Alice in Wonderland was just released as a hugely interactive version that leverages a number of the unique properties of the iPad. Check out the video:
Question is, is this the future? And, if so, how can we leverage this new platform and technology to launch and sell more books? More thoughts on this coming soon…but I’m curious what YOU think?
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{ 22 comments… read them below or add one }
We’ve found that there are people who e-book and people who paper. I doubt this will replace the book, but shoot if it gets people reading, who cares? One of the things we’ve found is that a lot of people have given up on reading. If this Kindle or whatever gets them back to reading? I’m all for it.
And I think you’re right. We must embrace the change to continue to grow.
I do think it’s very cool. And, I like the idea of using some of the iPad features to draw people, especially kids, deeper into actually reading. But, I also wonder if it’s too much to try and do both (interact and read). Put another way, what’s the affect on attention switching in a world that’s increasingly ADD?
I agree with Claudia, this could bring back a generation to the written (or animated written) word. I am less concerned with format than with great content. If things means a wider audience, new readers then I am all for it!
I do love the crisp feel of a new paperbook and the familiar comfort of an old favourite but I can see an iPad being quickly added to my bookshelf!
AJ
Haha, I’m actually the guy who sent back his kindle, because my reading style works better with books. Plus, like you, I just like the feel of a book in my hand. But, man, I’m seriously seeing an iPad in my future as well, though not just to be used as a reader
Watching this video gets my mind racing about the possibilities for multi-leveling some of the books and manuscripts I’m working on. If anything, the iPad and similar yet-to-be-dreamed technologies expand the possibilities of gaining audiences, connecting to people in different ways and enriching our relationship with the printed word. Obviously, the technology showcased in the Alice example is incredibly creative and exciting because it is very graphic and we all love that. How can the technology engage readers/users with literature, fiction or non-fiction? One was is to think of it as the Resource Center for what you are reading, something like footnotes on speed. But there are many more ways.
In my mind, the book, that tidy pile of trimmed pages holding ink, is by no means dead (I still get a rush upon entering a bookstore that smells like books, not coffee or bagels). Books are only one way for people to get information. Just like TV didn’t kill radio, the iPad and e-book readers should not kill books. They should bring out new possibilities for engagement in the printed word.
I hope not – I didn’t see any reading taking place – or anything that would encourage reading. Why not just make a book the background screen to a video game?
Everything IS going to become more game-like. Be prepared, my hunch is that’s the future.
It may well be, and depending who you ask…
I guess the question is whether kids will read and interact or just speed past the reading in search of the next opportunity to interact. Dunno the answer.
For now, I’m going to stick with a printed book. Even with all of the IT security in place on websites, they continue to demonstrate the vulnerability of outside attacks. Having intellectual material in digital form is great (at the publisher level), for it’s required to use ‘Print on Demand’ technologies already in place. However, having a website, whose purpose is to distribute electronic copies of books, ultimately put themself and us authors at risk. Suppose some hacker steals my digitized material and decides that he’s offend by my Christian poetry. That same individual could flood the Internet with illegal copies, thereby depriving me of future royalties. And what will be the distributors response? Most likely to drop my title from his inability to make sales and free up a few bytes of media storage (in anticipation of the next available title).
If you disagree with my opinion, that’s okay. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion; however, I dare anyone to prove me wrong.
I was kinda hoping for something better than an digital pop up book.
But it’s still pretty cool. “Real” interactivity to me would involve a non-linear experience and activities other than reading or viewing images. As long as we’re anchored to the notion of the page, we can still call it a book, I think.
I get what you’re saying. On the other hand, like Claudia and Alex said, I think there’s also some cool about preserving the experience of actually reading, especially when it comes to kids, but engaging them around the written pages, too.
Agreed. Unless it served a special purpose, I don’t think most folks would want the experience of reading removed from anything labeled as a book. I was just saying that in order for it to be considered interactive, it would have to include either a non-linear experience (branching paths) or a game-like interactive experience (or both–the Alic example is only the latter because the story is already linear).
True, true
I’m going to re-post what I wrote about this on FB where I saw it first:
“oh man. that kind of gave me a headache. I’d sort of prefer to see it not sped up by 20x. However. At the risk of being accused of being a Luddite, and with the caveat that I AM in fact excited about some of the possibilities of this stuff, umm… aren’t we losing sight of something here? I kind of preferred when Alice did all that stuff in my imagination, and it was my mind turning backflips, as opposed to flopping a screen around watching things wobble around ‘magically’… actually, there’s a level on which I find this saps most of the real magic out – because we know that what’s behind the stuff on the screen is technology and clever programming, whereas the magic before was something that we knew intuitively we were participating in imaginatively – precisely because the page itself was lifeless and bland. Somehow, despite the rich presentation and interactivity, I’m afraid we’re losing something of that. Thoughts?”
… and after a bit more conversation…
“I think the exciting stuff will happen with titles that are built in this space from the ground up, where the interactive elements are not window-dressing dropped in to display the capabilities of the tech but are essential to the ‘story’ in some way that we haven’t imagined yet. I suppose we have to get there somehow, so some growing pains will have to be endured. At least they’ll be pretty and glossy. I don’t really think that compelling, imaginative, transformative creative work is entirely a thing of the past. I just think that sometimes limitations enhance imagination, and I hope that doesn’t get lost in the shuffle while we explore the opposite path.”
This is what has me excited. Although some folks are snorting at this as nothing more than CD-ROM 2.0. But we feel compelled to press forward creating certain experiences, whether there’s a demonstrated need for them or not. Like the idea of a tablet computer itself (remember Newton?). It simply has to happen for some reason. Same thing with virtual worlds like MMOGs (remember VRML?) and augmented reality (HUD displays: the original augmented reality).
I don’t think I’ve put quite this much nerdiness in a blog comment in a while.
I agree with both of you guys. The real coolness of the Alice iPad experience is not, in fact, the Alice iPad experience…it’s what it’s leading to.
I see the iPad as a huge gamechanger, not necessarily this iteration, or even this device, but the simple fact that it now exists and there’s a giant community of competitors and developers who are now incentivized to push the envelope. Can you even begin to imagine where this will lead us in 3 years?
“Can you even begin to imagine where this will lead us in 3 years?” … nope. 3 years is a long time. I don’t think anyone can really predict. But I think your analysis is correct – the iPad is the most obvious manifestation yet of what will almost certainly prove to be a sea change affecting everything – publishing, web and social media, tv… so even though it’s not the ‘right device’ for me, and I’m unlikely to buy one this round, I’m eagerly waiting to see where it leads us.
Very cool that..Alice IS a kinetic book, a visual one, a cultural icon. This is fun…for the pursuit of an ever narrowing attention span.. wow…this could be a gateway drug..LOL….But beautiful hand held tactile books will continue to engage us. Some of us like them as ‘excluder devices” .
If you think about leveraging the innovation..I would think …where in this is the reader’s space?
From the video it looks fantastic but with the iPad I think people are still feeling unsure whether it will be a success. It’ll either be a total bunk or huge.
I think you raise some good questions.
I think there are two big buckets for the books that pop out:
1. solve a problem
2. have fun
For solve a problem — I think we can measure against effectiveness. So the next question becomes, how do we measure effectiveness? This could be things like — complexity, relevance, usefulness, authority, actionability, … etc. In this space, adding fun to solving the problem wins over just solving the problem — it’s edutainment in action.
For the “have fun” bucket, this sure looks like fun. It’s a more immersive experience.
I wonder at what point attractions become distractions … like the animated gifs, pop up ads, or blinking neon signs. I think user experience patterns have a bright future.