Can the iPad save publishing?
The children of the digital age will grow up without film in their cameras, without albums on CD, without DVD collections and without paper.
Hands up if you agreed with the first three, but decided you couldn’t live in a paper-free world. Congratualations! You’re in the majority.
We want to be able to swat flies with a newspaper, dog-ear the pages of a novel and read magazines on the loo.
More than that, we’ve lived with printed bits of paper for a long time – scriptures and newspapers changed the course of history – so we’re emotionally attached, too.
“But I just like the feel of holding a paper/book/magazine.”
Tough. The internet has made it harder for media that need to be physically printed and distributed to keep up, and that’s a one-way trend.
Publishing, on paper, is in decline, even if print is a more resilient format than most. Consider the fall of tape to CD or VHS to DVD. Quick, wasn’t it?
Now all physical formats are being just as speedily usurped by digital files.
So can the iPad do for digital publishing what the iPod did for music?
The New York Times app demoed at the launch event had some fun tricks like embedding video content in stories, but if that’s the full reach of digital publishing we’re in trouble.
Then again, the NYT only had a few weeks to develop their brief demo. And, besides, it’s hardly at the vanguard of publishing design. If publishers can exploit the iPad’s gorgeous screen properly, we could see a sea change in the way people consume magazines and newspapers.
As an ereader, the iPad’s flickering colour screen is unlikely to win over many serious bookworms, even if it is the best-looking reading device. On the other hand, it has millions of pre-registered users for its iBooks store, a tried-and-tested selling environment and big industry buying power.
Single-handedly transforming an industry with one device is a big ask, but Apple has done it before. Twice.
Don’t bet against the iPad scoring Apple’s hat-trick.
Comments
campfreddie69
2 years ago
The difference between digital cameras, CDs and DVDs and print is that they all require additional tech to use them. A paper, magazine or book just require you to pick it up and read, no batteries required. For this reason it will take a long time for ereaders to take over printed material.
ben.watt
2 years ago
aaaaah I'll be in the queue in front of the Apple Shop to buy my 64GB one with the keyboard dock :)
batsy99
2 years ago
It all sounds great until you try sitting anywhere other than the safety of your own home. I doubt someone will mug me for my copy of 'of mice and men' in paperback. Contained in an ipad though and it's goodnight Vienna. That's one reason why books will always be there
Tony Horgan
2 years ago
I agree with campfreddie69. Older people will remember predictions of "the paperless office" when computers became more prevalent than typewriters. A glance around my desk suggests that, at least 20 years later, we're still no nearer to that.
Chilly792
2 years ago
Throughout all of our live books and newspapers have remained relatively unchanged,if you excluded colour printing. So there will be much more resistance from people to change from something they have known forever.
I have just entered my 30's and already seen video, music and photography changed format 2 or 3 times, so we are more accepting of it and hapily jump to the next offering
Ttreb
2 years ago
"Single-handedly transforming an industry with one device is a big ask, but Apple has done it before. Twice"
Are you willing the demise of the printed word?
CD's never usurped Tapes. They stole the Vinyl crown ... and besides, vinyl never really vanished. Actually, it's doing quite well right now.
There will always be a place for books and 'printed bit of paper'(sic)
Their position will shift and their meaning will be re-defined. But they will never vanish.
I do love my Kindle though!
Ttreb
2 years ago