With the introduction of Apple’s iPad last week, I can’t help but wonder how thewriting community will be affected — not so much in terms of whether or not writers will use the iPad to write their work (there’s no question there considering we so openly use laptops), but rather in terms of a new store Apple has built for the iPad …

iBookstore

It reflects the look and feel of iTunes and the App Store and replicates their ease of use, which for readers, makes the iPad the best e-reader available. With the major publishers onboard with the iBookstore, readers will not only be able to purchase, download, and read their favorite titles in an instant, they’ll also be able to read titles made available by smaller publishers (much like the app developer community — sounds like a perfect opportunity to get involved with the digital platform for independent and self-publishing companies out there.

So with the iBookstore coming shortly,what is the iPad and how will writers be able to use it?

iPad

As a device that fills the gap between your computer and your smart phone, the iPad

will act as your mobile computer — smaller than your laptop, yet more powerful than your smart phone.

Apple also introduced a suite of apps along with the device, called iWorks — including spreadsheets, keynote presentations, and what writers will find most useful, the word processing app called pages.

Apps

The App Store currently features over 140,000 apps — both for sale and for free, from professionals and from amateurs … you’ll even find a few writing related apps available for the iPhone and iPod Touch.

With the success of the app store and the innovation and creativity of the developers creating apps for the platform, there’s no doubt there will be writing related apps available for the larger platform, the iPad.

The question stands — what might those apps include?

I’d love to hear what you think about all this — the iPad, using the full size touch keyboard, adjusting to the platform, and writing while on the go.

Do you see yourself writing your book on the iPad? Publishing your work to the iBookstore through a self-publisher, or do you see yourself continuing to pursue traditional publishing?