Zondervan Launches New iPod Bible

by Lori Smith, Religion BookLine -- Publishers Weekly, 11/9/2005

In a move being billed as "twenty-first century technology meets a 2,000-year-old book," Zondervan will release a TNIV Bible designed specifically for the iPod in February. The TNIV Audio Bible for iPod will be the first audio Bible available in Apple retail stores. It will also be sold through Christian and general market bookstores and other retail outlets.

Zondervan partnered with software company Talking Panda to produce the new format, which will allow users to listen to the audio version, view Bible text on their iPod screen, and link to study notes from the bestselling TNIV Student Bible. Talking Panda founder and CEO Jordan Allen-Dutton told RBL, "We look at this as more than an audio book, more than a text copy, and more than the searchability and functionality of Google. It's all those things combined into a portable, searchable, listenable, readable master tool." Dutton admits, however, that the multiple-gig file size may prevent users from putting the entire Bible on their iPod at one time.

Mark Hunt, v-p and publisher of new media for Zondervan, said the project was motivated in part by the overall goal of Zondervan's Bible publishing program "to engage more people in reading the Bible more." Hunt believes this product will have an edge over other iPod and MP3 Bible versions because of the ease of use and iPod-specific functionality provided by Talking Panda, and because they're using the proprietary Today's New International Version, which is popular with 16-35 year-olds, the same primary demographic as iPod users.

In an effort to differentiate this from other audio Bibles Zondervan has produced, the publisher worked with a casting director in Los Angeles to find audio talent, putting together a group of roughly 40 young working actors from the U.S., Britain, Australia, and other countries. The suggested retail price will be $49.99.