and Apple
The New Yorker
Ken Auletta’s insightful story looks at about whether book publishers colluded with Apple against Amazon. Since introducing the Kindle, in 2007, Amazon had come to dominate the e-book market, with about ninety per cent of sales. In the effort to gain even greater market share, it was selling books at a loss: while publishers typically sold e-books to Amazon for about fifteen dollars apiece, Amazon was selling many of them for $9.99. Publishers were concerned that customers would come to believe that $9.99 was what books were worth, and they were desperate to have greater influence on prices.
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