Apple is planning a "media event" in New York Later this month, according to All Things D. The event will likely be presented by Apple's senior vice president of Internet software and services (and Larry Page look-a-like), Eddy Cue.
Will this be the hotly-rumored AppleTV (the actual TV with a screen)? Will it be the iPad 3? No. First, it's in New York, which is where Apple launched the iPad-only newspaper The Daily almost a year ago--Apple launches hardware in San Francisco. Second, Eddy Cue isn't in charge of hardware. His domains include the App Store, iCloud, iAd and the iBookstore.
Further, Tech Crunch's Alexia Tsotsis says she has "confirmed" the news, and that it will be about eBooks. This makes sense, as New York is a world publishing center.
Other than that, we're open to guesses. IBooks clearly lags behind the Kindle. It might be prettier, but Amazon's e-reading service has a deeper catalog and works on pretty much any mobile device in existence. IBooks works on just three.
Apple will never put iBooks onto rival hardware, so the app will remain forever crippled. But given the success of Newsstand, and the huge jump in newspaper and magazine subscriptions after it launched with iOS 5, it's clear Apple can work with publishers. Textbooks, perhaps?
One thing is certain, though. This will be the first of many Apple announcements this year.
This Month’s Apple Event To Focus On Publishing And iBooks [Tech Crunch]
Apple Planning Media-Related Event in the Big(ger) Apple This Month [All Things D]
