No eBooks on iTunes? It Doesn’t Matter.

Alley Insider dashes any dreams you may have of Apple getting into the eBook business with the rumored Apple Tablet. Citing a source “connected to the e-book business,” Apple has no plans to build an iTunes-like eBook store. Dan Frommer lists several reasons why, and they’re all good, but it doesn’t change the fact that Amazon should still be very nervous for the life of the Kindle once this device comes out. There have been and will continue to be plenty of third-party eBook sellers and many of them don’t sell proprietary or DRM books. Obviously Barnes & Noble will push their eReader once it’s out, but there’s already an iPhone app for their eBook store. I’m sure the Apple tablet won’t be long without one as well. It’s not the point of sale that’s going to spell trouble for the Kindle, it’s the device itself. As I said before, consumers prefer multitasking devices. And though Amazon can still capture some with an app similar to the iPhone’s, there are plenty of people angry about the company removing books from devices and not being very upfront about the conditions of each title’s DRM. Someone is going to have to step up their game here. Will it be smaller eBook outfits like CoolerBooks, individual publishers like Steampunk Tales magazine, or Amazon itself? Hat Tip: CrunchGear