Empire Army book available on itunes.

[Crovax20]

What features do they offer in the digital version that is not available in a pdf?

I downloaded the space marine digital codex demo back when they released it. The thing that stuck with me (I don't play space marines or 40k), since I downloaded it are:
1. Pop up windows on keywords. Want to know what venerable does/means? Tap it and you get a small pop up window explaining it
2. 360 degree pictures
3. Smooth flipping, I was really suprised at how fluidly you can move through the Ibook and find stuff you look for.

The pop-up windows are really awesome, and I can imagine it will speed up your game a lot! It will save you a lot of flipping through compared to a hard copy.

Please keep in mind I have only flicked through the demo twice, but first impressions were very good. I will buy the Ibook for my O&G and Tomb Kings most likely (when they come out).

[Sir_Glonojad]

(pop-up windows) Wow, that actually does seem helpful. It remains to be seen if the hypertext magic is expanded in further publications, but that's a potential that You can't do with a paper book. BTW, my mom's Kindle does have a built-in dictionary so that She can check some of the rare words used by Tolkien, for example, so the idea is not really new... still, useful and fun.

[The bearded one]

These are from one of GWs original vids, about the space marines codex; helpful little features

http://youtu.be/eI-01ylQ-0k?t=1m9s

http://youtu.be/eI-01ylQ-0k?t=1m15s

http://youtu.be/eI-01ylQ-0k?t=1m19s

http://youtu.be/eI-01ylQ-0k?t=1m25s

http://youtu.be/eI-01ylQ-0k?t=1m29s

[sulla]

I'd buy one at the same price as a print codex if I owned a tablet.

It's smaller than the physical book, so less intrusive on the tabletop.

I wouldn't ever buy both.

But GW must start releasing them simultaneously with the print books, not a few months later, otherwise they miss out on a lot of sales. (Assuming they care.)

[Brother Dimetrius]

Since the digital stuff has been released we haven't seen any codexes or army books come out so if they'd do that is anyone's guess. The cynical view however would be that they would delay the digital ones as to not impact paper sales. The fact that there isn't a 40k rulebook out yet might be an indication.

[Sir_Glonojad]

Thanks for the movie links The Bearded One. Interesting. Still, I for one won't be getting digital codexes at this price and requirements.

[The bearded one]

Thanks for the movie links The Bearded One. Interesting. Still, I for one won't be getting digital codexes at this price and requirements.

I like to buy all the physical fantasy books, but perhaps if I decide to get an Ipad (I'll be working the following 2 weeks for humongous piles of cash, so I will be able to buy it ), I might get a few 40K ones, or ones for my main armies (lizardmen and dwarfs), but I prefer not getting them double. They're sleak and shiney though, and I wouldn't mind it if it was me for once, coming with new fancy electronic gizmo's, instead of an old phone (no matter how incredibly robust that phone was ), and feeling like one of those people on the advertisement pictures and commercials, as if I'm in the future

[Lord Dan]

Absolutely not.
Apple takes 30%.
I believe a regular retailer selling a printed copy keeps around 40%.

It's 45%, unless things have changed in the last 4 years.

[Frgt/10]

Do you have any proof of this statement?

yes. the necron codex sitting on my ipad...

But GW must start releasing them simultaneously with the print books, not a few months later, otherwise they miss out on a lot of sales. (Assuming they care.)

this won't happen anytime soon. GW don't want to ape the sales of the physical books.

[Grey Seer Kwokka]

Absolutely not.
Apple takes 30%.
I believe a regular retailer selling a printed copy keeps around 40%.

It's 45%, unless things have changed in the last 4 years.

So that means GW may make an overall bigger % profit this way, but this still can't be reliably corroborated. The assertion needs to stop being that just because there's no factory work, that GW somehow save squillions.

In any case, in a market like ours (in Oz), saving $20 on the digital version of the book is actually quite attractive. Though, maybe GW are simply fearful of attracting the attention of the inquiry currently being heard.

[EmperorNorton]

So that means GW may make an overall bigger % profit this way, but this still can't be reliably corroborated. The assertion needs to stop being that just because there's no factory work, that GW somehow save squillions.

Okay, then I'd like to propose a modified assertion: If they are somwhow managing not to save squliions in production of these ebooks compared to the physical copies they should get out of this line of business. And maybe take up gardening or something.
No printing, no shipping costs, no storage, lower dealer's margin...heck, you could say they have no costs for the production of the contents of the book, because they are already covered for by the printed copies. All that leaves is converting data into a new format and slightly modifying it. How is it possible not to save a bundle that way?

[Grimmeth]

I don't know if this has been mentioned yet, but something else to take into account on the prices is that in the UK VAT isn't paid on books, yet is on ebooks.
So there's an extra 20% winging it's way off to Her Majesty's Treasury on the ebook versions that isn't on the physical ones.

[Lord Solar Plexus]

Some of you are comparing Apple with oranges.

I can also find cheap boats and cars on there

They're working on digitalizing those as well.

I expect this thread (and any new ones) to be as dead as the 40k equivelant pretty soon

But it's digital! It's the future!

I Think the main reason behind the Price of the books is because of the challenges faced with a Global Market

That's what I tell my wife when she asks about the empty wallet! What a coincidence.

