Why Can't All These Ideas For Content On The iPad/Tablets Also Work On The Web?
from the i'm-confused dept
Last month, at a panel in Silicon Valley on the future of journalism, one of the topics of discussion was whether or not tablet computing would be the "savior" of news, with most of the focus being on a recent video put together by Sports Illustrated of what a specialized tablet version of the magazine might look like. More recently, Wired Magazine demonstrated a working prototype of a tabletized version of the magazine. Both of these demos are certainly impressive -- but I'll say the same thing that I said about the SI demo on that panel discussion: why is the focus on the hardware? Nothing in either demo really requires a tablet. If this format is so compelling, why aren't these publications already offering it for use on regular computers? Certainly, the ability to use touchscreen controls is nice, but you could easily replicate the basics with a mouse. If the overall format is so compelling, then what does it have to do with a tablet/iPad, specifically? Now, perhaps Wired does intend for this to be useful on other platforms, as its version is just an Adobe AIR app, and so it could function just fine on a desktop/laptop, but again, the video seems to keep focusing on the tablet as if that's necessary. Yes, perhaps the form factor of a tablet computer makes this experience more enjoyable, but I think it's important in judging whether or not these apps actually make sense to separate the hardware from the software, to see if either makes sense without the other, or if they really are joined at the hip.Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
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Filed Under: ipad, magazines, sports illustrated, tablets, ui, wired
Companies: wired
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Micropayments?
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Re: Micropayments?
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I thought the same thing
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Re: Micropayments?
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Re:
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The touchscreen is huge.
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Funny thing is that I do not know anyone that actually wants and iPad, not even the Apple Fanboys I know.
If publishers want a bunch of cash for whatever 'content' they are hawking then they need to subsidize the cost of the device (iPad or whatever), just like cell phone companies do. Even then, who cares?
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Same here. I'm also amazed at how many people I see on my daily commute on the El that still have their open paperback books instead of a Kindle or other eReader. Not that I'm particularly high on those machines, but with all the talk you'd think they'd be everywhere.
Maybe it's because I like his humor, but everytime I hear about the iPad, all I can think about is Daniel Tosh thwacking his unopened gift machine with a driver atop a conference table with his writers....
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Yes, and so do I. However, I think about how his writers didn't have a punchline written after the destruction. Even when he said "Four" it seemed late, and forced. Real crappy writers.
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It's About Apps
They want a product. But HTML 5 will kill Apps.
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Re: It's About Apps
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it what happens when designers and producers start over thinking
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Control
If they just put their content out on The Web instead of a carefully-controlled environment such as the iPod/iPhone/iPad, then they won't be able to control how their content is used and distributed, which means they won't be able to get the money they deserve for it, and that will lead to the end of creation of new content and the downfall of society¡
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Re: Control
Sure, iPhones and iPads use modern, low-cost distribution (via Internet), but are demonstrably de-evolutionary for computer using society as they represent an artificial return to the "closed" systems development circa 1940's-1990's. Sure, they might run have JRE's and Adobe clients... you just can't use Java apps from their app store unless you have already consumed the hardware kool-aid. Most likely, they will also lock-down use of "open" apps on these devices as well, just like the Iphone.
This kind of virtual time-machine is perfect for the CEO who would just rather not learn anything new. They're just hoping people still like kool-aid.
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Re: Re: Control
An article regarding Wired's app mentioned that the web and magazine teams are completely separate. Whereas the iPad App team are the graphic designers working in InDesign from the same files that make the magazine.
It's not distribution control, but layout control that many publishers miss from moving from print to web.
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However I'm unconvinced that the CEO's and boards of the publishers have any inkling of this technical concern. I'm much more inclined to believe that the corporations are eager to return to a more predictable, rigid model of distribution and sales and of growth forcasting.
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Re: Re: Re: Control
A competent web designer can do amazing things with stylesheets on a web page that look no worse than a printed page. There's also Flash and PDF for even greater layout control.
