The battle for the future of publishing is on once again – the last time we saw war like this was at the advent of desktop publishing – today, five major publishers confirmed the last few weeks of rumour with the announcement of a joint venture to develop an
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Brrrrr Brrrrrr! What’s that? That’s the sound of Apple missing the boat.
I will not spend hundreds of dollars for an electronic box for which I have to shell out more money in subscription costs to receive magazines over ATT’s inferior network or another yet untested and unproven network. A hardcopy is unbreakable, free of malware, causes less eye strain, requires no power source except the sun and a low-cost bulb, and can be used to smash insects and other ornery critters. Also, if you are fortunate that your public library carries a subscription, there is no cost o you. Can your tablet do that?
Bravo!
the interface hasn’t been written. Apple could be the ones to write it in partnership with this group. or it is submitted and approved as a free app on the app store, with in purchase buying of the mags.
Apple’s iTunes is for computers as Borders is for books. A retail distribution model. Apple gets money from the sale of content because it actually costs money to run iTunes. It’s a technology venture. Whoever operates the digital storefront for the magazine publishers will have the same operational costs as Apple—or less. There’s just not as much profit in there as they are thinking (especially with magazines), IMO.
In addition, where’s the reader? I’m not seeing lots of people carrying tablets yet. It would seem to me that for this revolution to take place, it requires a digital storefront and comfortable portable digital reader, in lots of hands. The revolution takes place with an integrated solution.
Looks like cartel forming and they may be on thin ice here…
As a reader I have no interest in a “rich array of innovative advertising
opportunities”. I am into content not “in your face, obnoxious, interfering,
unremitting advertising” promoting more conspicuous consumption, debt, and
magazine profits.
Looks like cartel forming and they may be on thin ice here…
quote:
“Brrrrr Brrrrrr! What’s that? That’s the sound of Apple missing the boat.”
I do remember that Apple “also missed the boat” in the mp3-players field… and also in the smartphone field.
I love “declarations of intentions.” Well, the road to hell is full of good intentions.
Did Sony succeded with Sony Connect? And Sony is a company with knowledge in hardware/software/content.
I’ll seat waiting…
I’m looking at all those fancy demos lately of those “digital magazines” that the publishers have been showing off lately. And well…..fancy as they are…I just don’t see myself paying subscription fees for information I can easily surf on a website. And with HTML5 isn’t there new cool stuff you can do with a website nowadays anyway?
Just give me a device so I can easily surf tech blogs on a big multi-touch screen please. Old media just doesn’t get it. No, it’s worse than that. They just DON’T WANT to get it. Or they get it but don’t want to accept it.
An electronic version of the hard copy magazine sans reader interaction, audio, video, links, etc. is dead in the water. Translating a two-dimensional, non-responsive printed media magazine into a two-dimensional, non-responsive electronic duplicate is ridiculously stupid.
The magazines need to be simple. And inexpensive. The key is how the magazine is presented. They need to be 99¢ each (or less). Development cost of the magazine should be kept low. Very low. Whatever program the magazine’s are laid out in needs to have a simple “publish to tablet” export feature. Like PDF except better. Needs to be that simple. So the complete cost of printing and shipping is removed. Green magazines. Get them at the Apple News stand for 99¢.
You obviously have never worked for a publication. The development costs are the major costs to deal with. Distribution, paper and ink, are minor parts, covered by the subscription price of most publications. But then you need people to actually produce the content. And that’s way more expensive. But advertisers covered that cost in advertising revenue. To expect to have publications worth reading without paying for them in some manner is a deluded as looking for Zanadu. Or expecting Steve Ballmer to get with reality.
I’m completely for this initiative, if they do it right. Apple’s tablet will be a good platform to develop for, so they better be ready to go onto the iPad or whatever it will be called. Just like Audible.com books work in iPods/Phones, these new publications need to work on whatever device Apple brings out. Because it’s going to be the gold standard.
Publications need to find a revenue model that people will accept. And people need to understand that you get what you pay for. I’m not hopeful either side will git it right, but then what’s new?
I’m a multimedia designer. I’m very familiar with publication development (content resources and advertisers), publication design and distribution of said publication.
The development cost will have to stay the same. I was only talking about the cost AFTER it’s developed. By going digital, the cost to publish is reduced.
If you try to make the material animated or “more exciting” you will be ADDING to the development cost.
The new model for print magazines, if they are to succeed, is to reduce the cost of the media and get the product in more hands. The only way to reduce costs and maintain the same content is to reduce or eliminate publishing and distribution costs.
Partners:
Content: each magazine
Publishing Software: (most likely Adobe since that’s where most print materials are laid out)
Storefront: Apple
Reading Device: iTunes compatible device (iPod, iPhone, tablet?)
I say good for them. They’re trying to find a solution that moves the print model to the modern age. If they do a good job, the market may reward them. If they do nothing, they’re in trouble. Innovation is always a good thing, no matter who it comes from. Time will tell if this venture qualifies as innovation… or as putting lipstick on a pig. The devil is in the details.
There are hundreds of thousands of products that have been patented that made their inventors no money; whose great plans, hopes, and dreams languish in dusty boxes in some forlorn government warehouse. You state that this tablet is innovative. I say time will tell. Apple has a penchant for corporate hubris. Don’t be surprised if not all Apple products live up to their expectations.
I’ve got news for the Print Cartel. There’s only one company I will pay for content from, and that’s Apple. Anything else I get from torrents. Have fun in bankruptcy court.