Yes Gw may make alot more profit from purchases in Australia but the expenses are much higher...As a whole Gw has been very profitable in the past financial year, they are a successful company as a whole (they are publicly traded its free for everyone to see), but i doubt that the Australian branch contributes anywhere near the Profit that both UK and US bring in even with a much higher profit margin.

The height of expenses is irrelevant when you're making more profit than elsewhere. The expenses are then obviously lower on a percentage basis. If Australia has a higher profit margin, it also brings in more profit (that is the net gain after expenses, not the turnover).

[Crymson]

I downloaded the demo of Warhammer: Empire last night. The 360 degree models, gallery view on images, thumbnails of the pages along the bottom of the screen and pop up boxes for rules all point to the book being created in iBooks Author, software I am pretty familiar with.

This does, indeed, mean it is not a .pdf file, but a .ibooks file.

As was pointed out, this also means GW can't release it on any other platform, unless they give it away for free. And we know the chances of that.

I'm actually quite impressed and am currently deciding whether to buy Warhammer: Empire, which I already own in a dead-tree version. When future Warhammer books come out, I'll more than likely buy them on the iPad rather than in print.

[Grey Seer Kwokka]

Okay, then I'd like to propose a modified assertion: If they are somwhow managing not to save squliions in production of these ebooks compared to the physical copies they should get out of this line of business. And maybe take up gardening or something.

No printing, no shipping costs, no storage, lower dealer's margin...heck, you could say they have no costs for the production of the contents of the book, because they are already covered for by the printed copies. All that leaves is converting data into a new format and slightly modifying it. How is it possible not to save a bundle that way?

The traditional costs of printed medium are not immediately relevant but there are costs involved with digital product, the most critical of these being support & maintenance (as well as licensing in some countries; content needs to be authorized prior to distribution by the relevant bodies). Bugs needs to be tracked and / or fixed, compatibility ensured with new versions of the O/S or vendor software, version control with the errata management, etc etc. Furthermore, these services require the most expensive of resources; manpower. You cannot automate these; doing so voids the actual purpose in some cases.

Hence, playing along with the hyperbole of GW "saving teh monies and screwing the customer" with the digital concept breeds nothing more than hearsay and slander. Nobody here can prove otherwise (without insider info, anyway).

[Johnmclane]

Also you need to add digital copies sold. Could be very expensive if they don't sell as many. I'm not likely to buy one for example, but i would pay more for a hardback book on the other hand.

[EmperorNorton]

Also you need to add digital copies sold. Could be very expensive if they don't sell as many.

They'll have made calculations based on the number they expect to sell.
It's the same for printed books, where of course it would be cheaper per unit if you print a million copies, but not profitable when you end up not selling them.

Hence, playing along with the hyperbole of GW "saving teh monies and screwing the customer" with the digital concept breeds nothing more than hearsay and slander. Nobody here can prove otherwise (without insider info, anyway).

True enough, neither side of the argument can be proven beyond the shadow of a doubt becaue we don't have all the information.
I am happy to settle for what appears more likely given the information we have (and knowledge about the information we don't have) than to insist on some kind of absolute truth which can never be obtained.
Is it possible the ebooks cost GW as much or even more to produce than the physical copies? I guess so.
Is it likely or plausible? Not from where I'm standing.

[Lord Solar Plexus]

I harbour great doubts that eBooks are really that much cheaper to produce. Yes, there are a few additional costs involved in paper, ink, printing machines, or paying the printshop, in transportation and storing. However, these costs are laughably low for anything not a "micro" run. Printing is done in China; obviously transportation cost cannot be very high. I know for a fact that transportation of goods is a very competetive market.

Then there is everything else: An author to pay, pre-production, lectorship, graphics, layout, designers...all of which apply to both formats. Okay, so most of it is fixed but ever since the birth of eBooks, the assumption that they are cheap to produce has been around. And it has seemingly led some authors to demand 50 % royalties of the list price instead of the 15 % someone like Grisham would get - on the net price. Add to this manpower and additional soft- and sometimes hardware costs and swap the retailer for Apple and you might be looking at a very small difference for a standard publisher.

Regarding storage and warehouse space, GW operates B&M stores. They don't have to rent additional space, or establish and run a completely new inventory system. It's all in place already, and I don't think it matters whether ship dolls or books or both to the continent. Unless they're going to digitalize the models and stores as well...I'm sure a computer programme would be much cheaper than a human sculptor or three.

[Crymson]

Most of the cost in producing a book is not in the printing. It is in paying for the writing, editing, art and layout. That said, there is a cost in printing dead-tree versions that ebook versions don't share. In most cases, ebooks can be priced lower and retain the same profit margins as a higher costing print book. How much lower depends on many factors, and none of us will know how much GW pays for printing.

[lordlorien]

I own the Marine and Necron Codex and both are absolutely awesome. Especially the hyperlinked rules for every special rule the units and the equipment have. Doesn't matter if the rules are usually printed in BRB or Dex. It really helps to check a rule.

Second point of awesomeness is the update with FAQs. To have an Army Book which is always up to date with the latest FAQ is really nice. No longer having all those printouts lying around.

Last but not least... I travel a lot during the week and having your Army books at hand when you want em and not having to take another suitcase is a big bonus .

So personally I am a big fan of the IPad books. Guess the Empire one will soon follow. If there just wasn't all the models to paint in an Empire army .


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD