I’ve been sitting on this article for quite a while, but the recent iTablet rumours and then the announcement of Sony’s new low-cost digital e-book readers moved me to finished it off and get it posted quickly!
The print and graphic design industries were the first that Apple really cornered. The killer combination of the Macintosh’s user interface, powerful QuickDraw API and Apple’s one-of-a-kind LaserWriter printer which included a built-in PostScript interpreter positioned Apple dead centre of the burgeoning DTP revolution. Though Apple made many mistakes throughout the early 90s, those critical components gave Apple a foundation that proved to be unmatchable.
Since Steve Jobs’ return to Apple in 1997, building strong hardware and software foundations in order to corner markets is now a company ethos which is rarely experimented with. Music, music videos, TV shows, movies, podcasts, audiobooks, video games and now software distribution; if Steve Jobs believes that Apple can build an end-to-end solution using the companies key strengths then it seems almost inevitable that it will.
This brings me back to print. Apple are now in a unique position to end the 600 year reign of ink on wood pulp. To be fair, the printing industry has been in decline since the Internet became ubiquitous, but only Apple have all the technologies in place – both hardware and software – to topple the giant once and for all. Here’s how they might do it.
There are three reasons why the Tim Berners-Lee’s invention hasn’t yet conquered print. Quality, ease of use and price. After 600 years of progress print is a mature technology, pick up any glossy magazine and you’ll see an array of fonts, colours, design styles and photography that really isn’t possible on the World Wide Web. The problem is partly to do with hardware (print resolution is about 2400 dots per inch and screen resolution is about 133 pixels per inch) but mostly to do with software, HTML just isn’t up to the task of pixel perfect font, graphic and photo positioning and styling. PostScript and its modern cousin PDF is however.
Remember the key elements that led to the DTP revolution? A slick user interface, a powerful API, unique hardware that included the all important PostScript support. With the iPhone and iPod Touch Apple are once again ready take centre stage within the print industry, but unlike before, this time it will be with a mind to transforming it completely.
Let’s talk about what Apple needs to bring to the table.
In terms of software and services I think it’s fair to say that Apple are 90% sorted. From design to distribution every angle is covered. The App Store was the final piece of the software puzzle. As for hardware, that’s where Apple will need to bring a handful of genuine innovations.
The screen would need to be A5 (210mm x 148.5mm) with a pixel density of at least 133 pixels per inch. The battery life would need to be good, very good. A standby time of 7 days and usage time of about 6 hours. Both the screen and the outer casing would need to be rock solid, stronger even that of the iPhone. Ideally it would be based on the same hardware specification as the iPhone 3GS making it a powerful web browsing and entertained device in addition to its primary function as a replacement for paper.
These specifications present a serious challenge, but it’s a challenge that I think Apple can meet, even in 2009. Perhaps Apple’s biggest problem is the price point. To mount a genuine attack on ink and paper they may have to sell this tablet device at almost cost price, or even at a loss in order drive sales aggressively in the first year. Less than $200 would be ideal, but $350 might just be low enough.
At some point within the next ten years, a company with a similar skill set to Apple will put all the pieces together in a package that people will desire in their droves. Will that company be Apple? You never know, perhaps 2010 will see the rebirth of the Apple iBook.