iSlate: Another Dedicated eReader? Another DRMed Closed Door to Reading?

Recently I got so much tired of reading so many stories of Apple’s iSlate anticipation I even didn’t write anything on this lately. According to mainstream media and blogs, the coming year will be a hot market for ebooks and ereaders. However, all the stories are centered around on Apple. Even there are speculation now that iSlate will be a dedicated ebook reader.According to quickpwn:

Our sources have told us that the rumor about Apple launching a product with the iSlate name is true, but the product won’t be an Apple tablet, it will be an eBook reader. The iSlate will be a competitor to the Amazon Kindle, Barnes and Noble Nook and other e-readers that are out there. Our sources have also told us that the iSlate eBook reader will run on Apple’s upcoming iPhone OS 4.0 software and will include a seperate App Store for eBooks. Apple will be announcing the iSlate eBook reader at WWDC 2010, which our sources says is being held on June 7.

There is some speculation that Apple’s anticipated tablet will be named iGuide. If so,then we can definitely say we’re going to stuck with another DRMed version of ebooks. How many ereades we can afford to buy? It seems we’re getting into a critical zone where I can only read an ebook with a specific device, and if my device is broken or lost, all the ebooks I own also get lost. This is a false kind of ownership. If the digital content is intended to replace paper content it must provide something more that paper can’t provide. Now it seems digital content is taking away my rights. The social aspect is even more critical. We’re about to forget that reading has a social value. That’s why I can borrow a paper book form a library if I can’t afford to buy it. Now, with ebook DRMed with a dedicated device the social value is being compromised to such an extent that people who can’t afford to buy a dedicated device are being prohibited to read a book.This is a serious issue that I want to address in detail in a future post.