Penguin's plan to 'reinvent' books on the iPad

During a presentation today in London, Penguin CEO John Makinson showed a video of how the publisher plans to utilize the iPad in the coming age of e-books. The presentation looks great, but it left many asking the same question: Can we even still call it a book?

Are the interactive reading experiences Penguin has in mind even books?  Makinson says the publisher will develop games, online communities, and multimedia content that corresponds to these new ebooks. According to The Huffington Post, Makinson said, “The definition of the book itself is up for grabs.” That’s a hard one to swallow, considering books have arguably been published for more than 600 years.

The shift in conceptualizing books — from text on paper to fully integrated applications — is a startling one.

Makison’s remarks made obvious his vision for increased e-book sales in the future. According to paidContent: UK (the origin of the videos as well), Makison said he expects e-book sales to hit 10 percent next year, rising from just four percent in the U.S. this year. He also hinted that his focus on the iPad could be just as much a function of Apple’s new “agency model” and the chance for a paid distribution model as the increased functionality of the device over other e-readers.

What does this mean for Penguin? The announcement has already received criticism from some (see: Slate’s Big Money) as a “we’re still relevant” cry from struggling publishers.

What does the mean for the future of books as we know them? That could much more complicated. Still, the move to revolutionize one of our oldest traditions — as old as the written word itself — will surely attract debate.