I once had a magazine subscription through a service called Zinio, where it was almost identical to the printed magazine but had their own delivery mechanism. Worked fine. On a PC, no tablet required. *shrug*
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We do - but folks are more willing to pay for eBooks on an iPad...
If I wanted to sell a digital version of my comic books, I'd either have to sell an eBook online, (and deal with not only reduced sales since a "free" online version is already available, but also a certain level of piracy), or sell a greyscale'd "Kindle" version which would be of lower quality / value. The iPad offers a touch more security and a better form factor.
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Re: We do - but folks are more willing to pay for eBooks on an iPad...
It's as if people believe that if they don't create a digital copy, none will exist. In fact, if your work has any measure of popularity, a digital copy already exists. You're just missing out on the chance to make money from the few people interested in paying for content in that medium.
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Why it wouldn't work for the web
Now a web interface could be developed that made these sites digital version pretty cool but the problem is that a lot of the companies have tried it already and failed. The reason they failed, for the most part, is they tried too early and the tech wasn't there to support making a nice, shiny, feature rich interface that was cross-platform and easy to use. A lot of them tried Flash and it sucked even though some still use it. There also appears to be a mental barrier in web design that says the site has to look like a web page of some sort. Hardly any of the media companies are breaking out of the box and using current tech to produce a user experience that would be worth paying for. I believe they could do so if they put their mind to it and used current tech. User experience is a scarcity and the right experience could be worth a little bit of jack from customers. But they seem to want to be able to, in relation to browser based interfaces, provide nothing to make the experience better and still charge which won't work.
The other issue, which I don't see mentioned, is the irrational fear that someone, somewhere, might cut and paste content for other people to see. This fear is relieved on the iPad (still makes me think of feminine products and my inner ten year old wants to make jokes) as they can control exactly what the user can and cannot do with the content. So from that perspective, as irrational and wrong as it is, it makes sense to provide a slick interface and user experience on this tablet to allow full media conglomerate control over their words. It's a sad position but one that we see more and more of with no apparent hope of correcting.
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Re: Why it wouldn't work for the web
I will definitely never, ever use a text reading app that doesn't allow copy/paste, and neither will any bloggers or any even vaguely computer savvy users. And even the non-savvy will rebel the first time they try to e-mail a quote to a friend, even if it's not something they do very often.
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I'm not familiar with the history of cut-and-paste on the iPhone, but that was clearly a technological issue, not a DRM one. The interface on the iPhone *sucks* for copy and paste too, but it is an OS-wide function. If a news reader app for the iPhone disabled it, do you really think it would be popular?
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Re: Why it wouldn't work for the web
thank god it's impossible to read the screen and type it into another device or society as we know it would crumble to dust.
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Re: Why it wouldn't work for the web
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iPad
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Focus on DRM/control not hardware
If they gave away this layout on the web for free then why would anyone pay huge prices for the same crap on an iPad? It's not smart on their part, it just seems to be their direction.
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Cars v Buses
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A point a lot are missing
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Re: A point a lot are missing
The common thread amongst the tablet developers is the desire for an artificially locked down distribution system for premium content. Everyone wants to become the "iTunes" of e-books, and are starting with the same hardware/app+media store lock-down methodology. Even those who will permit use of PDF's and open apps are trying to put up their own proprietary store-front and lock the distribution.
It's the closed channels that publishers find so attractive.
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It will work on the Web, but display is only half of it...
However, If I'm sitting at my desk, I don't want the content on an iPad, I want it on my computers. I think that means the best platform is the Web, with some device-sensing format smarts. If it's only aimed at one or the other, that's missed opportunity.
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Re: It will work on the Web, but display is only half of it...
Perhaps there is some subtlety here that I am missing... but my response to that statement is:
Yuck. You are a weirdo, and an asshole.
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Publishers are desperate...
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Turning the Page on the PDF
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pc= box + flat screen + mouse + bunch of wires
laptop= small box + mouse + power wire
tablet = one box (you can read & type, click)
p.s. I would personally be happy with 10' screen laptop with 24h power cell
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