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One step forward, two steps back

William Owen, self-styled sceptic at last week’s EDO/BSME iPad evening, has posted a precis of his talk, complete with the example projects he presented. It’s well worth a read.

He concludes that publishers should be ‘discovering what works well on the web that might not work in print, experimenting with new business models, collaborating with partner companies with different skills and assets, engaging closely with their audience (like the week Grazia produced itself form Westfield)… It’s not easy because it takes a new set of skills, a new culture and a different more agile attitude to development. That’s a world away from pouring pages into iPads’.

He’s right of course, the iPad is a double-edged sword. The technology is exciting, yet it is potentially a distraction from the real issues. Publishers can’t rely on the iPad as the silver bullet to resolve the industry’s problem with digital, yet judging from recent conversations I’ve had, that’s precisely what many are assuming will be the case.