Why Apple’s iPad Is Going To Transform Print Media
February 17, 2010 Embedded Videos, General, Special Articles/Entries, Technology No CommentsLet’s be honest: the iPad is still yet to proven. It isn’t even out yet and that certainly needs to be considered before we give it too much credit. But given Apple’s track record, when the California-based company enters a new market they usually cause an upset. Millions now flock to Apple’s newly released devices, causing these devices to become the new standard in their respected industry.
Enter the iPad. No, it’s not trying to be a netbook. I think most people aren’t quite understanding that yet. The device’s focus is to be a book/magazine reader, but with a ton of extra features that will make the Amazon Kindle cry itself to sleep at night. Not to mention, it has some pretty handy features for business users.
But I’m not going to get into the heated debate of the iPad. What I do want to talk about briefly is how excited I am about the marketing potential print media companies now have in the digital playground. I’m so excited, that I’m even dusting off this blog to write a new entry. More on the future of this blog later.
First, let’s rewind a little bit. Sports Illustrated showed some serious game face late last year when they released a video of what the print magazine hopes to achieve on a tablet device. Here is the video:
Clearly they had the rumored “Apple Tablet” in mind when designing the video. However, since the device was yet to be announced at the time, Sports Illustrated was simply speculating on its hardware capabilities. This means not everything in the video may be entirely possible on what will no doubt be the leader in the book reader market. That being said, there are some very exciting things in there. Video integration, seamless transitions, etc. Very, very exciting. It impressed me immensely when I first saw it.
But now we have something a little more tangible. Yesterday, Wired Magazine released a video of their own tablet application. Though they don’t focus on the iPad per se, Apple’s device is obviously the big player in the market so Wired would be crazy to show off something that wouldn’t run on it. Included below is the video that was released yesterday. And note that it isn’t video simulation of an application in the video, but actually the working product:
Both the journalist and the marketer in me is getting really excited now. Traditional print media seems to be translating quite well into the digital realm thanks to Wired and Adobe working some wonderful magic here. Basic features seem to work well, such as viewing pages and having a scrubber to browse through the issue quickly. There are also split screen menus, social aspects (clipping articles, e-mailing to friends, favoriting them), and the expected interactiveness within the digital version of articles, such as video clips.
But what impressed me the most? The advertising. Wow! I love the idea of the interactive advertisements in the demo that boast 360-degree viewing angles of products. An advertisers dream. In a traditional print magazine or newspaper, advertisers simply have to hope that their advertisements are being looked at and their likelihood to purchase levels are increased. But when you add this new-found user interaction into the advertisements, especially in a tech magazine on a popular electronic device, chances are the readers will actually want to play with the advertisements. Genius! If anything, this could allow for a stronger revenue stream from the advertisements for the publishers in the longterm than they would get in a print issue. Advertisers will be begging to develop fun new advertisements for the digital medium. It sort of reminds me of how advertisers are currently playing with augmented reality in print media to try to save the medium; where the reader simply needs the issue, webcam and high speed internet to get interaction with the issue. Augmented reality has it’s place, but I’m not as sold on it in an advertising setting. It’s almost gimmicky. Augmented reality simply has nothing compared to the amount of interaction the tablet apps can offer for publishers. And not just for magazines, but also for local, national and international newspapers. It puts them all on a level playing field for creativity and engagement.
So forget about what the iPad can and cannot do when compared to a laptop or a netbook. That’s unfair, because that’s not what the device is going for (yet). Look at it, for now, as a book reader with tons of potential. Business users in particular will find it handy as they can bring tons of books and magazines, as well as some basic business tasking, together in one thin device. I know first hand how much of a pain it is to bring merely a couple of books and magazines with you as you fly around the continent. To have those couple of books and so much more reading material on one device would be very appealing, especially when the digital magazines will offer interactive features such as the above Wired application boasts. Plus then there are all of games, productivity apps, e-mail, web, and more that the device offers.
I’m geeking out. Not just as a technology enthusiast, but also when looking at things from a business perspective. There are so many opportunities here to change the advertising game within traditional print media, it blows my mind. Yes, moving digital may cause print media to fade many years from now, but it could very well save the companies currently fighting to survive within the industry too. Time will tell. All I know is I’m excited for the games to begin.
