Engadget seems to have some insider information concerning the next generation iPod.  There's already been discussion about the magnificently increased screen real estate, but so far, we just thought it was for watching movies.

Well, just in case you'd rather read the Homer's Iliad than watch Pitt's Troy, it is very likely that this fancy new iPod will come with eBook functionality, allowing the device to drop into a monochrome, high-contrast, low-power mode.  But, must important, Apple's iTunes store will very likely be carrying eBooks with basically the same DRM as the iTunes MP3s.

This juicy tidbit comes from someone at a major publishing house who was just ordered to send ALL of their manuscripts to Apple's Cuptertino headquarters.  Once again, that's ALL of their manuscripts. 

We've been waiting for something that might take eBooks into the mainstream.  If Apple manages to get every book published by a major publishing house for sale on line, we would definitely call that mainstream. 

 

via Engadget