Borders wants to know if you plan on buying an iPAD (Large scale reading device) from Apple

Seth Weintraub
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August 14, 2009
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Mac|Life found a curious question on a survey sent around by Borders.  They asked if:

Curious because if Apple was building a tablet eBook reading device, Borders would be one of the first to know...but could obviously be speculation as well.  Do you plan on buying an iPAD this year?

 

Comments (22)

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | August 14, 2009 - 8:36pm

With these "in 2010" and "in September" floating about... what if it is both? What if a "reading device" is due out in, say, September, but it is mostly a competitor for the Kindle -- a true ebook reader, perhaps meant largely (but not solely) for education?

Then, in 2010, it is expanded upon with a true, powerful Apple tablet.

I would rate the probability of this at 20% or so, but it is still an interesting thought.

Justin (not verified) | August 14, 2009 - 8:46pm

Yeah Apple is getting into the feminine hygiene product line since the iPhone isn't working out for them.

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | August 14, 2009 - 8:56pm

I've seen consumer surveys that have asked if the person responding has seen a fictitious ad campaign, so it wouldn't surprise me completely if Borders put this in either to (a) gauge how many people had no idea what they were talking about; or (b) see how much of a market there would be for books that were compatible with an Apple product.

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | August 14, 2009 - 10:43pm

Here's the iPad. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1BUH9eXy18 =D

Olternaut (not verified) | August 14, 2009 - 11:07pm

Well duh!

But....how does Borders know that it will be called the "iPad"?
Do you think they're guessing or are they retarded enough to actually use the product's real name before the unveil?

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | August 14, 2009 - 11:28pm

oooooooo i think i just got an erection. hhehe

Sylvester Malus (not verified) | August 15, 2009 - 4:02am

"think"? Isn't that something you should er.. know?

Dan Birchall (not verified) | August 15, 2009 - 12:14am

After a year with an iPhone, and a few years with MacBook touchpads that know how many fingers are on them, I can see the value of a multitouch tablet. (Yes, I know, this was exactly what Apple planned... get me to use the phone first, then drop the bigger device on me.) So there's potential to sell me one.

I've also got a 10-year-old who never did much with the OLPC G1G1 I got her, and only borrows parental MacBooks to play flash games and surf for LOLcats... yet things things like the Nintendo DS are cool. I'm kind of wondering if she's going to grow up thinking physical keyboards are for old people... but she's a voracious reader, so we'll see if she asks for an iPAD.

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | August 15, 2009 - 12:32am

The way they write "iTouch", I'm pretty certain this is all a stone throw in the dark.

AllanF (not verified) | August 15, 2009 - 2:16am

The survey seems designed to assess trends that will impact brick and mortar book stores versus the eBook market but who knows how much thought if any went into its preparation or who at Borders authorized the survey. Borders has no apps on the App store as do Barnes & Noble, and Amazon. It doesn't seem like they would have any special inside info.

The iPad / iTablet could have a huge positive impact on book sales. Publishers could take already existing books and fill the pages of the electronic versions with hyperlinks to relevant external material, word definitions, developing huge multimedia departments to make books "interactive." Text books will be revolutionized by this but every book could become much more useful and interesting from an educational / entertainment standpoint. But these will typically be sold on-line so the bricks and mortar book stores are no doubt watching all this very closely.

What is most astonishing is that Apple has said ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about an iPad / iTablet. Yet, i think because we believe that Apple can scale up the iPodTouch to a 10" screen which would make it so convenient for reading books etc., the world awaits. I will sure be in line on day 1.

Joe (not verified) | August 15, 2009 - 3:09am

The iPad will be another home run for apple; it'll be like a Kindle on steroids and finally an ebook/magazine reader that will work--who wants to read things in B&W? Such would be a massive help for inventory management for the various glossy magazine 10 years down the road; it would eliminate the waste of paper, shipping, distribution and warehousing costs of virtually anything in print; If Apple gets just a 5% we're talking a many fold increase in apple's profits

choppedtoms (not verified) | August 15, 2009 - 3:43am

i like how easy on the eye the kindle screen is

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | August 15, 2009 - 6:22am

If it has good features and meets my needs both work related and entertainment related, then yes.

9to5Mac Noob | August 15, 2009 - 7:05am

"if Apple was building a tablet eBook reading device, Borders would be one of the first to know..."

I didn't realize Borders was so high up in the tech food chain

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | August 15, 2009 - 9:03am

It would take weeks to write an application to run reading material for a specific vendor on a new device. It would take months to get a library of selections up and running. I imagine they're fishing for what they should do if this is for real. The SDK looks like it would be sharing most features with Cocoa and Touch.

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | August 15, 2009 - 9:21am

No, it's DRM for books and a waste of money.

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | August 15, 2009 - 4:13pm

I think iTab sounds so much better than iPad.

Peruchito (not verified) | August 15, 2009 - 4:15pm

i hope to god they don't call it the iPad. they should make it the new iBook.

Jayce (not verified) | August 16, 2009 - 9:40am

New story:

Loose Lips at Borders Place Apple Tablet In Limbo.

Way to go Borders.

terry (not verified) | August 16, 2009 - 1:08pm

I'll buy one if it's a book reader and media reader and can do modest computing. I'd like to see it work well with iChat. Better yet, if iChat would work via a phone radio chip when not in wifi range.

ebook poetry (not verified) | August 19, 2009 - 5:55am

In my opinion it already was discussed

anne bishop ebook (not verified) | August 19, 2009 - 6:47am

I apologise, I too would like to express the opinion.