Apple is expected to launch its highly anticipated tablet device at noon CST today at an invitation-only event.
If you are interested, you can follow the event live and find more information at All Things Digital.
*** Update***
Here is some of the play-by-play from John Paczkowski at All Things Digital:
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“Let me show you another one of our apps that we’re very excited about,” Jobs says. “An e-book reader.”
Behind him appears a photo of Amazon’s Kindle. “Amazon did a great job with their reader and we’re standing on their shoulders here.”
“Today we’re announcing the iBooks store,” syas Jobs. It will be supported initially by Penguin, Simon and Shuster and a number of other big publishers.
The iBooks Store interface begins with a simple bookshelf view. Tap the screen and it loads a more iTunes-like view. Purchase a book and it’s added to your bookshelf with a slick little animation.
The reading experience seems very appealing. Much more book-like. From where I sit, the pages appear as though they are written on paper.
“We use the e-pub format, the most popular open book format in the world,” says Jobs. “We think iPad is going to be a very popular e-reader not just for bestsellers, but for textbooks as well.”
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At a starting price of $499, it doesn’t seem feasible to buy the iPad (previously rumored to be called iSlate) primarily as an e-Book reader. However, for those that enjoy the other features offered by the iPad, this application could be a nice addition.
