9 to 5 Mac summarizes information it has received from contacts in the publishing industry in recent days, revealing that Apple has been pushing aggressively forward in discussions with publishers about bringing their content to Apple's tablet rumored for introduction on Wednesday.
According to the reports, Apple has been touting the tablet's software as a "game changer" for the e-reader market and positioning its distribution model in contrast to Amazon's Kindle by offering publishers greater control over content and pricing. Other tidbits include:
- Apple is expected to have general agreements with major publishers in place by Wednesday, allowing it to tout the partnerships while still leaving "nuts and bolts" details of the arrangements to further negotiations.
- Scrollmotion and other companies serving as middle-men to bring e-books to the iPhone are being cut out of the tablet, with Apple preferring to work directly with the publishers.
- A large library of e-book content for the tablet is not expected until "mid-2010 at the very earliest", although Apple will likely have something to show at the media event.
- Publishers have not been provided access to any tablet prototypes, although the device has reportedly been described to them as having a 10-inch glass screen and smaller than but roughly equal in weight to Amazon's Kindle DX.
- Apple's tablet will not be priced "anywhere near" the $1,000 mark that some have floated as a possible price point.
