While I am only a few days into my Apple iPad journey, I have experienced enough to know that this device signals a the most significant change in decades in how news, information and entertainment is accessed.
The experience is intoxicating – multiple sources and mediums (text, audio and video) at your fingertips .
I don’t have a lot of time to read newspapers or magazines cover to cover but I will dive in and read a story which interests me. The iPad is made for this. That I can do this wherever and whenever I want without having to go to a store is what excites me the most.
Newspaper and magazine publishers who say that print is their focus and that the iPad channel is about new customers are either lying, kidding themselves or have not swum with an iPad.
It is quick and easy to get a broader perspective on a story, far easier the buying multiple newspapers or visiting a bunch of websites. In seconds I can jump from The Australian to the BBC to a US news outlet.
Eyewitness from the Guardian is an amazing app which lives up to their pitch. It delivers a daily visual reflection of global events. Amazing photos which provide a deeper perspective on stories such as the oil disaster off the coast of the US.
I love the ABC app, especially their news in 90 seconds. It is easier to access than the news headlines service on Sky News on Foxtel.
The Australian app is okay as a newspaper on the iPad. Smart publishers will break free from the constraints of being a newspaper. This is where the iPad really becomes a game changer.
Magazines are priced too high and if current pricing prevails I expect uptake, after the initial excitement, will slow. I think that News Limited has got it about right for their pricing for The Australian – $4.99 for a month seems okay to me.
I am aware that this is only version 1 of the iPad and that Apple is expected to announce more innovation later this year. Enhancements to the iPad family and the new devices from other companies will push this channel into the hands of many who buy newspapers and magazines today.
Is it the end of the Australian newsagency? No. But that’s a blog post for another day. For newspapers though it is a different story the iPad is tolling a bell.
We are promoting the latest issue of Street Machine magazine in its regular location in our auto title section. We have given the display plenty of space (double the usual space allocation) by trimming back space for other titles. Our plan is to leave this display in place for at least the next week. While the publisher may prefer a higher profile location for promoting the title, our experience is that car titles promoted this way in the men’s magazine aisle do better than if they are promoted in a higher traffic location elsewhere in the store. Guys are store blind until they get to their aisle.
