Comments on: iPad Transformation of Print Industry Continues

By: experience matters » Blog Archive » Converging on Austin in an age of rectangles

Thu, 25 Mar 2010 22:09:45 +0000

[...] us a vision of the near future with the startling convergence of print and digital advertising on the iPad, which felt foreign yet oddly self-evident. You could almost feel the old paradigms of print and [...]

By: Glenn

Glenn — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 03:07:35 +0000

9.99 a month 4.99 a month easier to swallow. There is nothing better than the touch and feel of a good quality magazine and paper, even the smell but certain content digital, oh yeah, definitely.

By: cc

cc — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 12:14:07 +0000

“Beyond that, there is the issue of price”

It is always about price! The print industry stands to make huge profits if they keep prices as high as they can for this new format.

The problem is, most people know what a fair price is. All you have to due is subtract the old print cost, warehouse costs, taxes, and shipping and that is the price of the e-book.

By: Sal Rodriguez

Sal Rodriguez — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 06:03:20 +0000

The New York Times and the rest of journalism are at the edge of the cliff and Apple knows that. I just find it very difficult to believe the Times and Apple hadn’t sat down to finalize the monetary details of selling content on the iPad until a month before launch. Obviously the Times knew the iPad was coming – they were they main entree at the device’s launch – and now might be too late to turn back.

By: print | Happypixel

print | Happypixel — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 17:14:45 +0000

[...] by Happypixel on February 17th, 2010 at 07:17pm iPad Transformation of print Industry Continues While Apple (s aapl) has yet to sell a single iPad, the device has already challenged the [...]

By: steve

steve — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 16:20:01 +0000

I think I’ll start my own digital publication spanning sports, business, local and world news. I’ll charge .25 an issue or $1.50 a week or $5.00 a month. Bet I make a fortune!

By: Charles Jade

Charles Jade — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 12:14:39 +0000

I don’t think the future is a binary decision when it comes to free/paid content, at least that’s not the way it’s been for music and video. It comes down to how much people will pay for a “content experience.” like the iTunes Store. Although the iTunes Store is immensely popular, there’s still plenty of free and legal ways to get music and video like Pandora and Hulu.

By: Charles Jade

Charles Jade — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 12:00:17 +0000

I’m closing on a house in three days, which is an excuse and not a reason, but there it is. I apologize.

By: Alex

Alex — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 11:03:49 +0000

I love it, print media is declining because they have sod-all content. It’s the same stories being published regardless of whether you’re reading the NYT, WSJ or Bob’s Conspiracy Newsletter. AP syndicated content, published under a NYT heading is still AP syndicated content.

The NYT already has an app prepared for their special iPad version of the paper. Once that hits the streets, expect a software version for other platforms, after which the printed version will be retired. Far lower production costs mean the company can continue to run profitably on the lower income from fewer readers (ie: people from NY, or those who care for the columnists who write only for the NYT).

Once newspapers start moving to subscription-only electronic versions, there won’t be much left of the “free” content on the Internet.

By: Tsubame

Tsubame — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 08:10:24 +0000

I think that the publishers need to take a cold shower and realize the world is a changing place. If they want to charge $30 for a digital subscription, they have to know that isn’t going to fly.

The iPad is really the perfect device for these publications (easier to carry around and read on than a laptop, but with the color and the browseability that an e-reader lacks). It just depends if the publishers wise up and take an initial hit to their bottom line or the try to charge these ridiculous prices.

If the former, they may actually make more money in the long run, as subscriptions may actually shoot up, even as demand for the paper edition drops. I know I would read a lot more newspapers and magazines if I could have them on a device on the iPad. Apple is offering the publishers an out here, it may hurt their bottom line a bit but it beats closing up shop for good.

Unfortunately, these companies seem DETERMINED to kill themselves, so they’ll probably try charging outrageous prices for digital content while still selling very little paper subscriptions. Not only will this spell doom for the publishers, but the consumers will suffer too. Let’s hope they are a bit more forward thinking than that.