In case you don’t follow the tech press as closely as I do, Apple will be releasing a small, supposedly cheaper tablet computer intended to compete in the “netbook” market. Those are small, cheap computers that can’t really do anything but access the internet. I see them in airports a lot lately. They look annoying to use, but that’s just me. So Apple’s version will (according to rumor) look like a really large iPhone - a 9 inch or so touchscreen and no keyboard.
“Apple wants to make bigger purchases more compelling by creating a new type of interactive album material, including photos, lyric sheets and liner notes that allow users to click through to items that they find most interesting. Consumers would be able to play songs directly from the interactive book without clicking back into Apple’s iTunes software, executives said.” - via Financial Times
This sounds like what the iPhone’s promise of a music player has been all along - crazy amounts of interaction with the content you’ve bought - but artists (save perhaps Trent Reznor) have been slow to get on board with realizing the potential. Let’s hope this will stir things up a bit.
Apple, Labels Aim To Save The Album With “Cocktail” Project (AAPL)