With the much hyped launch of iPad and the scramble to make and launch apps for the new tablet reaching fever pitch, it will be interesting to see how the magazine experience will be transformed by this new device.
The iPad as an on-going magazine interaction device is a tantalising thought… but in-page image and video galleries, social media integration, and additional nav-tools to go with the migrated content, is still just beyond the horizon.
Initially, publishers won’t have much option other than to repurpose PDF’s for viewing on the iPad as well as replicating e-editions, into the new format. However, as time ticks on, if the development of apps for the iPhone and iTouch is anything to go by, purpose designed software will make the whole idea of interacting with a magazine within the iPad environment so much more satisfying for consumers.
The New York Times is leading the way forward for newspapers right now, and the potential to incorporate more user-driven functionality like still and video galleries, active social media links and other interactivity is almost unlimited.
With a base price around the same as the black and white screen Kindle, iPad offers publishers the promise of being able to provide a far more powerful viewing experience for their readers than has been possible up until now.
As Steve Jobs pointed out on January 27, over 75 million people already know how to use the iPad, because of its similarity to the iPhone and iPod family. So publishers will be able to explore the opportunity to sell access to their iPad content through the existing AppStore channel, which is a proven method for content charging.
Due to the iPad’s lineage, it stands a better chance than it possibly deserves of succeeding, and creating a sustainable third category in between laptops and mobile phones.
Another new contender into this middle ground will be Microsoft’s ‘Courier’ booklet device (rumoured to be using a new purpose-designed operating system) that is tentatively being launched within the next few months.
Prototypes feature dual 7″ displays and its folding design not only provides protection but gives the Courier the look and feel of a standard paperback book. This booklet device is a larger version of a smartphone and will be ideal for those who want a smartly-designed dayplanner that can run videos as well as other entertainment applications. Unlike the launch iPad, it is said to incorporate 3G and feature a built-in camera.
But back to the iPad and the here and now. Publishers around the world are announcing iPad apps in ever increasing numbers and one of the most recent is the Imagine Publishing group, based in Bournemouth in the UK. Even though iPad won’t be available for sale there, here, or anywhere, until March this year, that company announced a few days ago they had released iPhone and iPad editions for all of their twenty titles.
Imagine Publishing are actually releasing slightly modified iPhone apps which will run on the new tablet computer, although the new interface won’t be taking advantage of the iPad’s bigger screen and instead will be running at the original iPhone resolution.
Imagine’s business model is centred around charging for the magazine app and bundling in the current issue at no additional cost to the consumer. Imagine charges extra within the app for back-issues or for a subscription, and many more companies are fine-tuning their own pricing structures to get on board.
Apple only released its latest software developers kit a week ago, which will allow publishers to write apps with list and content views on iPad’s larger single display, rather than across multiple iPhone page flick.
Sydney based digital publishing services provider, Realview Technologies, is already in the game. “The iPad supports the same apps as the iPhone so everything already developed for that will run on the iPad without changes,” says Richard Lindley, Realview’s CEO. “It’s just the iPad’s much bigger screen means application tweaking will need to occur to best utilise that.”
“We are currently looking at several approaches when it comes to the iPad, and by the time it’s in stores we’ll ensure our online viewing platform works properly on the new device,” Richard told me. “This will include changing the user interface to take advantage of the big multi touch screen and detecting when the device is in portrait or landscape mode. All of our current clients will immediately benefit from this.”
Realview’s second approach is designing an iPad application for publishers. “The advantage of writing an application rather than a web version is that we can get better control over the device and take advantage of options such as using iTunes for payment,” says Lindley. “At this early stage we are not at liberty to give too many details away, however we welcome any publishers to engage us in dialogue about what they would like to see.”
Richard Lindley and his team are convinced that the iPad really is a game-changer. “We believe that the iPad will revolutionise the way that readers consume digital media and we are here to help publishers get their content onto the new device.”
And Realview won’t be the only locally-based players with the know-how to best migrate titles to the iPad, which offers far more scope for tactile user interplay, a higher degree of portability, and the ability to charge for the experience, too. Indeed, just like Apple changed music, they may just change publishing forever as well.
Sports illustrated iPad demo outlining the type of magazine functionality that is possible.
Actually using a tablet on the same electronic issue – utilising an HP touchsmart TX2.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxXlqtg2rik&feature=related
