iPad. vs. publishing, pt. 4

Apple developers were obviously aware that in order for their new product (iPad) to be widely used, it must have to potential to be incorporated in it's user's everyday life, therefore it must be simplistic, user-friendly, not too big but at the same time but large enough to really appreciate the touch-screen and display resolution. So iPad enables users to carry everything with them in a small portable device: pictures, music, the Internet, personal information manager, interactive maps, books and magazines, movies etc. And to make sure to attract the masses, they made an alluring minimalistic design.

By creating a means of daily media consumption (iPad), Apple developers also affected the already changing publishing industry: now kindle has a rival, Amazon is threatened by iBookstore and the meaning and of a book is (becoming) revolutionized, first by e-books and now by e-books enriched with various audiovisuals. So If publishers want to assure their future, then their offer of e-books must exceed plain text and provide a dynamic reading experience. But as Nathan Jurgenson noted, the iPad favors passive consumers and not active prosumers.

During the last couple of weeks while I was browsing through various articles and blog posts on iPads I noticed something: the New York Times was constantly praising iPad in its articles and also when speaking of the new, revolutionized ways of reading newspapers, there was always a picture of iPad with the NYT on the screen (all the early posts on the subject had the same visual material, because pictures of iPad were available only on apple.com). In his recent article Francis Reynolds posted:

Dan Gillmor recently commented on the relationship between Apple and the New York Times, noting that Times new media executive Martin Nisenholtz was on stage for the iPad's unveiling ceremony in January, praising the device, and that the Times frequently appeared on the screen of iPads in advertisements for the device. "By appearing on stage at the Apple event and by launching an iPad app that the Times wants to monetize in every possible way—an app from which Apple will likely make money as well—the Times is becoming more of a business partner with a company it covers incessantly."

So while everybody is speaking of newspapers and publishing revolution in general, the NTY is getting a lot of publicity by being present at iPad-related events, in the visual materials and almost always being an example of this 'revolution'.

Reynolds makes another good point:

[iPad's] not just a better computer, it's a different way of providing content. It doesn't make it easier to surf over to nytimes.com, rather, the big draw of the iPad is that you don't go to nytimes.com, you get the content of nytimes.com in a visually-appealing and user-friendly app. All of which puts a lot of importance on the app as a content-providing medium.

While publishers are focusing on getting a lot of money from subscriptions, Apple will soon most likely be in the power to manage the content that these publishers will provide. So publishers are obviously not (entirely) aware of all the power they are giving up, and Apple is being smart enough to take advantage of the situation.

In my opinion, when all this buzz around the iPad subsides, it will be just like with all the other Apple products: there are die-hard fans and the “indifferent others”, as aptly presented in this comic.

What do you think?

iPad. vs. publishing, pt. 3

Just a short update this week: iPad's revolution of publishing newspapers is just around the corner! The New York Times will begin publishing daily on the iPad, offering readers around the world immediate access to most of the daily newspaper’s contents.

Techcrunch reports:

The New York Times on the iPad, as the electronic publication is known, contains most of the news and feature articles from the current day’s printed newspaper, classified advertising, reporting that does not appear in the newspaper, and interactive features including the newspaper’s crossword puzzle.

The iPad App is part of a strategy to extend the readership of The Times and to create opportunities for the company in the electronic media industry, said Martin Nisenholtz, president of The New York Times Electronic Media Company.

And how much does reading the Times on iPad cost?

Mr. Nisenholtz, publisher of The Times, said that initially, at least, no subscription or access fee would be charged for readers in the United States and that the iPad App would generate revenue from advertising. Readers who connect to the iPad App from outside the country will be offered a 30-day trial without charge, but will eventually face a subscription fee.

So reading newspapers using iPads could make the benefit mutual: newspapers get readership and readers get to read newspapers on iPads whenever and wherever they want to.

iPad. vs. publishing, pt. 2

Since iPad was just released, I decided to stick to this theme. Many (more or less) professionals are still wondering and trying to foresee iPad's impact on media production and consumption, but for now, we can only observe and discuss comments, published by early adopters. Ipad obviously has the potential to notably affect publishing industry, therefore, this week I will focus on potential changes iPad is about to bring to self-publishers and bloggers.

In his post, Paul Weinstein states:

that DigitalBeat Smashwords, a site that enables authors to publish their own eBooks, recently notified its authors via email that it has signed a distribution deal with Apple which allows writers to offer their works for sale to iPad owners. Smashwords already publishes eBooks for independent authors in nine formats and can distribute to a number of sites including Barnes & Noble and Kobo. So inking a publishing deal with Apple certainly makes sense and no doubt signals the beginning of numerous other independent and self-publishing services targeting the iPad's iBookstore.

Meanwhile, for bloggers and readers of various news feeds, Glasshouse Apps has developed what the Next Web called a “Gorgeous iPad RSS Reader.” The application, called The Early Edition, arranges stories on the screen just like newspaper, but allows the user to customize which news sources to pull from and where to place individual stories.

So Apple will take care of blog-loving customers, as well as those, who like to read books by independent authors. Since iBookstore enables users to buy books, but not for less than 10$, the price will surely affect the amount of books people will buy and especially affect the self-publishers, since iPad owners will be in position to decide what is worth publishing and how much it's worth. On the other hand, cosumers/ iPad owners will be able to store and access all their favorite books and other forms of media content in a small, user-friendly portable device.

Could this evolutions of publishing industry in turn affect the content of the medium? Could this mean that McLuhan was right, saying that “the medium is the message”?

In my opinion, iPad will affect the production and consumption processes, but I doubt that it could considerably affect the content, because the content of the message is in large part dependent on consumers' themselves, their interpretations, social contexts etc.

What do you think?

photo: www.apple.com

iPad vs. publishing

In the last couple of moths iPad seems to be the center of gadget universe. While waiting for the release scheduled for April 3, 2010 (Wi-Fi model) or better late April 2010 (Wi-Fi + 3G model), many speculations regarding the use and implications of this tablet computer arose. Although it seems that critics are not nearly unified, iPad could (or better should) in turn affect existing publishing practices, especially in the sphere of newspapers, as Joe Zeff suggests in his post.

When released, the iPad will include the iBooks application, which displays books and other ePub-format content downloaded from the iBookstore. Five of the US’ six largest publishers (Macmillan, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, HarperCollins and Penguin) have already reached deals with Apple to sell their books through iBookstore, reported the New York Times. In an interview Condé Nast Publications representative said they will have available iPad subscriptions for its GQ, Vanity Fair, Wired, The New Yorker and Glamour magazines by June.

What about newspapers? For now it seems that newspapers will be read as (free) on-line versions (using Safari) But will this suffice? Not necessarily, because this could mean that newspapers are not competitive enough to follow current trends. As Joe Zeff wrote:

"Newspapers are challenged to deliver a product that surpasses their print, mobile and online editions. Otherwise, what’s the point of reading an iPad edition, let alone paying for one? It needs to offer something not found in the traditional version already in your briefcase and the up-to-the-second version already in your pocket."

He also poses some interesting suggestions such as content with less time-sensitivity and greater multimedia potential could shift into apps, and on the other hand »news you can use«: Like a newspaper, the iPad becomes a tool, which helps a user find a new house by showing him property values, school information etc.

Perhaps newspapers should consider adapting to new circumstances in the media landscape, because outlook of the near future suggests that iPad could become a widely used appliance and not just a gadget for the technophiles and Apple fans. Newspapers could see iPads as a niche and present themselves in new, even more interactive form, attracting the expectedly large population of users-to-be.

photo: www.apple.com