Since iTunes seems to have the music and video download business figured out, I can't believe someone isn't already looking at book downloads for it too. I haven't Googled for such articles but I'm sure they're out there. And the Boing Boing article suggests pretty strongly that the entire industry would benefit (authors AND publishers) once they get over the idea that the only way to make money is to keep paying for the overhead and passing it on to the consumer.

I also like the iPod's scroll wheel, and I think it would be perfect for reading a book. Not only could you use the up/down keys to scroll text, but you could simulate flipping pages by using the left/right keys. This might sound silly, but one of the things I like about books is flipping pages. One reason is that it preserves the flow of the book, and allows for strategic interruptions that can make surprises or transitions more effective. If you don't believe me, then you need to read this book. There's a key revelation that totally smacks you in the face (a lot of Frederick Forsyth's books are like that) and it happens just after you turn the page. I know it would not have the same impact if you were scrolling through the text.

I also think that combined with this technology you could come up with something a lot closer to a book, especially regarding the power consumption (or lack thereof), which, to me, would FINALLY make e-books worthwhile. Considering how many features they are packing into devices these days (phone, music, video, PDA) adding a good e-book reader would be child's play.

It seems like I'm not the only one who thinks this might work.