HarperCollins talks tablets with Apple

Amazon ought to be getting a little anxious because it appears that Apple is talking to HarperCollins about a tablet device the Cupertino company is cooking up.

According to the Wall Street Journal, HarperCollins will set the price of the e-books and Apple would get a cut on tablet sales.

Yesterday Apple invited selected journalists to a briefing to be held in San Francisco on the 27th of January. The Wall Street Journal believes that this is a multimedia tablet which will go on sale in March.

It’s not just HarperCollins that’s been talking turkey with Apple, according to the same report – other unnamed publishers have been flocking to sign up for the device.

The Apple tablet will also include extra features including video and other applications and the Journal believes that HarperCollins will charge up to $19.99 for books with added electronic features.

Amazon titles cost $9.99 for use with its Kindle device – but a Kindle device costs $259. The Apple tablet is expected to cost significantly more than that.