December 4, 2009
First tablet demo appears
For the past six months the rumour has persisted that Apple have a large-scale iPod Touch on the way. Publishers, including Condé Nast, have been busy developing content for such a device. Here’s the first to go public – Time Inc’s Sports Illustrated.
9 Comments
Comment on December 4, 2009 by Jonny Clark says:
It’s a lovely idea, however, it doesn’t sit too well with me, something with so many elements is a cross breed between the internet and print but somehow feels less intuitive.
It is a complicated navigation system with ideas such as switching the pages around that adds nothing to the readers actual enjoyment.
I have to say, it is an art form in putting together a solid, coherent publication. Allowing readers to change the format of the publication distorts any character or individuality that a publication brand can have, especially when you can even change the photos or the way the text is laid out.
Personally, I feel Time Inc, should have spent less effort in making the product ‘feel’ like a magazine and more time actually focusing on how a user actually interacts with digital content. This over-tactility and interaction may be it’s stumbling block.
Comment on December 4, 2009 by Tweets that mention magCulture.com / editorial design -- Topsy.com says:
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Comment on December 4, 2009 by uberVU - social comments says:
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This post was mentioned on Twitter by ojaggregator: First tablet demo appears: For the past six months the rumour has persisted that Apple have a large-scale iPod .. http://bit.ly/6M0J8C...
Comment on December 4, 2009 by David says:
This is the first digital magazine “thing” I’ve seen that i can say actually looks good and quite exciting. But to be honest, i couldn’t think of anything more tedious than carrying around an A4 sized tablet in my bag to read my favourite magazine on, id rather buy it…
Comment on December 4, 2009 by LondonLee says:
The art director in me had the horrors when they showed you could rearrange the order of the magazine. So much for all my hard work getting it to flow nicely.
It occurred to me watching this that, like Tivo, it will be even easier to ignore the ads. So how will this “save” the magazine industry when they’re giving people the means to fast-forward past their source of revenue?
Comment on December 5, 2009 by Aaron Moodie says:
I like it. I can see this sort of thing completely replacing the current newspaper. As for magazines, I’m still attached to a printed copy. For now.
@LondonLee I don’t see how the ads in that demo are any easier to ignore than a traditional magazine?
Comment on December 5, 2009 by Andy Cowles says:
I like it too.
I agree this demo looks perhaps too much of a conventional print magazine format to take true advantage of what the platform might offer. But we’ve only seen Sports Illustrated so far, and that is about as trad as it gets.
It’s early days, it will change and it will get better. Other magazine brands will start to stretch and innovate on it.
Personally, I cannot imagine wanting to lug the bloody thing around, so I don’t see it replacing print, but it will give consumers another option. Which is fair enough.
Given that Apple are taking more and more revenue from software (music, apps etc) this looks to me like an attempt to sell branded editorial content through i-tunes or similar.
If so, I wonder how open the platform will be? Will anyone be able to write content to this thing, or will it just be the big American publishers allowed to play…
Comment on December 6, 2009 by James Kelleher says:
This will be the preferred content delivery system for people who like to browse using dead hands on sticks.
Comment on December 13, 2009 by Michael says:
Apple Tablet = Massive Massive Fail
